CASE STUDIES
EXAMPLES
LEADERSHIP
COACHING
VP Operations
Energy Company
The client had recently been promoted to VP with a first-time direct reporting relationship to the CEO. Along with significantly increased staff responsibility and larger operating and capital budgets, the client would now be interacting with the Board of Directors. The client’s desired shift was in moving from the day-to-day focus of a functional leader to the longer-term focus on corporate strategy. Partnering with other senior leaders and finding voice at the executive leadership table would also pave the way for a viable candidacy among peers in the company’s executive succession strategy.
John and the client worked closely together over the course of a year, beginning with a comprehensive stakeholder feedback process. Through this, the client defined the leadership shifts required to align with stakeholder needs and deliver results for the company. The journey continued with a clearly articulated leadership vision and a few specific behavioral shifts. A new pattern emerged and the client developed a style and approach that consistently drove value across the organization as recognized by peers, the direct report team, and the CEO.
President and CEO
Energy Services Company
The company required the new CEO to turn around the organization in the face of consolidation and the financial setbacks of a most difficult market situation. The inherited team had been together for several years but never had experienced the tough market conditions. As a first-time CEO, the client had strong operational experience as an effective COO but no direct responsibility for strategy. Struggling with the strategic skills to truly lead with confidence in the new role, the client and John co-created an onboarding and development plan to achieve near-term objectives and align for future organizational growth.
The client gained a true perspective on the skills transferable from the COO role as well as the gaps to close in order to perform as CEO. Accepting full ownership of strategy and operations, the client made conscious choices on what to pull forward from past successes. The learning from those successes proved to be powerful with a recognition of where and how the client had been quite integral in strategy and execution of change. With defined shifts in leadership style, the client stepped into the CEO role to engage the team in developing a shared vision and alignment with each other. Through a series of acquisitions and a focus on efficiencies, the CEO lead the company to a top-quartile performer in the industry.
EXAMPLES
TEAM
COACHING
EVP/Corporate Services Team
Energy Company
The team was lagging in its work together to deliver a timely and quality service for multiple stakeholders across the organization. The EVP sought to coordinate efforts in the team through multiple meetings, team development sessions, and one-to-one coaching. After some promising starts, each team member reverted to operating in his or her own silo. The individual leaders seemed to lack the “teaming” skills that would bring them together to work effectively for shared goals and organizational outcomes.
Team coaches gathered feedback from the team’s key stakeholders to understand what they needed from the team. They also spoke with each team member to understand their perspectives for how team coaching could be helpful. Starting from the diverse but collective perspectives of stakeholders, the team was able to see clearly how it was operating in the system. Importantly, the team recognized they could not improve their quality of service without changing their operating structure and norms which created a catalyst for real change.
CEO / Executive Team
Midstream Oil and Gas Company
The CEO and team had recently completed an integration of large assets and achieved Board support for the strategic goals and new budget. While team members operated well in their individual functional roles, the team now needed to operate together and cohesively in order achieve the operational goals and build the company.
Coaches completed a team assessment to reveal how the team perceived its purpose, working norms, organizational support, team member capabilities, and work processes. Together with the team, the coaches helped define the developmental goals for the collective team and co-created a consistent cadence for working with the whole team, the team leader, and the individual team members. Through individual and team coaching, the team practiced new ways of operating that supported each other in achieving strategic outcomes.