Leadership Development.
Dr. Martens.
Developing Leaders Programme.
The challenge.
The Developing Leaders Programme was an expansion of a successful initiative (Manager Essentials Programme) for first-time managers at HQ, the previous year. Due to this programme’s success, Dr. Martens wanted to expand and develop it for a more senior level of management with the Developing Leaders Programme. As well as adapting it to meet the needs of operational management, including junior and senior managers, in retail shops.
This programme needed to support and align with the company’s values through the DM Way Leadership Framework whilst addressing the distinct challenges of each group, across EMEA and the Americas.
Dr. Martens’ desire for an ‘always-on’ leadership development initiative was key in the development, to make sure it aligned with their values and culture. The programme’s objectives were rooted in empowering managers to inspire their teams, cultivate strong connections, and drive impactful results.

100+
HQ and retail based
The solution.
Implementation involved close collaboration between PeopleUnboxed and Dr. Martens Global Learning & Development team, Head of Talent and Retail Leadership Heads to build a bespoke solution that met the needs of each target group and embedded the DM Way Leadership Framework.
We conducted detailed assessments of leadership capabilities required for each target group. Distinct programmes were designed for: Retail Managers, Corporate Managers and Leaders and Retail Leaders.
With cohorts spanning EMEA and the Americas, the content and delivery approach were adapted to meet the specific cultural and regional contexts and leadership challenges.
Mid-programme, Dr. Martens underwent senior leadership changes. This required agile adjustments to the content to reflect evolving business objectives and leadership messaging. Real-time updates ensured the programme remained relevant and impactful.
An immersive blended journey of six 2-hour virtual sessions, spaced across three weeks, was created. This was complemented by workbooks, microlearning, and individual coaching calls (mid, end and post programme).
We also introduced a reflection and commitment session to deepen peer-to-peer discussions.
Participants also gained access to our full eLearning suite, accessible at any time, allowing learners to revisit key concepts and explore new topics, ensuring continuous growth beyond the live sessions.


The results.



PeopleUnboxed bring true value and ROI. From our management development courses, to our personal effectiveness webinars that are open to all employees, we see consistently positive feedback. Our longest-running programme, Manager Essentials, has a 4.8/5 rating with participants sharing that the training has made a positive difference to how they work. Our newest programmes, Retail Manager and Retail Leader, have an NPS of 100 and 90 respectively. PeopleUnboxed have also supported with the activation of our brand-new behavioural framework, The DM Way, by designing and delivering training to enhance our people's understanding of each element of the model. The PeopleUnboxed team are an excellent team of facilitators and consistently lead engaging and insightful sessions, making complex concepts easy to understand while keeping the entire audience actively involved and motivated.
PeopleUnboxed are truly collaborative and take the time to build strong relationships with our Global L&D team, and all of our people, to understand the unique challenges and opportunities within our organisation. Their responsiveness, flexibility, and proactive communication have made them a trusted extension of our team, and we look forward to continuing our successful partnership for years to come.”
"The courses give us a chance to apply real problems that we have in the workplace and work through them with others that might have similar problems and great advice.
I truly feel like every course I've walked away more knowledgeable and prepared to be a better manager "
"The communication styles was key as it allowed me to deal with conflict and deal with the difficult conversations and be confident dealing with it and have a much better relationship. It has been super useful to interact with all the different regions and listen and help each other and form new relationships and have contact we never had before. I have taken something from every session. It is great to speak about challenges with my peers and help solve problems"
“The coaching and prioritising really helped me. I am delegating more which means I am now coaching and delegating to my team, and I have seen the development within my team. I used to do everything myself but now I have a team I utilise, and it works. I have adapted and learned they are all different and I have to adapt my approach and find out what they need. I now have a greater understanding of how people communicate and adapt for their style.”
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