A Real Leadership Story - and a Sample of How We Work with Organizations

An independent energy company acquired a new location. The leadership team, put in place at the time of acquisition, found a high level of resistance because facility ownership had changed hands several times in the last few years - employees at the location had a “wait for these guys to leave” attitude. Initial efforts to incorporate the corporate culture and work methodologies were forced through coercion and punishment, as well as a consistent, relentless approach to change. While some positive changes had been experienced - higher levels of efficiency, lower costs - turnover was high in some specific areas, and the leadership team felt trapped in a negative perspective toward employees that made further improvement more difficult.

Action:

We worked with the location leadership team to help them understand their impact on the organization. Several functional heads also asked for individual coaching and team work for their groups. For one key functional group, we brought together the key leaders and helped them engage in effective, authentic dialogue about poor performance and resentments built during the acquisition. In addition, we helped this team develop and articulate their thinking about how the results of the function mattered, and how the leadership of the function could align everyone for better results.

Results:

Immediately, there was a noticeable difference in the way the leaders of the location interacted with each other. Others in the location began to notice the a change in leadership approach to getting results. For the one key function, a noticeable difference in how the function was being led resulted in positive comments by others outside the function. Within three months, the functional leaders and their employees were identifying clear barriers to success and overcoming them, for an increased impact on the location’s operations.

How We Work With Organizations