Client Story: Developing Agile Leadership Remotely.

The Stakes

Sauce Labs, a leading provider of testing and error-monitoring solutions, helps customers release market-leading web and mobile apps faster. When COVID-19 struck, their workload surged. Demand for their platform increased dramatically, while at the same time, global teams were adjusting to remote work.

The CEO knew this was a high-stakes moment. Leadership and collaboration needed to scale quickly across EMEA offices in the UK, Poland, and Germany. Without a system to align leaders and empower local teams, momentum could stall just as the business was experiencing explosive growth.

Why They Chose SYCOL

The executive team wanted more than generic leadership training. They needed a partner who could design an improvement programme at pace, build leaders locally, and embed systems that would stick. SYCOL’s psychology-led Build, Embed, Sustain methodology offered the focus, clarity, and urgency the organisation required.

What We Did

The original plan was to embed SYCOL consultants directly in London, Warsaw, and Berlin, working side by side with local leaders. The pandemic prevented in-person delivery, so the entire programme was delivered remotely. This was at the start of COVID-19, when virtual leadership development was still new to many organisations.

Despite the shift online, SYCOL maintained intensity and focus:

• Designed and delivered a fast-paced leadership development programme for EMEA teams.

• Modelled collaboration and innovation practices tailored to remote working conditions.

• Installed leadership and management systems that clarified roles, accountability, and communication.

• Helped leaders navigate the unique challenges of site-specific teams while staying aligned to the global mission.

The programme combined straight-talking guidance with structured support, enabling leaders to thrive under pressure rather than feel overwhelmed by crisis.

The Turnaround

• Leaders across EMEA gained clarity on their roles and the impact of their contributions.

• Communication and collaboration improved significantly between the UK, Germany, and Poland.

• Leadership and management systems became stronger, more consistent, and more reliable.

• Despite soaring demand for its products, Sauce Labs’ teams sustained focus and performance through the crisis.

“By having SYCOL we got feedback from a different perspective which helped us to focus on areas of leadership and management improvement that we were unconscious about. We were helped to structure a way to be more accountable for making improvements, which we don’t often allow ourselves time to do because day-to-day tasks get in the way. The feedback too was always direct and un-sugared, which was helpful.”
— Andreas Lüdeke, Director, Berlin Office

Why It Matters

This story shows how SYCOL helps leaders succeed when the stakes are highest. During COVID-19, Sauce Labs needed urgent leadership development at global scale, under conditions that made traditional programmes impossible. By adapting fast and embedding behavioural systems remotely, SYCOL enabled the organisation to sustain performance when it mattered most.

Summary

Sauce Labs faced surging demand and global disruption during the COVID-19 crisis. SYCOL delivered a high-intensity leadership programme remotely across EMEA, building collaboration and leadership capacity at pace. Leaders gained clarity, accountability, and stronger communication, while new systems kept teams aligned and performing under pressure. The result was an organisation equipped to grow and adapt at a time when agility mattered most.