How Experiential Training at Bavvo.com Academy is Shaping Leaders Worldwide

By Khaled Diab, Founder of Bavvo.com Academy | Global Leadership Coach | Representative of Oxford International

Most leadership stories start in boardrooms.
Mine started in a courier van.

In a world where leadership is often associated with titles, degrees, and corner offices, my journey was the opposite, built on grit, persistence, and a relentless commitment to learning. I didn’t start with influence or authority; I started on the road, delivering packages, and quickly discovered that how you show up matters more than where you start.

Over the next 26 years, I climbed from courier to COO — leading global teams in 60+ countries, generating 5+ billion in business, and helping launch over 350 products. But my greatest lessons didn’t come from corporate strategy decks. They came from the warehouse floor, the sales counter, and the field, places where leadership is earned, not given.

Humble Beginnings: The First Leadership Lessons

In my early career, the daily grind meant tight deadlines, unpredictable routes, and heavy loads. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was transformational. Those days instilled three leadership truths that have stayed with me:

• Consistency matters, People remember how you show up every day.
• Every role has dignity, No position is too small to be done with excellence.
• The customer experience starts at the frontlines, One moment can define a company’s reputation.

Climbing the Ladder… One Step, One Skill at a Time

My journey to the C-suite wasn’t a leap; it was a steady climb built on curiosity and action. I took on every role offered, operations, sales, marketing, product launches, strategic planning, and mastered them before moving to the next.

Along the way, I completed hundreds of trainings and certifications, from Six Sigma and Lean methodology to global leadership and digital transformation. These weren’t just credentials; they were practical problem-solving tools.

The C-Suite Perspective: People Over Processes

As COO, I managed global operations, scaled business lines, and delivered multi-billion-dollar results. But the real insights came from being close to the work:

• Sitting in warehouses at midnight with night-shift crews.
• Walking retail floors to hear unfiltered customer feedback.
• Listening to employees who’d never been asked for their opinion before.

It reinforced my belief that people, not processes, drive performance, and that leadership must be personal to be powerful.

Why Middle Management is the Leadership Battleground

After decades in corporate leadership, I saw a common pattern: performance is won or lost in middle management.

Middle managers are the link between vision and execution. They:

• Motivate and guide frontline teams.
• Translate strategy into action.
• Shape the culture that determines engagement and retention.

Yet, Gallup reports that 50% of managers receive no formal leadership training before stepping into the role. Too often, they’re promoted for technical expertise, not leadership capability.

Bavvo.com Academy - Experiential Learning That Lasts

That’s why I founded Bavvo.com Academy, proudly representing Oxford International in delivering transformative leadership education. Our focus is simple: turn managers into leaders, and leaders into catalysts for growth through experiential learning.

At Bavvo, we don’t do lecture-based leadership courses. We create Leadership Labs - immersive, hands-on training environments where leaders learn by doing.

The Four Pillars of Our Experiential Approach

1. Muscle Memory Learning – Leaders practice real-world scenarios 20+ times before they happen, building instinctive responses under pressure.
2. Customized Leadership Code – We co-create a behavioral blueprint that reflects each company’s unique culture.
3. Psychological Safety Drills – Simulated high-stakes challenges build confidence in navigating tension without real-world fallout.
4. Field-to-Boardroom Storytelling – Equipping leaders to turn frontline insights into boardroom influence.

Case Study: From Stagnation to Transformation

Client: A national retail chain with 40% turnover among store managers.

Our Intervention:

• Placed executives in frontline roles (“Shadow Reverse”) for empathy-driven insights.
• Ran live simulations of store crises to test decision-making.
• Built peer coaching circles for ongoing skill reinforcement.

Results:

• 28% increase in retention.
• 19% sales lift in just six months.
• Managers reported an 8× improvement in handling difficult situations.

Why This Works

Leadership isn’t a spectator sport. Traditional training fails because it’s passive attendees nod along in a conference room, but nothing changes on Monday morning.

Our workshops stick because leaders experience the challenges they’ll face, practice their responses, and build confidence in real time. The lessons don’t just land…they live.

The Leadership Truth That Never Changes

The best leaders I’ve met - and the kind we build at Bavvo.com Academy, share one habit: they remain students of their people.

That’s why our most requested session is “A Day in Their Shoes”, where executives and managers live their team’s daily reality. 

One CEO told me afterward:“I finally understood why my ‘simple’ process changes kept failing,  I had never tried executing them myself.”

Final Word: Never Forget Where You Started

I still think of that courier van often. It reminds me that humility, grit, and empathy are the real foundations of leadership.

In today’s fast-changing business world, we don’t need more managers. We need leaders who inspire, adapt, and connect. Leaders who’ve lived the lessons, not just read about them. Leaders who never forget where they started.

That’s the mission I carry forward at Bavvo.com Academy with Oxford International to develop leaders who create lasting impact, one experience at a time.