Case Studies.
In order to protect our clients, names and organisations have been changed or removed, and some contextual information has been revised where necessary to ensure anonymity. All of the situations these people faced are, however, completely factual. See how an executive coach helped guide them through the darkest of times.
We helped him to handle the strategic challenges of the transition, whilst supporting him through the grieving process and rebuilding his life.
Peter.
Peter was a senior vice president for Production & Supply within a global business, responsible for liaison between international customers and the manufacturing site in the UK.
The business decided that the manufacturing facility was to be relocated to the Far East due to changing marketplace conditions. Peter was asked to oversee the transition, but once completed, his role would be made redundant. Tragically, at the same time his wife was losing her lengthy battle against serious illness, which left him as single parent to a teenager.
We assigned an executive coach that helped him to handle the strategic challenges of the transition, whilst supporting him through the grieving process and rebuilding his life.
It was a difficult and painful process, and often sad and confusing, but Peter learned some useful things about himself and he emerged (in his words) ‘stronger, wiser and a better dad’ through working with us.
After completing the relocation and leaving the business, he landed a new Managing Director role in a Mediterranean country, where he’s pursuing his passion of renovating a classic Mercedes - and most importantly for him - his teenager is now flourishing at university.
We supported Kate to come to terms with the situation, cope with the challenges thrown at her, and rebuild her confidence as a high-performing, inspiring leader.
Kate.
Kate was a senior leader in a healthcare organisation in the UK, and within her first 18 months of joining had stabilised a team with high turnover, secured the largest contract for the business and enjoyed sparkling feedback from her team and the rest of the business.
However, one of her team members made a malicious formal complaint about Kate after being challenged to improve her performance, and the organisation launched a full-scale investigation into Kate and her leadership approach. At the same time, Kate was working through personal counselling for a long-standing issue from her past.
Although Kate tried to continue in her job for several weeks, eventually she buckled under the intense stress and took time off work.
On her return, we supported Kate by coaching her to come to terms with the situation, cope with the challenges thrown at her, and rebuild her confidence as a high-performing, inspiring leader. She continued with the counselling as we helped her to work through to the conclusion that she felt was right for her.
It was an emotive, challenging period for Kate, but she gained useful personal insights, developed new leadership skills, built up her resilience and rebounded after the setback.
Within six months of returning to work, Kate was recruited into a more senior role.
We worked with him to support him through the difficult choices that he and his senior leadership team faced, helping to approach the often-painful conversations in a compassionate, authentic and constructive manner.
David.
David was a hugely respected and well-liked Managing Director of a large business unit within a FTSE 100 business.
Following the disruption of COVID, David and the Group Board faced into some difficult choices to streamline the business and move it into a different business model, including significant redundancies of many people David had spent many years working with closely. Whilst still energetic and purposeful, David faced his own health issues and believed that, once he had guided the business through the changes, it would be good moment for him to step away permanently.
We worked with him to coach him through the difficult choices that he and his executive leadership team faced, helping to approach the often-painful conversations in a compassionate, authentic and constructive manner. At the same time, we helped David explore his options and prepare for the next stage in his life.
David guided the business to the new model of operating, and then smoothly moved into semi-retirement, but not before securing his first NED positions, purchasing a holiday property in Greece and starting to work diligently on improving his golf handicap.
We helped Susannah explore her situation and understand the dynamics at play within the business, and worked with her to rebuild relationships and trust within the top team.
Susannah.
Susannah was a chief executive within the NHS, and was introduced to us when it became apparent that she was finding it difficult to cope with the stress of her role and needed a coach.
She had little balance in her life, with the pressures of running a significant healthcare operation bookended with a long commute, whilst relationships within her senior team had become toxic. The position was beginning to impact on her wellbeing and relationships at home.
We helped Susannah explore her situation and understand the dynamics at play within the business, and worked with her to rebuild relationships and trust within the top team. Susannah realised that some of her own behaviours were causing friction and we helped her to explore alternative, more constructive approaches.
Building a culture of openness, we assisted her as she faced into some difficult conversations with her executive team.
At the same time, we helped Susannah redesign aspects of her life to regain some balance, reconnecting with her family and making time for her horse riding, the two major loves in her life.
Simply being a consistent, unbiased sounding board, helping him to explore the challenges he faced, manage his top team and find potential solutions.
Joachim.
The COVID pandemic was a crisis for so many people in so many ways, and Joachim, the personable, caring CEO of a traditional, well-run chemicals and plastics business with a global customer base, the challenges were considerable.
The marketplace for some products collapsed, whilst others grew. The organisation needed to lose some people, and furlough, relocate and energise all of those who remained, all with the COVID context of fear, confusion and uncertainty. Relationships within the top team were fraught, with the conflicting pressures causing open conflict among some key senior executives.
Joachim decided that he needed an executive coach sounding board to help him identify and articulate the issues, think them through, explore and test out options and provide confidential, independent counsel on the way forward.
And that’s what we did for period of 18 months. Simply being a consistent, unbiased sounding board, helping him to explore the challenges he faced, manage his top team and find potential solutions.
The business changed, survived and eventually prospered. And Joachim remains as the CEO.
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