Case Studies
Recognizing and Developing Strengths
An internal candidate for succession to become the new CEO had all the right stuff - except confidence in her own abilities! She did not recognize her own strengths and did not have the confidence typical of a CEO candidate. However, everyone who met her knew she could do the job if she could only see herself the way others saw her. She also needed to understand the world of inter-office politics a bit better.
Finger Consulting did a thorough personality workstyle assessment, 360° feedback survey and life/work history interview. We then provided the candidate with in-depth feedback and designed an action plan to work on areas in need of improvement. Finger Consulting worked with the candidate over the course of a year, during which time she came to recognize her strengths at team building, trust building and communication. She also was able to understand that the motivational needs of her managers were different than her own. When she started responding to their motivational needs, she was able to delegate more effectively and focus on moving the company forward. The current CEO was able to retire with confidence that the company would continue to prosper with their new leader at the helm.
A Team Gels and a Company Prospers
The executive team of a publishing company was floundering. Team members found that they were duplicating what the others were doing, not communicating clearly or on a regular basis and not enjoying the roles they were in. They were having trouble hiring successfully and had too much turnover.
Finger Consulting evaluated the existing situation through a combination of individual interviews, group meetings and assessment tools. Each member was given individual feedback on their data to foster self-understanding. Then the group met together and Finger Consulting presented a summary of the assessment results. We highlighted the strengths, communication style, communication preferences and career goals for each individual as well as the reasons for the ongoing frustration they were experiencing as a team.
Based on the findings, we outlined a new management structure, communication guidelines and implementation plan. Finger Consulting met with team periodically over the next year to assess and facilitate their progress and overcome any glitches in their re-structuring. The result was a happier, more efficient, more productive executive team along with increased sales and lowered turnover.
Does It Have To Be Lonely at the Top?
The President of a financial services firm wanted to grow the company and do some internal re-structuring. In order to accomplish these goals, he had to increase sales. As the best sales person in the firm, he felt personally responsible for generating the additional revenue. This pressure left him without enough time to effectively run the company. In addition, there was some resistance from long-time employees to the proposed changes. As the final decision maker, the President did not have anyone with whom to discuss his ideas, or to help him to identify what was most important to him, both personally and professionally.
Finger Consulting conducted a thorough assessment to help the President understand why he had been so frustrated with his job of late and what he needed to do to feel more satisfied. We continued to meet over the next several months to implement the first phase of his re-structuring plan. The President was encouraged to share the appropriate parts of his own assessment findings with his staff and to ask for their input about the proposed changes in the organization. This fostered an atmosphere of openness, reduced the staff's anxiety and helped the company to move forward. In addition, the President gained a sounding board for important decisions, a clear focus for his business and more joy in his day-to-day work.
Promotion Successes
The new owner of a technology company brought in new leadership. Unfortunately, the old leadership had left a legacy of mistrust and morale was low. The new executive team wanted to improve morale and also wanted to ensure that they had the right people in the right roles at the right time.
Finger Consulting assisted the executive team in developing competency models for the key positions that had to be filled. Once the competency models were developed, the team wanted to see if there were any internal candidates who could take on new roles. Finger Consulting helped the Company to develop a promotion process that enabled them to assess the internal candidates' fit with the newly designed competency models. Several successful promotions were made through this process. Employees saw that the new executive team was interested in their career development and in organizational improvement in general. As a result, morale, productivity and customer service improved.
A Life Transformed
A business owner in the hospitality industry engaged Gail as a personal life coach when she was contemplating a career change. She wanted to simplify her life and experience more joy and satisfaction in her work. She was being held back from making the change by well-intentioned friends and relatives who couldn’t imagine why she would want to give up her highly successful career for something that was unknown. She was also anxious about the financial implications of making the career change.
Gail helped her client to focus on what she truly valued in life, what she knew to be her core strengths and talents, and what she wanted her life to look like in five years. Gail asked difficult and challenging questions that fostered her client’s ability to come to her own conclusions and decisions about next steps. This client ultimately decided to open a small hospitality service-based business that would allow her the flexibility in her schedule that she desired. This business allowed her to choose which services she would personally provide. She found that she did not value the executive salary as much as she valued her time, her relationships, her job satisfaction and her ability to stay in good health. She created a job for herself that allowed her to have greater work/life balance and to feel excited about what each new day would bring. She felt that her life had truly been transformed.