Our client
A UK-based financial services organisation needed support facilitating sessions with its board of directors. They wanted to examine their ways of working and explore how to become a more effective as a leadership team…
Our solution
We developed a two-phase programme to support an ongoing leadership development and cultural change programme.
Phase one included a series of interviews with each board member and a presentation of key findings from the interviews. A new board mission was created and work began on increasing trust within the team.
Phase two focused on engaging the wider leadership team to support the board in developing a strategic plan, and for them to then take ownership of executing this plan.
This:
- Provided an opportunity for the business to adopt a proactive approach with its strategic direction in order to stay ahead of the competition;
- Allowed the board to see, in a live situation, the capability of the senior leadership teams across the company;
- Supported the engagement and development of the wider leadership community
Phase two launched with a leadership event for the top 40 leaders in the company, focused on developing a future purpose and key areas of focus for the business.
Following a further formal review of the effectiveness of the board, a new executive committee was formed. Decisions were made on the fine details of the culture the senior leaders wanted to see in the business and the nature of the work required to bring about this change.
Each executive committee member took responsibility for leading a variety of company-wide projects, requiring the engagement and participation of the wider leadership community.
How successful was the programme?
Phases one and two achieved the objective: the organisation’s board of directors had identified how to become a more effective and successful leadership team.
In fact, Quest’s intervention had created such an appetite for change, that we were invited to become the organisation’s partner for change.
We’re now playing an active role in supporting the development of the senior leadership team as well as the board members, ensuring they model a culture of high performance for the rest of the business.
As part of this process the Leadership Practices Inventory was used to help leaders identify their own strengths and weakness. This work was supplemented by coaching support for each of the 60 leaders in the programme.
When the reality of ‘business as usual’ takes over following the leadership off-sites, the energy to fuel consistent change may be lost. Coaching had a significant impact within the project, by providing a safe platform for topics that otherwise felt too risky to talk about.
Creating collaborative culture
Members of the executive committee now contribute to the overall leadership of the business – beyond their functional responsibilities – and are actively involved in shaping and delivering regular communication events to the wider business.
Each executive committee member is also committed to a programme of personal development aimed at broadening and deepening their executive contribution to the business.
