available to you as a valued colleague, whatever stage you're at in your career.
It’s all linked to the key behaviours in our Achievement Book and backed up through Mountain Talk check-ins so everything you learn connects to your day-to-day role and makes a real difference on the shop floor.
We encourage all colleagues to have regular development conversations with their Line Manager. This helps ensure your goals are supported, progress is tracked, and opportunities are fully aligned with your career path.
If you have any questions or would like to find out more, the Learning & Development team is here to help.
Here’s a look at the upcoming timeline, outlining key milestones and activity planned for the months ahead. This will help guide our focus and ensure we’re aligned across all regions as we continue to support colleague development and deliver on our L&D goals.
January
Communications sent out for end-of-year reviews and new goal cycle launch.
February
Store Managers and Assistant Managers set their Mountain Goals. Online compliance training to be completed.
March
Team Leaders and Sales Assistants set their Mountain Talk Goals.
April - May
Collation and tracking of all goals underway.
June
Development offer created, tailored from the goals gathered.
July
Launch of My Mountain Development.
August
Mid 6-month reviews for Store Managers and Assistant Managers. Workshops go live from My Mountain Development
September
Mid 6-month reviews for Team Leaders and Sales Assistants. Workshops continue to be live.
October
Ongoing workshops from the development offer.
November - December
Peak trading period.
L&D TEAM
MOUNTAIN TALKS
THE CLIMB
MANGEMENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
HIGH PERFORMING TEAMS
E-LEARNING/IAMS
Meet your Colleague Development Managers!
They are the go-to person for all things Learning and Development, supporting the consistent upskilling of store teams across all regions.
Individuals in this role set the standard for excellent store performance by sharing best practices, delivering engaging training, and ensuring colleagues have the knowledge and confidence to thrive in their roles.
They work in partnership with the L&D function to drive the learning strategy for the business, aligning local development activity with broader organisational goals. With a positive, can-do attitude, they motivate teams, champion continuous improvement, and help bring out the best in every colleague.
So, lets meet the team!
Name: Lewis Griffiths
Store: SIV
Current Region: Southwest
Time at Mountain Warehouse: 2 years 3 months
Favourite Drink: Iced Tea
Favourite Snack: Doritos + Salsa
What inspired you to get into Learning & Development?
Being able to be a part of people’s development and watching colleagues grow into who they want to be.
One outdoor spot or trail you’d recommend everyone visit at least once?
Mt Fuji, the view is stunning!
Favourite Mountain Warehouse product?
Covert Jacket
What’s your go-to method for motivating a team?
High energy levels, constant feedback and sharing and celebrating success
Any quick tips for just starting at MW? Be open to change!
Name: Chloe Edwards
Store: GUI
Current Region: South - East
Time at Mountain Warehouse: 10 Years
Favourite Drink: Wine
Favourite Snack: Chocolate
What inspired you to get into Learning & Development?
I love meeting new people and helping where I can. Passing everything I know onto someone else to help them grow and develop.
One outdoor spot or trail you’d recommend everyone visit at least once?
Any Beach
Favourite Mountain Warehouse product?
Hannah waterproof jacket. GREAT on the school run
What’s your go-to method for motivating a team?
Constant 1-1 feedback, positive and supportive environment and celebrate those goals!
Any quick tips for just starting at MW? Be open minded and run with it
Name: Nia Williams
Store: CST
Current Region: North
Time at Mountain Warehouse: 12 Years
Favourite Drink: Coffee
Favourite Snack: Fresh Bread with salted butter
What inspired you to get into Learning & Development?
I love seeing people realise that they have grown in their role and can do more than they thought they could.
One outdoor spot or trail you’d recommend everyone visit at least once?
Ynys Llanddwyn - avoid the summer, check the tides and read the legend.
Favourite Mountain Warehouse product?
Aspect Boots
What’s your go-to method for motivating a team?
Give responsibility, ask for input, give feedback, celebrate the wins with cake.
Any quick tips for just starting at MW?
Ask questions, always give feedback when someone asks you, and don't fight the chaos.
What?
Mountain Talks are focused 1-2-1 development conversations between you and your manager, all about supporting your growth and setting you up for success.
When?
They take place at key points during the year and should be used whenever you’re having development conversations, not just once a year!
Why?
To give you the chance to talk about your personal goals, what’s important to you, and where you want to go next while also making sure your development supports the needs of the business.
How?
You and your manager will work through the Mountain Talk template together setting clear personal development goals and business goals that matter to you and your store.
Designed to support your ongoing development, these live Zoom workshops and digital sessions offer practical tools and insights to help you set goals, have meaningful conversations, and boost performance in your retail role.
Setting Goals (90 mins, via Zoom)
Learn how to set clear, achievable goals that drive personal growth and business success.
