Wickes: From operational excellence to management confidence
Wickes partnered with Mindtools to unlock the leadership potential of its in-store managers - transforming development from guesswork into strategic growth.
The Challenge
Moving beyond the basics
As Wickes carved out its own identity following a demerger from Travis Perkins, it faced a key development challenge: how to support aspiring in-store managers in becoming confident, capable leaders – not just strong operators.
The existing training focused heavily on processes: using the till, managing stock, and running the shop floor. But something was missing.
“We can teach someone how to run a store. But leading people? That’s where MSA is really making a difference. It’s giving us a deeper understanding of what our management development needs are. Now, we can use those insights to inform our L&D strategy.”
Claire Bailey, Learning & Development Business Partner, Wickes
The Mindtools Content Hub was already available across the business – but not being used strategically. The L&D team needed a clearer way to match learning content to real development needs.
The Solution
Unlocking leadership with insight and intent
Wickes introduced the Mindtools Manager Skills Assessment (MSA) to help duty managers and operations managers gain a clear view of their current management capabilities and to identify where to grow next.
Crucially, the MSA wasn’t positioned as a gatekeeping tool. Instead, it gave individuals a moment of self-reflection and ownership.
“Just one example of how good MSA is at identifying skill gaps: from the initial cohort of managers, we identified that 90% needed further development and support in ‘Transparent Communication’. That’s such a useful insight for us as an L&D team. We’re already building it into our management development program using Mindtools Content Hub resources.”
Laura Wilkinson, L&D Advisor, Wickes
By combining the diagnostic power of the MSA with tailored learning resources from the Content Hub, Wickes created a direct link between self-awareness and action. Managers now had the clarity – and the tools- to grow.
The Mindtools approach delivered:
- Clear benchmarks for leadership readiness
- Insight into individual and team-level skills gaps
- Data-driven development planning
- Confidence in internal progression decisions.
The Results
From pilot to long-term strategy
Wickes are rolling out the MSA to an initial cohort of 100 in-store managers and it’s already having an impact.
Key outcomes:
- High engagement from regional and divisional leaders
- Strong positive feedback from participants
- Increased confidence in leadership progression pathways
- More strategic use of the Content Hub, aligned to specific development goals.
“The MSA helped us move away from assumptions. Now we have a shared understanding of what good leadership looks like, and what it takes to get there.”
Claire Bailey, L&D Business Partner, Wickes
With additional cohorts planned and more roles being added, the MSA is now embedded in Wickes’ broader L&D strategy. The team is using cohort-level data to guide learning investment, coaching, and future interventions.
A trusted partnership
The success of the programme also comes down to the close relationship between Wickes and Mindtools.
“We weren’t just looking for a tool. We were looking for something that could spark real reflection and growth. The Manager Skills Assessment gave us exactly that.”
Claire Bailey, L&D Business Partner, Wickes Ready to build stronger managers from within?
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