CASE STUDY 1 -
CULTURE CHANGE & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
The Context
Following a prolonged period of uncertainty, restructuring, seemingly continuous stop-go decision-making on development projects, voluntary redundancy programmes, indecision about re-organisation and possible future integration with another Group, staff moral was very poor. Many had adopted a victim attitude, with managers and staff feeling powerless. Performance and service delivery was suffering.
The project involved 100 staff and 12 managers from departments including customer service (help desk), operations, development, QA, project management and program management.
Objectives
1. To change the culture towards everyone taking more responsibility for themselves and their situation, releasing personal engagement, initiative, motivation and performance.
2. To support managers in leading this process, shifting from management to leadership.
The Program
Initiating a process of development involving everyone:
The program had two cornerstones:
Off-site one day workshops involving all staff: to engage, energise and focus everyone, creating a new momentum
Leadership Development of managers: Creating a structure to keep the new momentum energised and focused
The Leadership Development Program
One-to-one coaching of all managers
- How to engage more of themselves and release more of their personal potential
- Clarify what they stand for and what outcomes they want
- How to read the emotional energy of people and situations
- How to be totally responsibility for impact at all times
Workshops for managers looking at:
- Who are you as a team and how do you want to work together?
- What is it to be a leader?
- What immediate opportunities for exercising leadership exist?
- What impact do you want and what are supporting behaviours?
The Leadership Development Program was extended to include a program of Coaching Skills for Leaders, which included:
One two-day off-site workshop
Period of 6 weeks of practicing skills of coaching as part of their 'tool-kit' as leaders
½ day follow up workshop
Outcomes: Organisational
Staff morale has been significantly lifted
People accepting organisational changes and moving into them with greater ease
Managers are now acting as leaders:
- Taking responsibility for Service Delivery creating new processes and regular meetings/interaction
- Taken a very strong and positive stand in the integration process (SMART Trading)
- Focusing on development of staff and spotting coaching opportunities
- Deciding to stay connected and act as a team even after they have been split and incorporated into the company's global organisation. The team now meets weekly.
The process has also allowed new leaders/managers to come forward positively influencing the climate in the team
Service Delivery performance improving
Outcomes: A personal perspective
Feedback given to us by one participant:
"What was exceptional for me was:
starting with the reality of people's experience, however uncomfortable
how you were prepared to deal with dissatisfaction/ mess/ anger etc by naming and being with it
the degree of follow up and how that was structured
the impact on me, I'm so clear about who I am, I have a clarity that's never been there before, this translates into how I work
the impact on others of my increased awareness and capacities - they are prepared to try things, take risks
I wanted to raise my profile - I have, and then some
the place is so much nicer to be, the atmosphere, communication, attitudes - even though the uncertainty hasn't gone, indeed may be even more for some"
Another expressed: "I have never had more impact as a leader"
CASE STUDY 2 - A Digital Communications Leadership Team (DCLT)
The team was a collection of individuals, brought together to create Leadership and Innovation in the development and implementation of IT as an active tool in the Trading environment of a major Global Corporation. In this they were required to:
interface with the Trading Function and personnel and the DCT technical specialists
build powerful, business focused relationships
initiate and lead the design and development of key IT systems
Historically relationships between DCT and 'the Business' were poor, the 'Front Office' perceived time spent away from the Trading function as an unacceptable cost and were of the opinion that IT solutions were never 'fit for purpose - and expressed these views forcibly. DCT people felt that they were given inadequate information and impossible tasks, felt undervalued and were lacking in confidence to challenge individuals or ideas. As a direct consequence the team membership was constantly changing as people sought more satisfying roles.
At the same time there was constant change in the structure at a Group level of both the Trading and associated functions and DCT.
The project evolved from a one to one coaching relationship with the Team Leader and involved a team of 12 highly skilled DCT specialists with varied amount of Leadership experience.
