Results
Typically, we are brought in to help organizations supercharge individual and team development.
Once we begin, however, we oftentimes discover and focus on specific issues to help these teams and individuals make significant behavioral changes that benefit everyone involved.
Below are some examples of those results.
Rebranding a Sterility Assurance Team
Situation:
A global sterility assurance team in a global healthcare/pharmaceutical company needed to shift the perception that internal stakeholders had of them — shifting from being viewed as reactive "firefighters" to proactive "end-to-end" consultants. One of the initial challenges was that the leaders in the sterility assurance team were having difficulty gaining traction with their stakeholders in order to begin working in this new capacity.
Results:
Individual team members began having one-on-one meetings with key stakeholders, asking questions about what they valued and needed rather than simply "selling" what the team could do. By listening and better understanding what would be most helpful, it was much easier to gain the trust and develop the understanding needed to become an end-to-end partner throughout the process rather than just when a crisis occurred.
The internal stakeholders now bring in the sterility assurance team earlier to discuss projects and the best steps to take to achieve success. The team has even successfully led initiatives to make processes more efficient and cost-effective.
Increasing Teamwork Between Medical Affairs and Marketing
Situation:
The marketing partners in a leading pharmaceutical company viewed the internal medical affairs team as lacking in strategic thinking. The team, however, was developing many innovative ideas — but in a silo that the marketing partners didn't know existed. And when these "big picture" ideas were eventually shared, the marketing partners were frustrated that the ideas were too disconnected from the strategies needed by the organization to develop innovative products together.
Results:
The medical affairs team conducted a 360 survey with the marketing team to better understand where medical affairs was considered strong and where they needed to better develop their approach. Our personality assessment of the medical affairs team corroborated much of the perceptions and concerns of the marketing team, and the medical affairs team made efforts to foster discussions much earlier with the marketing team around their ideas that would most benefit and align the direction of their initiatives.
Redefining the Role of a Program Leader
Situation:
The program leaders of a mid-sized European company wanted to be viewed as "mini CEOs" for the projects they were leading. However, many of them felt their stakeholders viewed them as "glorified project managers" and did not always respect their decisions and leadership credibility.
Results:
The program leaders set up multiple discussions with their key stakeholders to learn both what the leaders were doing well and which behavioral areas they could improve upon. From these candid discussions they learned that they needed to be more assertive and direct in presenting solid and compelling data to support their directives. By taking this approach to proactively influence rather than "wait for permission," the leaders have greatly improved trust, idea sharing, and team reliance on the leadership to be the welcome point of contact for running these programs.
Quickly and Effectively On-boarding a New Vice President
Situation:
An organization's cultural environment was so fast-paced that there wasn't a developed and defined on-boarding process to help people when they joined the company. A newly hired (and struggling) VP hired us to assess his personality traits, which confirmed that he tended to try to sell ideas too quickly without building a trusted relationship first. This behavior, he admitted, had caused him to be seen as overly aggressive in prior roles.
Results:
By modifying his behavior to purposely focus on asking questions and listening more deliberately, the VP was able to more quickly understand the political landscape, the "hot buttons" with certain individuals, and how he could get "wins" by effectively providing value that is welcomed by his team and by the organization.