Situation:

As part of a senior executive development program, we assessed top leaders of a mid-size industrial global company that is headquartered in Germany. As part of the development program, the leaders had the opportunity to work with an executive coach to propel their impact further with a particular focus on the areas highlighted in the assessments.

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Challenge:

One of the regional leaders, despite bringing very successful results in her region, had the reputation of not fostering a »One Team« mindset outside of her region and lacking tactical networking and stakeholder management skills. At the same time, she felt she and her team were not provided the »well-deserved« autonomy and acknowledgment for their strong results.

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Coaching:

Coaching began with a joint meeting (CEO, coachee, HR business partner) to discuss on mutual expectations and alignment on coaching goals.

In the following individual coaching sessions, we worked with the regional leader on a) developing a more global view beyond their region; b) adopting a more »constructive« interaction approach through better understanding of cultural differences, a more intentional communication style and on showing more appreciation towards headquarters teams, and c) proactive clarification of expectations.

In the coaching sessions we facilitated opportunities for reflection (triggers / intention vs. perception / »sender vs. receiver« perspectives) and had discussions on critical leadership incidents. In between the sessions, the leader also had some reading »homework« that provided frameworks for understanding cultural differences and communication dynamics.

In the last individual session, we evaluated the progress and defined mechanisms to support sustainable improvement.  

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Outcomes:

We noted improvements in global collaboration illustrated by more frequent interactions with colleagues in Germany and with peers in other regions as well as an enhanced ability in changing perspectives. Additionally, the leader implemented a more structured and regular communication with her CEO, now leveraging probing and clarification questions rather than making assumptions, thereby strengthening their alignment.

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The coaching ended with a joint meeting (CEO, coachee, HR business partner) where the CEO also shared their observations on improved exchange outside the region, more constructive communication during global meetings, and better alignment on mutual expectations.