"I first contracted Free To Grow in 1996 for a large-scale City of Cape Town Lifeskills intervention. Ever since, I have recommended FTG wherever I worked and consulted, including the mining and health care industries. I recall how one of the mineworkers walked into my office tears running down his face. I jumped out of my chair, rushed towards him enquiring what was wrong, It was tears of joy. He wanted to share with me how the FTG course had changed his life. Everyone leaves a better person after attending an FTG course."
Elana Trautman, Head: Technical Training, Medscheme, AfroCentric Group
“We thought our company was performing well and that staff were adequately engaged to deliver required results until we were introduced to
the Free To Grow methodologies. As a result of the work done to date, we have already seen significant shifts in the workplace engagement
and an uptick in business results.”
Bartley Joseph, MD of EOH Highveld PFS
Lotta Sylwander, Country Representative, UNICEF Vietnam
"Free To Grow engaged our people and created learning and excitement in an impressive manner.
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive both in terms of content and methodology. Participants were particularly happy that the programmes weren't theoretical but shared skills that could immediately be applied back in the workplace. They gave our leaders an opportunity to examine themselves, identify their strengths and potential and armed them with the tools and skills to go forward and lead their teams with confidence. We are already observing a positive shift in those who attended.”
James Maitho, Director Human Resources, Kenya
“Free To Grow supported the brewery teams at the different levels to mend the communication channels through open, honest and frank discussions. They provided a safe environment and earned the trust of people through their conduct to encourage employees to open up and share issues and barriers that kept the business from performing at the required levels. Feedback from employees at all levels of the business indicates a dramatic positive change in the way people communicate and interact.”
Johan Gouws, Technical Director, Nile Breweries
"I was absolutely blown away by the impact WorkQ made on a team of disengaged people in our organisation. Here's a practical way of shifting the emphasis from the organisation 'transfusing' engagement through endless activities and campaigns year -in-and-out (often to no avail), to employees recognising their role in driving their own levels of engagement - a much for empowering and affirming approach!"
Delene Sechele, Head: Business Direct, Mercantile Bank SA
An iconic organisation: They set a new standard in all that they do: the design of their programmes, how they engage people in the learning experience, quality of facilitators, how they create buy-in and raise awareness before the programmes and the quality of their feedback during and after the programmes.
Professional service delivery: The ease of doing business with Free To Grow is outstanding. Their service is of a level we have never experienced before.
Amazing results: The programmes touch everybody’s hearts. We stand amazed at the impact Free To Grow has had on our business.”
Jacque Matthee, Organisational Development Manager, APL Cartons
“We were particularly impressed with Free To Grow’s approach to the leadership training which was complemented with coaching circles to facilitate transfer of learning back into the workshop. The methodology kept participants active and engaged throughout the sessions and provided an open, enjoyable environment. Free To Grow has positively impacted on our people and contributed to their growth. We value Free To Grow as a partner and would not hesitate to recommend them.”
Irene Kamau, Group Head of Human Resources, Commercial Bank of Africa
“We have been using Free To Grow's leadership and change management programmes since 2013. Free To Grow exceeded expectations on all the interventions. The customisation process really ensured that the course content was appropriate to our environment and staff were able to engage on a much deeper level. The facilities that participated in Free To Grow’s programmes are now among the higher performing facilities in the Western Cape. In government we look for value for money and with Free To Grow we have found this.”
Tracey Douglas, Deputy Director: Institutional Management Support
"The Free To Grow model is visionary in identifying development needs which are relevant to everyday survival, at home and work. The content of the programmes is practical and relevant to the development of relationships and coping mechanisms of individuals and teams. The most significant differentiator of the FTG model is the quality of the consultants who can associate and empathise with their training techniques to meet the development needs of the learners."
Malcolm Green, former COO Deli Spices
"I am absolutely amazed by the response of our employees on their leadership journey with Free To Grow. Being the 'first of its kind' development programme introduced in our ornganisation, we are extremely proud of the tremendous growth of each individual. I have never before seen such an immediate and enriching impact on a managerial delegate in my career. This journey will forever be a turning point in their lives. A developmental Moment that Matters."
Tinus Coetzee, Talent Partner
"The impact of Free To Grow on the morale and the atmosphere at the site was exceptional and the change in our people's attitude was mind-blowing a. It was almost immediate."
