Company: Avetta
Function: Supply Chain Risk Management
Industry: Software
Fun Facts:
- Global Reach: Avetta supports over 130,000 businesses in 120+ countries, creating one of the world’s largest networks of safe, sustainable, and secure contractors and suppliers.
- Innovative Solutions: Their platform includes supplier prequalification, auditing, insurance verification, analytics, and more to help companies manage supply chain risk and compliance.
TL;DR: When Avetta set out to formalize its leadership development efforts, the team partnered with LifeLabs Learning to support new people managers. Through the Manager CORE program, Avetta built a scalable, high-impact system that improved leadership effectiveness, boosted employee engagement, and equipped leaders to grow alongside the business. Nearly 200 managers have completed the training program, with full participants scoring higher on leadership effectiveness (96%) than the overall Avetta average (89%).
We’ve got the data that says if you apply what you’re doing in LifeLabs [workshops,] you’re going to have a better relationship with your people.
-Chad Williams, L&D Program Manager.
With a strong focus on relevance and application, the program continues to play a key role in Avetta’s long-term growth strategy.
Situation
With a recently formed learning and development team and no formal leadership development structure in place, Avetta, a global leader in supply chain risk management, set out to build a standardized program to support leaders at every level.
“We wanted to have a more formal approach to leadership development,” said Chad Williams, L&D Program Manager. “What we had before was spotty and very individualized at best. We were looking for a common system, process, and language.”
A key part of the company’s approach was a shift toward “leader as coach” — aiming to equip people leaders with the tools to guide, develop, and empower their teams more effectively.
At the same time, Avetta had an ambitious goal to double its size, known internally as growing another Avetta. Chad said, “To do that, we need leaders who can support that growth. And we also need a bench that we can call on in the future.”
Solution
Following a recommendation from a board member, Avetta partnered with LifeLabs Learning to launch a more formalized leadership development program for first-time people leaders and those in the role for the first time at Avetta.
“We built our leadership development program in four areas: preparing to lead, new leaders, more experienced leaders, and leaders of organizations or divisions,” explained Chad. “Our LifeLabs offering sits in that second tier.”
New people leaders at Avetta are invited to LifeLabs Learning’s Manager CORE Part 1 program, designed to build a foundation for managers with four 2-hour workshops and an intensive session. Participants who complete the Manager CORE Part 1 workshops are then nominated to attend the Manager CORE Part 2.
Alongside the workshops, Chad introduced complementary initiatives, including a mentorship program for new leaders, the use of internal tools like Culture Amp, and strategic communications to drive engagement and adoption.
“For every cohort, we create a Teams channel where I can post reminders and program guides, and offer application ideas of how they can use the content going forward,” shared Chad. “It’s a running conversation for the length of the cohort.”
Key elements of Avetta’s approach include:
Strong participation and accountability: LifeLabs Learning workshops are framed as both an investment in growth and an expected part of leadership development.
Top-down support: As program manager, Chad attends live sessions with each cohort to connect the topics to company goals and annual initiatives.
Data-driven development decisions: Attendance is integrated into annual talent reviews. Managers who miss sessions—and have lower-than-average leadership effectiveness scores—are invited to complete the missed sessions through future cohorts, a model Avetta refers to as “targeted coaching.”
“LifeLabs has provided a common vocabulary and process to enable our people leaders to be better coaches,” – Chad Williams, L&D Program Manager, Avetta
Results
LifeLabs Learning helped Avetta develop a scalable, structured, and aligned leadership program that supports its growth strategy. The results have been both measurable and cultural.
What I’m looking for is impact and return on investment,” said Chad. “We’ve got the data that says, if you apply what you’re doing in LifeLabs, you’re going to have a better relationship with your people.”
1. Improved Leadership & Engagement Scores
Avetta conducts an annual leadership effectiveness survey of approximately 850 employees, collecting feedback on 200+ leaders to inform training trends and individual coaching. Results show that leaders who completed Manager CORE Part 1 earned higher effectiveness scores. When cross-referenced with engagement survey results, Avetta also found that teams led by Manager CORE Part 1-trained managers reported higher employee engagement. These findings reinforced the link between leadership development and team outcomes—and provided a strong case for continued investment.
Chad shared, “We saw a positive difference in the scores of leaders who have taken Manager CORE Part 1. They’re better than those of their colleagues who have not yet had the opportunity to take it.” He added, “We also see that for those who have completed Manager CORE Part 1, their colleagues’ engagement is higher than before.”
| Current managers who completed all four Manager CORE Part 1 workshops scored higher than the overall Avetta average: Leadership Effectiveness Favorability = 96%, compared to 89% overall Coaching = 94%, compared to 88% overall Feedback = 93%, compared to 85% overall |
2. Real World Relevance
Relevance is Avetta’s top success metric. Participants consistently rated LifeLabs workshops above 95% in relevance, affirming that the content was immediately applicable to their roles.
“Our people come back and say, ‘This was exactly as it was purported to be,’” said Chad. “Yes, we care if they enjoyed it. But what we want to see is: is it relevant? Because if it’s relevant, it’s applicable.”
The program has also been well-received by participants, with 100% of learners finding the skills useful and 97% finding the workshops engaging.
Chad shared, “Individuals who have completed CORE 1, on their own, have reached out and said, ‘Are there more? What’s next?’ I can then share with them the CORE 2 program.”
3. Scalable Success Across Time Zones
With employees across 13 global offices, Avetta needed a program that could support a distributed workforce. LifeLabs Learning’s flexible cohort model made it possible to include participants from North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region—while maintaining a high-quality experience.
Chad said, “The scheduling preferences have worked really well across time zones.”
3. Internal Adoption & Daily Use
Skills and vocabulary from the LifeLabs Learning workshops are now embedded in Avetta’s daily routines. As a leader, Chad regularly uses and models the program content: “From CORE Part 1, I use one-on-ones and coaching probably every single day,” he said. “From CORE 2, I use Meetings Mastery – those 4 P’s, I use that on every meeting invite I send! ”
(The 4Ps – Purpose, Product, Personal benefit, Process – are elements to include in an opening statement when kicking off meetings to create alignment and remind people of why they’re there.)
| Best Practices for Program Success Advice from Chad Williams, L&D Program Manager Partner closely with your Impact Consultant. A strong working relationship makes a significant difference in program success. Use the resources provided. When LifeLabs sends you an email, click on and digest every link. You’ll be far more successful. Ask for support. Be curious. If you’re facing a challenge, ask LifeLabs what they’ve seen work. |
Conclusion
As Avetta scales, so does its commitment to growing confident, capable leaders—and LifeLabs Learning has helped make that possible. With over 17 cohorts of Manager CORE Part 1 completed—and more leaders moving through Manager CORE Part 2—the company continues to embed a coaching mindset and strengthen its leadership bench.
By focusing on relevance, accountability, and application, Avetta is building the kind of leadership culture that scales—and sustains.
Ready to boost leadership skills at your org? Get in touch.