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The rewards of being a senior leader are numerous and include a sense of achievement, shaping the direction and success of an organization, visibility and the associated perks. Yet, the realities of the current economic crisis have created one of the most challenging contexts for leading in decades. External crises create significant leadership challenges for many executives who are under greater scrutiny both internally and externally to produce results despite the harsh economic conditions in most industry sectors.
Leaders with whom we have worked are asking a number of questions including:
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How can I create more time to focus on strategic direction and planning?
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What can I do to raise the bar for my people and create higher functioning management teams?
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How can I better anticipate the needs of my own boss and other key stakeholders - in essence, get ahead of the curve instead of being so reactive?
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How can I create more balance in my own life and work?
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What can be done to help my organization innovate and adapt in order to thrive in the midst of uncertainty and chaos?
Illustrative Case Study*
Susan was a senior vice president of marketing at a pharmaceutical organization. New to her role and the organization, she struggled with influencing peers and CEO in the organization. Susan was averse to conflict and introverted in the midst of a highly extraverted executive team. As a result, her ideas rarely received the attention they deserved and her direct reports felt frustrated because they did not perceive her to be strong enough to advocate on behalf of their proposals.
We first collected 360 degree feedback from her peers, staff and direct report manager to assess her baseline level of functioning. Further, Susan also completed several personality assessments to help her identify her preferred style of interaction. Through these initial efforts, Susan realized that her introverted style was both a strength and a weakness depending on the context. We helped her find suitable mentors inside and outside her company, had her experiment with new behavior in her interactions with her staff, and identify new ways to develop relationships with peers and executives. A major focus of the coaching engagement was developing skills in taking risks among her peers and voicing her ideas sooner.
Susan improved her ability to influence others by creating greater balance between expressive and receptive communication skills, as well as identfying her own source of power. She become more comfortable in her role and communicating her vision for her organization. Susan gained greater legitimacy with the CEO and was asked to act on his behalf when he was away from the office.
* The facts of this case have been generalized from several clients in order to maintain confidentiality.
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