GHV: Building inclusive leaders from the inside out to power global health impact
Global Health Vision partnered with Simetras to align its internal leadership culture with its global mission — equipping managers with the skills to lead inclusively, coach across differences, and build psychological safety at scale.
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PROGRAM TYPE
Manager Learning Labs
SESSIONS
8 total (4 labs + 4 coaching)
FORMAT
Virtual + In-Person
COHORT SIZE
20–30 managers
GHV's mission starts from within
Global Health Vision exists to create a healthier planet through equitable, inclusive global health solutions. But GHV's leadership recognized a gap: the external mission of equity wasn't yet reflected in how its managers operated internally.
Bridging that gap meant developing a new generation of inclusive leaders — people who could coach across differences, navigate conflict, and create the kind of psychological safety that lets teams do their best work.
Three challenges standing between aspiration and reality
When GHV came to Simetras, the core issues were clear. Managers didn't yet have the tools to lead inclusively or coach employees with different backgrounds and motivations. Remote and hybrid work had weakened the team bonds that make collaboration possible. And the organization needed a culture shift — toward psychological safety, continuous feedback, and a genuine growth mindset.
The team analysis surfaced something specific: managers weren't just looking for frameworks in the abstract. They wanted practical ways to understand what motivated each person on their team, and how to scaffold real growth. That became the design brief.
"The program didn't just teach skills — it transformed how we see leadership."
— GHV Senior Leader
A hybrid program built around real application
Simetras designed a Manager Learning Lab Program that combined structured learning with hands-on practice — the kind of sequence where concepts don't stay theoretical for long.
1
Manager Learning Labs
Four 2-hour sessions (virtual and in-person), capped at 20–30 participants, covering inclusive leadership foundations, communication and coaching, psychological safety, and on-the-job learning techniques.
2
Group coaching sessions
Four follow-on sessions for managers to practice new skills, troubleshoot real challenges, and reinforce what they'd learned in the lab environment.
3
Customization and evaluation
A learning design sprint mapped GHV's specific organizational needs to existing modules — adding scenarios drawn directly from GHV's global health context. Pre/post assessments tracked progress, with leadership integration metrics (retention, promotion rates) tied to outcomes.
The numbers — and what they don't fully capture
Beyond the numbers, cross-team collaboration strengthened noticeably. Managers reported better alignment between individual employee goals and the organization's broader leadership objectives. And something harder to measure emerged: peer-led learning initiatives, driven by managers who'd internalized the growth mindset the program was designed to instill.
What made this work — and what every organization can take from it
Customization is everything
Generic leadership content gets generic results. Mapping scenarios to GHV's specific context — its work, its people, its challenges — is what made the learning land.
Coaching is what makes it stick
The lab sessions were necessary. The group coaching sessions were what turned new behaviors into habits. Theory without practice doesn't survive contact with a real workday.
Metrics make the case — and build accountability
Tracking outcomes like retention tied the program to real organizational results. That's what moves investment in leadership development from optional to essential.
Culture change is achievable — and GHV is proof
GHV's Manager Learning Lab Program is a case study in what happens when an organization decides that internal culture needs to match external mission. Leadership development is gradual by nature. But with the right structure — intentional learning, real coaching, and meaningful metrics — it compounds.
GHV now models the inclusive practices it advocates globally. That alignment isn't a side benefit. It's the whole point.