Studio Labs Case Study

Finding the right fit.

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During the 2020 pandemic, the company nearly doubled in its number of employees. From a production perspective, the increased resources and talent, opened the door to new opportunities. Yet the influx of new people created a host of issues from a leadership perspective.

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We added so many people in such a short period of time, the techniques we used to lead an 18-person company, didn't seem to be working anymore, says Liz.

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A chance email from Fahd Alhattab, the founder of Unicorn Labs, came at the right time, as the descriptions from other courses weren’t resonating. After a quick call with Fahd to unpack StuidoLab's leadership challenges and whether the program was a good fit, Liz explored the Unicorn Labs site in-depth and was given access to some of the online training modules. “I was reading the stories of other businesses that previously worked with Unicorn Labs. There were so many issues they were having, that we were dealing with.”

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“Issues arose not because people weren’t competent, they just hadn't done it before. The circumstances that came up, new managers weren't necessarily trained or equipped to deal with” says Liz

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Liz says cracks also appeared in their ability to retain talent. After a software engineer left, it triggered a few more resignations. This was a turning point for StudioLabs. Solving the leadership challenge became a priority. Liz says the team went through traditional human resources training but the content was limited. The lessons dealt with extreme issues that can arise within an organization. This was helpful but not the core issue for StudioLabs. They needed guidance on how to help people see themselves as leaders or grow into leadership positions. They wanted strategies and playbooks for building a productive team. The old ways weren’t working, they needed something new.

The Search for a Solution Begins

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Liz began researching leadership training programs but most never felt right. Many were basic self-guided modules that gave shallow advice. Others seemed outdated. And some were too broad and challenging to navigate.  

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“I spoke to a salesperson at Dale Carnegie at length. And to understand how they could help our specific issues was a lot of work on my shoulders. I'm not gonna sit here and audit 400 online courses to figure out which ones fit together and address the challenges we were facing.”

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A chance email from Fahd Alhattab, the founder of Unicorn Labs, came at the right time, as the descriptions from other courses weren’t resonating. After a quick call with Fahd to unpack StuidoLab's leadership challenges and whether the program was a good fit, Liz explored the Unicorn Labs site in-depth and was given access to some of the online training modules. 

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“I was reading the stories of other businesses that previously worked with Unicorn Labs. There were so many issues they were having, that we were dealing with.”

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Liz says Unicorn Lab’s curriculum was more appealing.  It  was the type of leadership training she envisioned. There were technical and procedural processes but also a focus on personal development, leveraging the unique strengths of individuals (as no two managers have the same leadership challenges), and weekly coaching. She says after auditing some of the free curriculum on the Unicorn Labs site, choosing to work with Fahd was a no-brainer. 

“Compared to all the other training programs I evaluated, Fahd's approach was refreshing. There’s not this air of “let me teach you things you don't know.” It was more about empathy, getting the team to spot where people can be happier on a day-to-day basis, everything about it spoke to me. And honestly, Fahd just made diving into everything easy.”

Liz says Studio Labs decided to invest in Unicorn Labs Leadership Development Program, an online twelve-week course, and also individual coaching.  

Getting Started with Unicorn Labs

The onboarding process with Unicorn Labs starts with an employee engagement survey, approximately two weeks before training begins. The assessment focuses on six areas

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1. Career Development
2. Work
3. Engagement
4. Compensation
5. Relationship with Management
6. Work Environment.  

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Scores are measured against industry benchmarks, then tracked after the program has finished understanding how the teams have progressed. After this, teams are provided a full schedule of how the training will unfold. 

“The onboarding experience was incredibly easy but also very detailed. In the instructions from the very first email, it was very clear what we had to do, how we had to do it, and when it needed to be done.”

Unicorn Lab's leadership program was designed from the ground up to create an in-depth, asynchronous learning experience.  In addition to over 30 hours of content, there are templates and frameworks that students can action immediately and a dozen group coaching calls to help keep people on the right path and share learnings.   

“There was a lot of flexibility for when we needed it. When you're as busy as we are, having the loose structure of jumping in and out is very helpful”, says Liz. 

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After every session, Unicorn Labs sent a detailed outline of what was discussed and the outcomes of the session. Liz says small details like this, speak to the commitment Fahd and his team have to their work and to helping organizations improve quickly. 

“The continual feedback and guidance from Unicorn Labs ensured everybody was on the same page all the time. There were no questions about what we're supposed to be doing so,’ says Liz.

Liz says a great benefit of working with Fahd, was his presence throughout the entire process. It eased the anxieties she had previously, where the team would be left to their own devices to figure things out.  The high-touch interaction made the experience that much richer.