Case Study 2 – COO Leadership: Team & Collaboration
THE CHALLENGE that led to COO coaching
The young COO of this mid-size company helped quickly grow the business from a startup to a leading provider of transport services nationwide. Sam* was a hands-on doer who knew the ins and outs of the business like few others, and expected everyone to be just as fast on their feet. He “doesn’t suffer fools”, and while working for him was financially rewarding, few were willing to put up with his quick temper and loud outbursts for long. Turnover was almost 50% a year.
While Sam had strong strategic capabilities and could be a great big-picture-thinker, he often found himself working more “in” the business than “on” the business. The company had begun to lose key accounts. As his days grew longer and less fun, the CEO encouraged Sam to adjust his philosophy and leadership style, to support the culture of collaboration the company was working to foster.
Sam was also being asked to take a more active role in Sales, as his unique credibility with large prospects could help close deals and generate fresh momentum. Though Sam had both the skills and credibility, he was reluctant – “who has time for that?”– frustrating both the CEO and the Sales team.
THE APPROACH
This 6-month engagement began with a behavioral & style assessment to understand Sam’s unique skills, triggers and outlook, and also a 360 review. While Sam was great on many fronts, we began to identify the limiting beliefs about his colleagues and his team, with questions such as:
What does your leadership style look like to others?
What impact is your current leadership style having on you? On others?
What’s important about that?
How do you see yourself? What effect would you LIKE to have?
What do you believe about person X? Y? Z?
Is it true? What’s the evidence?
How do your assumptions influence how you interact with persons X, Y, Z?
What impact is your behavior having on others’ willingness to tell you what’s really happening, so you can act on the real issues while there’s still time?
What will happen, if nothing changes in how things are (not) working?
What do you believe will happen if you leave this company?
What do you really, really want?
What’s possible?
You get the idea. . . While Sam was not keen on deep personal reflection, he came to see that leaving the company was not his answer, because “wherever you go, there you are!” He realized he’d bring his baggage with him, and was willing to commit to stopping the cycle. Simple yet practical questions, in an intense series of weekly sessions, began to make an impact.
Sam also he realized that his behaviors at work were flowing over into his private life and the ways these behaviors impacted his marriage and his young kids. He was able to see it was not “these people” that were the issue; it was his reactions. A Leadership Matrix (showing business acumen vs. leadership capabilities) revealed that most people in his lane had solid skills and potential. Sam categorized each person into groups he’d need to Groom, Feed, Move, or Weed.
Most team members could be developed using some fresh skills and response patterns Sam was learning. He began to see how his words and actions could set a much more positive, enthusiastic tone and unlocking their potential.
Sam made a few changes on his team, terminating one, transferring another, while promoting a 3rd. About 4 months into coaching, we designed an offsite 2.5 day workshop centered around the “StrengthsFinder” tool and “5 Dysfunctions of a Team”. During these sessions, Sam and his team successfully cleared a lot of the old junk, dealt with the absence of trust that Sam conveyed, and processed some issues that caused a lack of commitment and accountability. Team members came together in honest discussions around “What do I bring to the team that moves us forward?” “What do I bring to the team that holds us back?”
“I feel like a changed man. Once I actually made the connection between who I was being and the results I was getting, that was a game-changer. I now know better ways to get what I need from my people. The coaching framework’s easy and motivating. Especially when I see the positive side-effects, even at home. My wife’s happier. Work’s easier, and fun again. I see failures in a new way. Now I can make a little room for small scale experimentation and failure, as I realized how that can help me get more stuff done with personal involvement.” – Client / COO
As the team saw Sam’s effort to change in the months leading up to the Workshop, and heard Sam own his issues and talk about his own growth, remarkable changes began to emerge. While that was only the beginning, Sam and his team have come a long way.
THE OUTCOMES of COO coaching
A 360 evaluation of Sam’s leadership skills 6 months after the start of the engagement showed remarkable improvements in his ability to inspire a shared vision, enable others to act, model the way and to some extent even encourage the heart of those who worked for him. The Director Sam had promoted to VP was able to increasingly serve as both a trusted advisor, a sounding board, and a buffer who felt empowered by Sam to hold him accountable when he had lapses into old ways of thinking or behaving. As Sam flared up less often, trust grew. Other members of Sam’s team began to listen to their instincts more, speak up, and engage in a level of dialogue about goals, priorities, and metrics that generated fresh momentum and attention to results.
“What a difference. Our hiring costs are lower, training costs are lower, and retention increased to 72%. Dealers are seeing smoother operations, fewer hiccups. A couple have said the improved service level’s made a difference in staying, even though our prices are a bit higher. Sam’s better attitude toward his role in Sales helped close 4 new clients in recent months, totaling over $550,000 in additional income.” − CEO / Sponsor
Better results and sense of commitment from the team in turn enabled Sam to delegate more, creating capacity and willingness on his part to engage with the Sales team more frequently and to participate in calls with large prospects and even do more field visits with key current clients. As Sam’s listening skills improved, and he practiced more self-management – motivated by a clear perspective on the impact he wanted to have on others including in his personal life – his company’s teammate retention increased to from 49% to 72% (6 months annualized), client retention increased from 76% to 84%, and Sam helped the Sales team close 4 new accounts.
This COO coaching engagement continues on a scaled-back “maintenance” basis, and Sam has access to ongoing resources that sustain his progress and further grow his leadership, communication and collaboration skills.
(*) Names changed to maintain Client and Sponsor confidentiality. Tailored solutions and services for CFOs, Executives and VPs. See what others say.
