Case Studies

1. We coached a senior Investment Banker who was having problems relating to her co-head. This involved:
   
   • Analysing the dynamics of the relationship and in particular where the blockers were for the coachee.
   • Giving her the confidence to deal with confrontation and conflict in an assertive way.
   • Building up her skills, especially that of giving constructive negative feedback, so that she was equipped to handle difficult situations more effectively.
   The result has been a much more open and productive relationship, with the individuals involved being able to understand and live with each other’s differences. We went on to prepare this individual for her promotion to MD; she was successful on her first attempt, an achievement that is rare in this sector.
2. We worked with the Head of IT Development of a major airport construction project to raise his profile and influence in the business. He was subsequently promoted to a Group IT role. In addition, Nick worked with him to determine what his next job should be like, clarify and sell the stories around his career so far, and enhance his interviewing skills. He has recently landed the dream job – a Head of Telecomms role – and told Nick that this success was a ‘culmination of all the work we have done together.’

We worked with the Senior Management Team of a District Borough Council, comprising of the CEO and four Strategic Directors, to:

• Gain commitment to the new CEO’s vision and create a shared view of the future.
• Enable the team to work more like a Board of Directors and co-ordinate, commission and deliver key corporate themes.
• Clarify roles and responsibilities, particularly for the Strategic Directors who were required to let go of day-to-day business and become commissioners of services from the Chief Officers below them.
• Build the team in such a way as to enhance their effectiveness

Work centred initially on supporting the top team – in the shape of team sessions and one-to-one coaching.

The focus of our intervention then shifted on to the team of Chief Officers and we worked with them and the SMT in workshop settings, to specifically:

• Explore the behaviours that the Chief Officers should adopt as leaders of their teams, given the changes which have gone on above them.
• Determine interdependencies and corporate responsibilities across departments.
• Set up new structures to work on cross-cutting priorities.
• Agree how the two groups (SMT and COs) should work together going forward.

The third strand of our intervention involved a workshop with the SMT, the Chief Officers and the Elected Members. The objectives of this were to:

• Remind them of the collective purpose of the different groups present.
• Clarify roles and responsibilities in light of this.
• Determine and agree areas for development for each group.
• Clarify actions to enhance collective performance.

The work at the Council took place over a period of 14 months and over this time, we regularly had meetings with the CE to gather feedback and assess how the programme is going. The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive, with the following results achieved:

• A top team aligned behind the new CEO’s vision.
• The four strategic directors gained full understanding of their new roles and with the help of one-to-one coaching, overcame their individual challenges to work effectively as strategic directors.
• A general ‘stepping up’ of the Chief Officers who took on operational responsibility.
• Improved member officer relationships.
  
  

Our work with this global investment bank started in 2003 initially in the arena of one-to-one coaching of senior executives, at MD and AD level.

In 2005, we were asked to research and design a suite of management development programmes, aimed at middle managers in the organisation. We worked very closely with the Learning & Development team in the design phase of this assignment, to ensure that the final product really met their requirements and fitted with the organisational culture.

The final programme is known as ‘Stepping Up To Management’ (SUTM) and comprises:

• Two, one-day workshops:
• New to Management.
• Managing People and Teams.
• Eight, three-hour masterclasses:
• Vision & Strategy.
• The Manager as Coach.
• Managing Conflict.
• Influencing, Impact and Political Savvy.
• Networking.
• Team Dynamics.
• Motivation.
• Delegation.

Roll out started towards the beginning of 2006 and continues at a delivery rate of 4 to 5 days a month. The programme is run in the UK, the US & Asia by partner organisations.