Objectives
1. To transform the collection of individual specialists into a Leadership Team recognised for their impact, and effectiveness through their capacity to build effective, supportive yet challenging relationships and deliver major innovations, including changes in practice with minimum disruption. A team which people saw as:
an enticing place to work
a career enhancing opportunity
2. Within the team there was a place of safety to explore, grow, experiment and challenge each other - in service of a bigger picture
The Programme
Running over twelve months this was co-designed with the Team Leader and a structure created which included:
One to one coaching for any team member who wished to have this. This was absolutely a personal choice and in practice, over the life of the project, all members elected to take this option. These conversations were confidential and their focus was led by the individual
A series of four two and a half day workshops (offsite) designed to engage, empower and inspire the team to:
- Own and design:
- A clear vision and purpose for the individuals and the team
- Their unique approach to leadership
- The range of conversations they needed to initiate and participate in both within the team and across the business
- Bring more of themselves present in their lives, including at work
- Build competence in conversation, relationship building and maintenance in a wide variety of contexts
Outcomes:
The relationships established by the team within the group were described by participants as:
Safe
Exciting
Supportive
Challenging in a energising and empowering way
Feedback from the Business Environment identified a DC team which:
Listens effectively
Knows what it has to offer
Is willing to enter into our world
Provides focused and relevant comment
Speaks so we can understand
Brings vision and leadership to Business issues
Identifies new opportunities in ways which engage and demonstrate their value to the Business bottom line
Some years later the team have gradually dispersed to key roles across the company; a number stepping into Business Units where they demonstrate their capacity to initiate powerful learning, leadership and fundamental change
Individual Case Study
The Context
Samantha contacted C4CC following a chance meeting with a former client. She was feeling that life was disjointed generally, and was dissatisfied with her relationship with her husband, young children, and her work. Samantha had the not uncommon feeling of being "stuck"; - knowing she wanted to change things but not sure what or where to start and of feeling she had lost who she was.
The Programme
Following an initial call to Penni, she felt bold enough to enlist her as a coach. First came a face-to-face meeting for a 'Design and Discovery' session. This 2 ½ hour session turned out to be an exploration - starting her on a path to surfacing, articulating and deeply connecting with her core values, and to defining key things she 'wanted to be different'. Family life and career were particular areas. Samantha realised that much of her antagonism towards her partner and children related to how she felt about her role as wife and mother versus how she felt about her role at work. As a consequence of the session Samantha decided on some priority conversations to work with and some practices to support her in this. One of these included standing in her kitchen and looking out of the window for 3 minutes at some point each day - giving her a regular and continuing experience of time for herself. She decided to work with Penni for an initial series of 12 weekly conversations - for practical reasons these would be on the phone.
The Outcome
During the 3 months, through answering powerful questions she was asked by Penni and carrying out the assignments they designed between calls, Samantha began to discover and own her qualities as a wife and mother. She learned to appreciate how worthy they could make her feel. She saw that her abilities and qualities within her home and family made her equally as laudable and respectable as those she displayed within her career. She began to instigate conversations at home and at work. These clarified the expectations of those around her, and gave her a chance to feel for and create necessary boundaries. She realised how demanding her own expectations of herself were and gradually found a level of and approach to expectations that was more satisfying and empowering for her. Perfection, she discovered was a moveable feast!
Samantha pin pointed key Values which, for her were crucial and became much more aware of how she was living with these. She set aside certain times to spend with her husband and family, and her interactions with them became more balanced. After the 3 months, Samantha and Penni met again to discuss progress and design a way forward from this point. Further calls were scheduled 2 weekly, dropping to monthly for a further 6 months.
Samantha still has a quarterly "maintenance" call with Penni.
Feedback from Samantha
"I feel lighter in my life, and I have never had so much clarity in my relationships. I have loved my sessions with Penni, although the first few were hard as I found it uncomfortable to dig so deep. Since then I have not looked back. I am a different person. I have learned to balance the work I do as a wife, mother, and employee, and see the true value of my role as each. I smile more than I ever have. I feel I have discovered tools to forge a brighter and more grounded future. I know who I am"
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