Client Case Studies
Learn more about our thoughtful leadership development and executive coaching services
Leadership development program
Background
Mid-size entertainment company is an exciting place to work that attracts talented and ambitious individuals. However, due to a flat organizational structure and the long tenure of its middle and senior-level executives, opportunities for upward and lateral movement are limited. In light of the company’s growth and fast-paced environment, senior executives perceive a significant need for developing stronger leadership and management skills among mid-level managers, many of whom have never been given management skill training.
Objectives
Our client wanted to help managers:
- Assess their current management style(s) and behaviors;
- Increase their managerial effectiveness;
- Develop stronger leadership skills;
- Feel more connected to their peers; and
- Prepare to take the step into senior leadership at the company.
Solution
We designed a multi-session leadership development program that covered various leadership and management skills. Specific program topics were selected based on interviews with senior management regarding areas of improvement for their managerial staff. We also offered executive coaching for all program participants, as well as various behavioral assessments. The individual coaching helped participants take the theories and skills covered in the workshop sessions, as well as the information gathered from the various assessments, and apply the learnings to their day-to-day challenges. In addition, we provided readings, “homework” between sessions, follow-up action items for each topic, customized experiential exercises and case studies, and on-going consultation with participants as needed during the program.
Focus on leading change
Background
A multi-service health organization in New York City faces a variety of challenges – cultural and background differences amongst staff; high-pressure jobs with inadequate time; increasing need for strong focus on customer relations; and a changing environment, both internally and externally. Senior leadership perceive a need to rally their managers around championing organizational change in order to address their current challenges and thrive into the future, as well as to better equip their managers with the necessary skills to manage and lead their respective staffs.
Objectives
Our client wanted to help managers:
- Better handle the different backgrounds of staff members;
- Increase their managerial effectiveness;
- Develop stronger leadership skills;
- Champion change that was potentially difficult for them; and
- Strengthen their focus on the customer, to increase customer satisfaction.
Solution
We designed a series of managerial retreats and workshops that reinforced the “team-ness” of the managerial staff, as well as covered various leadership and management skills. Specific program topics were selected based on data gathering and informational interviews. Staff “co-designed” the content and outcomes of the programs when appropriate, in order to increase buy-in to the overall concept. Skills and approaches covered during the retreats and workshops became standard language for the organization when discussing issues, thereby providing our client with a safe, effective way to resolve individual differences and work through difficult issues.
Senior leadership coaching and support
Background
Major telecommunications firm has undergone a series of mergers and downsizings, leading to fewer officer-level positions and greater spans of control. As a result, candidates being groomed for these most senior-level positions as part of the company’s succession planning process have more demanding roles and fewer opportunities for promotion. This has created levels of frustration and disillusionment among these valued employees. To address this issue, company officers want to offer value-added support to succession candidates to help them feel connected, challenged, and “invested in.”
Objectives
Our client wanted to help senior leadership:
- Feel valued;
- Stay motivated;
- Remain excited and challenged by their work;
- Continue to enhance their leadership skills;
- Discover the full range of opportunities open to them; and
- Find the next best career step and best prepare for it.
Solution
We designed a six-month “pilot” coaching program for succession candidates. Executive Coaching was an excellent match for the client’s needs and the target group’s situation. The coaching helped the participants address their day-to-day challenges and at the same time gave them tools to develop needed skills and further strengthen existing skills as they awaited promotion. The coaching was designed to focus on:
- Creating a plan of action to address strengths and developmental needs;
- Surfacing and discussing career management concerns; and
- Identifying personal priorities and steps to achieving greater fulfillment at work and in life.
In time the coaching also led to a variety of Leadership Development programs as well as sessions with intact teams within the senior leadership group, thus reinforcing concepts and behaviors revealed during coaching and further strengthening the senior leadership team. The pilot program was also rolled out to additional succession candidates and high potentials.
Senior leadership skills training
Background
Global banking and investment firm is a fast-paced, high risk/high reward environment. Managers are rewarded for producing and are “only as good as their last closed deal.” Senior leadership perceive a gap in people management – recognizing that managers are not necessarily given the skills for effective management, nor are they recognized and rewarded for effective management. As the strength of the firm truly rests in its people, senior leadership chooses to invest in increasing the level of managerial skills of selected audiences.
Objectives
Our client wanted to:
- Offer managerial and leadership skills to a high level audience;
- Present these skills in a manner that would capture the attention of managers who did not want to be pulled from their jobs; and
- Provide specific theories and skills that were immediately usable and effective for the various audiences.
Solution
We designed interactive skill-building sessions that covered selected topics in identified development areas. Programs were presented in such a way as to captivate audiences who felt a strong pull to be “on the floor” making deals. Exercises were included that brought the theory to life and offered participants an opportunity to solve real problems with the support of their peers. These real-life scenarios and practical applications strengthened commitment to attend the sessions and to apply the new behaviors.
Developing high-performing teams
Background
Senior executives in a high-pressure customer service division underwent a significant restructuring, which led to newly formed management teams and new reporting structures. The senior executives wanted to promote better and more effective working relationships within these teams by helping their team members understand themselves and others better and by establishing clear guidelines, norms, and expectations.
Objectives
Our client wanted to:
- Clarify team expectations;
- Establish team norms and operating principles around such issues as conflict resolution, decision making, communications, etc.;
- Improve interpersonal interactions on the team;
- Explore behavioral styles and the impact of the diversity of styles on team dynamics; and
- Gain personal accountability and commitment for bringing the team to its most effective ability.
Solution
We worked one-on-one with each senior executive to design a one-half-day to full-day session that met the specific needs of their team. The sessions covered topics most relevant to the team based on input gathered from team members prior to the session. The teams developed working agreements, norms, and guidelines for working together more effectively, and shared individual expectations for supporting each other in achieving team goals and objectives.
For more information on how to utilize today’s leadership development consulting and executive coaching for tomorrow’s leaders,
please email info@chatsworthconsulting.com or call us at 877-405-7288.
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