Developing leadership presence

Case study background

 

Meet Tom. He’s just been made Vice President of Sales of a large multinational company that’s active in the automotive industry.

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Tom’s bosses have always valued his capacity for delivering quick and decisive results, and in his previous roles as sales director, commercial director and general manager in various European countries, his “bulldozer” style has worked for him.

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But he’s having problems adapting to the slower decision-making process of a complex European HQ. His colleagues are reacting badly to his confrontational approach and this is having a negative impact on his ability to manage his teams on some very strategic projects.

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Coaching objective

 

Tom needs to balance his personal drive and passion with patience and the ability to listen and encourage input from his staff.

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Coaching in practice

 

• Self-observation exercises to explore Tom’s experience of “not moving forward fast enough”.
   

• Reconnect with the emotion of patience in Tom’s personal and professional life and explore the value of “reflective” moments.
   

• Cultivate the habit of entering meetings with a curious and open mindset.
   

• Develop a set of techniques to reduce Tom’s tendency to “cut the crap”.
   

• Ground Tom’s new habits through generative practice – walking in the forest and playing cards with his kids.

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Results

 

Tom has learned to reconnect to his peaceful leadership presence.

 

He is more open and curious during meetings with his colleagues. Now, he takes time to investigate new possibilities and align with stakeholders. His ability to really listen to others has generated huge goodwill from key stakeholders within his company, which in turn has a positive impact on the speedy delivery of his projects.

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Names have been changed to maintain client confidentiality