Case study 1
The Sky Scrapers Academy was approached by a large and established multinational based overseas.
We were asked to coach one of their CEO’s. Specific challenges shared with us were – his autocratic leadership style, poor team cohesion and excessive attrition. Inputs received from the candidate’s line manager were - He was an excellent performer and had consistently contributed to the bottom line.
Thus, they were keen to retain his talent and address the challenge areas.
Tools employed -
360 degree feedback
DiSC® Personal Profile Analysis
TriMetrix Psychometric analysis
StrengthsFinder®
On assessment, it was discovered that the candidate -
- Had high energy, a sense of urgency and optimism towards results. The word “can’t” was not in his vocabulary
- Could always see the big picture and find his own solutions to problems
- Would lose interest in a project once the challenge ceased
- Was a ‘poor listener’ especially when liaising with ‘compliant’ individuals (DiSC®)
- Had a highly dominant style (DiSC® Analysis). This led to serious abrasions with subordinates and peers, most of whom were of other styles. His low score in ‘steadiness’ resulted in impatience and an inability to trust others
- Had a hyper active mind which would not allow him to relax. This was adversely affecting his family life
- Perceived himself as pioneering, competitive, positive, assertive, confident and winner, while others perceived him as demanding, egotistical, nervy and aggressive. Also when under extreme pressure, he was perceived as abrasive, arbitrary, controlling and opinionated.
Goals identified -
- Identify listening biases and then imbibe good listening skills
- Develop cohesiveness, trust and better relationships with the core team
- Develop patience and the ability to acknowledge the intangible facets of any situation
- Prioritize and allocate time such that family and health could be given due importance
We co created a journey which would address these specific goals
Strategies -
The following strategies were implemented.
Listening: The coach drew on the candidate’s personal experiences thus allowing him to recognize the differences between good and poor listening. Once he recognized the value in effecting a change, the following techniques were discussed: Avoid completing other’s sentences, maintain eye contact, nod, repeat/ rephrase to acknowledge and understand, exhibit ‘listening body language’ and put yourself into the other person’s shoes.
Trust and Relationships: A TriMetrix Psychometric Analysis was conducted for every member of his core team. The analysis revealed how each person had different behaviors, attitudes and motivators. The concept of ‘Different strokes for different folks’ now became evident. Thus, the coach helped him to analyze each member’s reports and accordingly develop individualized communication strategies.
Prioritize and Rationalize: The candidate had made more commitments than he could keep. He would actively participate in and often lead business networking groups, special interest groups and initiate social engagements. He realized that this was undoubtedly sapping his time and energy. The coach helped him to rationalize and be selective with his commitments. This freed up time which could now be deployed for family and health. He adopted an exercise regime (walking and swimming) which he would practice with his wife. This gave him a sense of fulfillment in both the areas.
Patience: An audit of his activities allowed us to identify the circumstances that caused him to feel impatient. A series of ‘Why’ questions revealed the root cause of this unwanted emotion. Next, the coach assisted the candidate to enlist the benefits of demonstrating patience with special emphasis on business related benefits. It was now easy for him to address his core cause and embrace the principles of patience. Specific techniques like breathing exercises, counting to ten before responding and speaking slower and lowering the tone were adopted.
The LEAP:
The candidate is
- Now highly self aware (particularly about his soft spots)
- Bonded and empathetic towards his team
- Tolerant and appreciative of styles that are different from his own
- Content in the spheres of health and family
The Extra LEAP:
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His superiors, peers and subordinates endorsed that the above LEAPs were in fact being accomplished. (360 degree feedback)
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The candidate’s spouse commented that she was delighted with his renewed commitment to their relationship.
Case study 2
A client of The Sky Scrapers Academy was promoted to a senior position in a reputed organization. With greater powers came the responsibility to manage bigger teams.
The candidate voiced the following concerns:
- Lesser confidence as compared to his previous position
- A strong tendency to micro-manage people
- Inability to find time to make strategy related decisions
- Not enough emphasis to health and family
- Higher levels of stress
- Frequent outbursts at work
The coach worked with the candidate to assess the situation. This was done by collecting formal and informal feedback from the team, peers and superiors, administering a DiSC® personality profile analysis and by using tools like the time management grid.
On assessment, it was discovered that the candidate -
- Was unclear of his responsibilities in the new position
- Always worked from the urgent quadrant, dousing fires
- Was exceeding the time ideally required for routine meetings
- Did not have confidence in his team’s ability to work independently. He constantly kept a check on them
- Was frequently distracted and thus felt unproductive and restless. This led to moodiness and displays of anger
Goals Identified -
- Gain confidence in the new role
- Develop and demonstrate better leadership qualities
- Effectively delegate and start trusting team members
- Manage emotions, stress and time with finesse
Strategies -
The coach worked with the individual to make an inventory list of the skills and behaviors required of him in this new position. They brainstormed strategies to enhance his leadership skills. To start with, they looked at identifying team members who could be lead performers. Efforts were then taken to develop these individuals.
Since time management was a serious concern, they looked at fixing the schedule and agenda of meetings and communicating the same to team members well in advance. A time limit for each meeting was fixed and agreed upon. Time wasters such as email alerts, etc. were removed. All of this helped focus on the task at hand while extracting maximum productivity from self and the team.
In addition to this, the candidate started to plan the week in advance and allocate time slots for team strategy meetings and individual strategic thinking. His ‘peaks and troughs’ were identified and most important tasks were allocated to his peak timings. Thus, tasks that had a direct bearing on the predetermined goals were executed when he was at his productive best.
The LEAP:
The candidate is
- Less stressed and more productive (higher effort to reward ratio)
- Better able to manage himself (emotions), his team and his time
- Able to balance health, family and work
The Extra LEAP:
- He has also enrolled himself for a 2 year part time higher education program, thus fulfilling one of his long time desires.
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