Florence Lekalakala, Talent Management Consultant
“Free To Grow as a service provider and the impact of their programmes are, in one word, phenomenal! When they work with you, they take your mission and values and put it under their armpit. They make it their own."
Reubenette Motloheloa, Global Lead: Leadership Development and Learning
"Our relationship with Free To Grow goes back many, many years so came to love, respect and deeply value the role you play. You guys are best in class when it comes to shop floor communication and learning."
Charmaine Boshoff, Group Learning & Development Executive
“We see daily benefits of this wonderful programme. We can see people growing stronger in mind, body and soul. Yes, there are some units that have fallen slightly behind, but as a whole, there is a different vibe in the hospital. Staff are more optimistic and resilient when you speak to them. This is the best 15-week workout we have ever been on. Apart from the PPE that should be adequately worn, Staying Strong has become another essential weapon in the arsenal of our staff.”
Japie Greyling, General Manager, Mediclinic Newcastle
"Your commitment to making our culture journey a success has continually exceeded our expectations. You have become a trusted resource and partner. Your enthusiasm, keenness to collaborate and customise, in-depth knowledge of culture and employee engagement, dedication to our needs and ability to supply us with innovative design solutions within our budget, makes worksing with your team an absolute pleasure."
Annelie Govender, HR Executive
"When implemented at Devland, Free To Grow worked like magic. The level of commitment and ownership of our staff and team leaders increased dramatically. Performance improved significantly and relationships - including with the union - were much more collaborative than before. There indeed has been a remarkable transformation."
Moses Lubisi, Business Process Lead
"Free To Grow is not just a service provider, they are a real partner. They care about the success of the programme and were ready to jump in and assist whenever we needed help or advice. Their Staying Strong programme gives us the tools to look after and care for our people. The programme is very engaging. I love its visual nature - the images are strong and create interest. I also found the personal workbook very valuable."
Malebo Mpepele, Group Training & Development Manager
and most professional I have ever worked with.”
Lydia Rolanda, AME HR Director
“TFG has partnered with Free To Grow (FTG) for many years and we have great synergy and alignment in terms of philosophy, style and culture.
When we looked at putting in place a program to take into our businesses on the African continent, FTG was our immediate partner of choice!
The material they produced was comprehensive, focused and exactly what we required to build our leaders and help us to transfer culture,
the customer service ethic as well as personal insight and development. We will continue to partner with FTG as our outsource provider of choice for programs of this kind.”
Bev Jacobs, former Head of HR: Africa
"I first worked with Free To Grow when I was appointed HR Manager at Sun International's Table Bay Hotel. The change management training was amazing and we continued to implement various programmes which helped Table Bay Hotel to become a finalist at the IMVELO Awards in both the Investors in People and Most Empowered Tourism Business categories. They went on to win the latter category.
When I moved to Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel as Regional Human Manager, I immediately contacted Free To Grow. Needless to say, the training was once again a bit hit with staff and managers.
Free To Grow is a world-class company with amazingly relevant training in a diverse world. They have remained innovative and have been adding programs, defining and setting trends with the development of their content and I highly recommend them for any organisation."
Christelle Horne, General Manager
“Free To Grow has been running learning programmes for UCT since 2004. The impact has been tremendous.
We have received exceptionally professional service from Free To Grow –service providers like this are as rare as gold.”
Kirsty Holmes, former Manager Staff Learning Centre, University of Cape Town
Wicus Maritz, MD, Rotolabel (Division of Bidvest)
"I really want to thank you for the Free To Grow training conducted at Peninsula. You and your team have done an excellent job to roll out the training while we were also implementing LEAN. The impact on our people is visible in the way they now talk and it clearly indicates that the effect is lasting. Not all training has this effect on so many people. I received only positive feedback from all staff who were part of the sessions, I can also see the change in some of them even during very short interactions.
The Shape session showed us as leaders in the Cape region how important organizational culture is and how leaders are influencing the culture and therefore our people’s behaviour."
Jurie Schoeman, Operations Executive, Vector Logistics Peninsula
“Feedback from line managers is that there has been a significant change in the employees. They have become more pro-active and have taken ownership and accountability for their performance. ‘The smell of the place’ has become extremely pleasant and more positive.”
9 months later: “Previously Pabod’s results in the employee engagement survey were far lower than our other breweries in Nigeria. This time it was on par with the others. Our performance has been the best it has ever been for a number of reasons, including the work done with Free To Grow.”
Yolande Chirwa, HR Director, Nigeria Breweries (at the time)