How MetLife turned 6,000 managers into motivational leaders
A performance programme with 543% ROI – and global impact

return on investment
of managers successfully using their new skills
of managers “strongly agree” or “agree” that they are performing better in their roles as a result of the programmes
About MetLife
MetLife is a leading global provider of insurance, employee benefits and annuities, supporting 90 million customers across more than 60 countries. With a 150-year heritage, MetLife partners with many of the world’s largest employers to help people build more confident futures.
Challenge
Raising the bar for leadership across 60 countries
MetLife’s talent immersion study highlighted the need to transform the behaviour of 6,000 people managers across 60 countries to become first-class, motivational leaders.
Solution
Training leaders to turn conversations into impact
Two programmes were devised to upskill managers in handling the entire performance management cycle; from engaging in dialogue and setting goals, to performance coaching and giving feedback, as well as assessing performance and understanding biases.
Within six weeks the sessions were rolled out at scale in nine different languages.
“I have been at MetLife for over 15 years and the performance management curriculum that has been rolled out over the last 12-18 months has been the most thorough and relevant during my tenure at the firm.”
MetLife
Results
Confidence up, capability unlocked
- 70% “strongly agree” and “agree” that they are performing better in their roles as a result of the programmes
- 83% of managers are successfully using their new skills
ROI
543% return on investment
The cost per head of the programme was $393 and the benefit per head was $2,529 (calculated from average salary/100 X average % improvement).
The estimated ROI for MetLife was 543%, so for every $1 spent, $5.43 was returned to the business.
Awards
CLO Learning in Practice Award
This programme scooped the CLO Learning in Practice Award for Excellence in Vendor Partnership.