Continuous Training is Key to the Atlas Team's Empowerment as Problem-Solvers
A group of 13 Atlas Travel International managers recently attended Essentials of Leadership, the foundation of a five-class leadership development initiative offered by BCD Travel. Atlas CEO Elaine Osgood, COO Mark Miller and Manager of Corporate Travel Frank Pratas experienced the class recently and decided to bring it to Massachusetts to offer it to the agency's managers.
“I thought this training would be valuable,” said Osgood, “since empowering our entire team to take the initiative with customer requests is what we pride ourselves on at Atlas. I want everyone at Atlas to be a leader and feel able to make it right for every customer every day. This is how we've built our reputation in the industry and, as we grow, we want to keep that culture alive.”
The all-day session was conducted by Matt Girod, BCD Travel's director of learning and development. Girod is a 20-year veteran of the travel industry and has spent much of his career as a trainer. The training included a theoretical component and practical applications, including role-playing, to help the team sharpen their individual skills.
“The training provided me with a lot of additional confidence,” said Sandy Mahoney, a member of Atlas' Corporate Travel Team. “The process of learning how to deal with difficult situations seems easier. I think that a lot of people will benefit from us attending this.”