How to Conduct Your Mountain Talks (20 mins, Digital)
Discover best practices for effective development conversations with your line manager, all available online for easy access.
Feedback (60 mins, via Zoom)
Master the art of giving and receiving constructive feedback to boost performance and engagement.
Difficult Conversations (90 mins, via Zoom)
Gain confidence in handling challenging discussions with professionalism and empathy.
Performance & Goals (60 mins, via Zoom)
Explore strategies to align individual performance with business objectives for continuous improvement
The Climb is a structured customer service framework designed to set clear and consistent expectations for customer interactions across the entire business. It is split into three progressive tiers, Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Each representing a higher level of service excellence.
Bronze defines the essential, baseline standards that every team member must deliver to ensure a reliable and friendly customer experience.
Silver builds on this foundation by introducing enhanced responsiveness and proactive support to exceed basic expectations.
Gold represents the highest level of service, focusing on personalised, memorable experiences that truly differentiate The Mountain Group brand.
By adopting The Climb, the business aligns all colleagues on what great customer service looks like at every level, helping to deliver consistent, high-quality experiences that meet and exceed customer needs.
The Climb will be released in phases onto iAMS.
As part of The Climb development journey, we offer short digital sessions designed to help you grow and perform at your best.
How to Utilise Your Coaching Card: A quick, under 5-minute guide on using your digital coaching card effectively to support your team.
The Power of Role Modelling Behaviour: A brief session (under 5 minutes) that highlights how your actions influence others and help create a positive team culture.
Seasonal Kit Picks: An upcoming session focused on key seasonal products to boost your product knowledge and customer conversations.
These bite-sized digital sessions fit easily into your day while helping you climb to the next level in your development and help to provide excellent customer service.
Our Management Development Programme offers a range of virtual workshops designed to help managers grow and lead their teams with confidence.
These sessions should be chosen to support the goals you set with your line manager during your Mountain Talks, ensuring your development is aligned with both your personal growth and the needs of the business.
Facet5 Spotlight (65 mins, via Zoom)
A two-part experience starting with a quick 20-minute questionnaire followed by a 45-minute workshop to explore personal strengths and styles.
Coaching Skills (90 mins, via Zoom)
Focuses on building effective coaching techniques to support and develop your team.
Helicopter Leadership (60 mins, via Zoom)
Helps you gain a broader view of leadership and improve decision-making.
Mega Store Leadership (if applicable): An intensive 4+ hour in-person session delivered as part of a full-day training, tailored for leaders in larger store environments.
These workshops are designed to give managers the tools and insights they need to succeed in retail leadership.
A high-performing team is one where everyone pulls together, communicates well, and works towards the same goals. In retail, this means smoother days, stronger customer service, and better results for the whole store.
When a team works well together, you’ll notice things just click, everyone knows what needs to be done, supports one another, and keeps energy high, even during peak times. It helps reduce stress, builds trust, and creates a more positive place to work.
Strong teams = great service, happy customers, and proud colleagues. That’s what makes the difference on the shop floor.
Explore our digital content designed to help you and your team work smarter, communicate better, and perform at your best. Each topic is short, practical, and easy to fit into your day.
Introduction to High-Performing Teams
Get to grips with what makes a team truly high-performing and why it matters in your day-to-day on the shop floor.
Delegation
Learn how to delegate tasks effectively so the right people are doing the right things at the right time.
Self-Awareness Part 1
Understand how your own behaviours, strengths, and blind spots impact the team dynamic.
Self-Awareness Part 2
Build on your understanding to better manage relationships, emotions, and responses at work.
Coaching
Discover how to support others through coaching-style conversations that unlock growth and confidence.
Feedback
Find out how to give and receive feedback in a way that builds trust and improves performance.
Resilience
Explore tools to stay steady, focused, and motivated, even during challenging times.
Team Motivation
Learn what really drives team energy and how you can help lift and maintain momentum.
All the above content can be found on iAms under the collection Mountain Development - High Performing Teams
E-learning plays a key role in supporting your growth, providing flexible, on-demand access to learning that fits around your role and responsibilities. Whether you're building on existing skills or exploring something new, our digital learning options make development more accessible than ever.
It’s a powerful way to take ownership of your career journey, allowing you to learn at your own pace, revisit key topics, and apply new knowledge directly in your day-to-day role.
Management Top 4 iAM courses to complete
iAM0033 Workplace Mental Health
iAM0202 Personal Resilience
iAM0038 Unconscious Bias
iAM0260 The Importance of an Inclusive Workplace
Colleague Top 4 iAM courses to complete
iAM0041 Communication Skills
iAM0123 Customer Empathy
iAM0136 Handling Complaint
iAM0150 The Use of Positive Language
Have a question about iAM? Please contact your iAM champ!
for reading the development Magazine. The L&D Team