Case Studies: Executives Who Excel

The following case studies are examples of the types of situations we help executives to transform.

Drowning in Success
This VP introduced a new product that took the market by storm, and resulted in the fastest growth in the company's history. She was featured in two trade magazines and received invitations to give keynotes at industry events. She was viewed as having a "Midas touch" and was deluged with requests for her time from inside and outside the organization. After eighteen months, this VP experienced overwhelming demands on her time and increased responsibility. Yet, she was less satisfied with her work and life than ever before in her career.

Our work together focused on increasing this VP’s ability to structure her work and time to match her strengths and interests. She began to filter the requests made of her by asking herself these critical questions: "Is this the best use of my time?" and "Is this furthering the strategic goals of the organization?" She recognized that her creativity and past success were a direct result of having the time to research, reflect, and experiment with technology. She restructured her role and responsibilities, delegated where it made sense.

Now this VP has successfully introduced another hot product, has expanded her division, and is ruthless about where she will commit her time. She has regained her energy and enthusiasm for her work and is confident about the future.

Skipping Rungs Up the Ladder
When this young VP was promoted to SrVP in a large corporation, he was truly the "wunderkind". He was financially brilliant, quick to understand technology, and had a breadth of experience in sales, marketing and finance. In his new role his responsibilities expanded and the new division was twice the size of his previous department. This SrVP had moved around in the company, was promoted quickly, and had always learned by observing. He had gaps in his management skills and had never invested the time in management development work. His CEO recognized the need for specialized executive development to fill in this newly promoted SrVP's gaps. Our work together focused on the nuts and bolts of managing a large organization. He realized that his approach to work had been effective as a lone ranger, but not as the leader of a large division. We leveraged his strengths and built upon what he was already doing well. We covered goal setting, delegation, measurements, strategic planning, tactical planning, assessing performance, writing performance reviews, mentoring his staff, and resolving conflict. He was a very quick study and immediately began applying what he learned in his new role. Now this SrVP is more aware of what he knows, and what he does not know about management. He is as committed to learning about being a strong leader as he is committed to learning about technology and market trends. He has the loyal commitment of his team and and the confidence of his CEO.
World Traveling CEO Headed for Burnout
The CEO of a large international company had been traveling a great deal for three years. As his organization expanded into Asia, they had more suppliers and customers overseas. He candidly reported: "I cannot see myself still doing this in three years". His energy level and physical well-being were suffering. He felt less engaged and this was affecting his productivity, communications and decision-making. He knew he needed to change something, but he did not know where to start. Our executive development program focused on building his capacity to grow and sustain his energy and physical stamina. He created better boundaries between work and home which produced increased focus and productivity when at work. He examined his assumptions around his role and analyzed where he could increase the delegation of some travel. This CEO now experiences greater overall well being, energy and stamina. He is more engaged and productive, and his decision making and communications are again timely and effective.

President is Strong in Sales
Weak in Communications The President of this corporation had years of experience in sales and marketing, with strong sales communications skills. Yet, when working within the organization, his approach was referred to as "hit and run management". While very intelligent and quick, his management style was to make impulsive decisions, communicate strongly, and change his mind frequently. This resulted in confusion within his organization, lost productivity and a lack of trust. His CEO recommended executive development to support his growth as an executive and to round out his management skills. The executive development program focused first on slowing down the habituated rush of this President's inner clock. By slowing down on the inside, he grew his capacity to sit with decisions until the data was complete. His communications became less reactive and more constructive. Through analysis and management of his schedule, he began to focus more time and attention on the strategic aspects of his position, and spent less time fighting fires. Now this President's decision making is well considered, consistent and thorough. His communications are constructive and effective. He is perceived as a better listener and as more authentic and trustworthy. He is less scattered and more effective as a manager.