Case Studies

If they were going to keep the investment stream flowing, the board needed to know that Raj’s teams were making progress and production issues would be fixed. They needed to know they would succeed before the money ran out. The team leaders, all experts in their own right, needed to know that Raj would do two things; insulate them from anxious board members, and address performance issues in the unit.

Seeing data outlining the footprint of his leadership impact made it real to Raj. It gave him a way to help manage his performance improvement priorities.

Working with his coach, Raj determined to make changes. He developed a compelling communication presence and moved the board from skeptics to supporters. With his team began addressing his challenges directly, so that performance issues which had been permitted to bubble beneath the surface were now addressed directly and effectively.It didn’t happen overnight, but it did happen. As a result the team succeeded, the investors were rewarded and Raj went on to greater success as the head of a new well funded business.

We discovered one path to that goal was better engaging with and enabling his team. In a significant step forward Michael embraced the practice of a flexible leadership style. He engaged direct reports in contributing to the vision and operation of the unit as well as the execution of its’ work product. He successfully instituted “management by walking around.” Feedback from both Michael and his team indicated the results of these changes were effective, resulting in more inclusive team communications, greater alignment, reduced stress and more productive use of resources.

She had rotated around the organization in a series of roles including manufacturing, sales and marketing. Chris knew many aspects of the business. She was regarded as a valuable go-to resource and a problem solver. Her new job spearheading a project which would impact the entire North American sales plan felt like too much. Her sponsor respected her and felt she was capable of operating at a higher level.

During our work together Chris sharpened her decision-making skills, gained greater negotiation effectiveness and defined the executive presence she wanted to exhibit. She proceeded to masterfully guide a multi­functional group to a successful, on-time completion of the project while dealing with competing issues. Shortly after the conclusion of the engagement she received a promotion and a broader span of accountability. She has since been promoted twice more.

The function had no relationship to engineering, or anything for which the Army had prepared him – or so he thought. During the engagement Mark chose to take on the challenges of creating a high performance team, redefining the team vision and boosting performance. His first goal; have honest conversations about expectations inside and outside his group. At the end of the engagement he successfully achieved the ability to candidly deal with performance issues from different perspectives. This enabled him to open positive lines of communication with disgruntled customers and he was able to see his team members take personal responsibility for group results. Bottom line performance metrics improved, as did morale.

Our goal became making a smooth transition. An eager contributor to brainstorming in the past, Carly met with her new team to get acquainted. She worked at getting a sense of the people and being accessible.They kicked around ideas for a new marketing initiative.

Managing by walking around a few days later, Carly found her team deep into executing an idea she’d casually thrown out during the “brainstorming” session. She was horrified.It was “a half-baked idea” not the type of well thought-out strategy on which Carly had built her successful track record.

This was a transition wake up: a powerful reflection of her invisible power.In her organization’s culture, VPs were demigods and challenging your new VP was career limiting behavior. Carly had achieved the stature she wanted and, for better or worse, with her increased power she recognized it came with increased responsibility for being mindful. She had to work at letting go of the tactical execution she was so good at and stepping into the role of building the capacity of her team to do the work as well as she could. That’s what she did and her team was humming on its own, when she made the next big move.

Analysts knew the FDA had been reviewing some North American facilities. The question this client posed was “Where should I focus?” Should the primary topic be the science on which the company’s business is based, or the FDA situation? Perhaps both? “Neither” was the answer.

The audience wanted to know whether to buy, sell or hold. We agreed the central focus needed to be demonstrating why he believed revenues would continue to be strong. This was the truth and the message people needed to hear; the stock price took a significant bump up.

Projecting credible competence is what powers a presenter’s success and that was our goal. Patricia knew there was a lot at stake. Her anxiety was high and her confidence low. We brainstormed her main message points. Then we reworked a speech that had been written for her, putting the key pieces in her voice, discarding the rest. Next we worked on performance until she found her voice. Three days later she stood in front of the national sales team and delivered with conviction. Result? Patricia got a standing ovation and the enthusiastic sales force exceeded its stretch goal by more than 50%. Today she heads a division of the same firm.

Ken recognized that group leaders were not pulling together. Teams were missing goals, people were exhausted. Ken’s strategy combined imposing a new set of operating guidelines, and more importantly a new approach to communication. Everything was on the table including the leadership styles of his direct reports. Ken suggested coaching. The engagement included 360 feedback and team assessments. Using a benchmark model and working closely with their coaches leaders began working better with their teams and better together. Their efforts paid off. Deadlines were met. Profitability was established and the turnaround was a success.