In September 2021, a CEO, we’ll call Kathy, contacted me wanting help with her executive team. Recognising that doing nothing was no longer an option, she wanted help. She wanted to align the five team members to the strategic needs of the charity, by adopting a broader view of what the organisation needed to do to be future-ready and agile in dealing with likely upcoming scenarios.
It was like turning on a tap. By asking one or two key questions, and listening carefully, the story that had been obviously distilling in her head, came gurgling out in a stream of consciousness. Self-blame, an over-promoted senior manager, a new joiner to the team, the need for senior managers to be organisational role models were some of the immediate topics. It was cathartic and reminded me of the need to create a safe space for this CEO to talk, feel heard and, as so many senior leaders say to me, to have the space to listen to their own voice out loud to begin the process of working things out in a structured way.
This session, which lasted two hours, became the catalyst for change. Kathy developed a strategy for sorting things out starting with the over-promoted manager. She wanted a guide to use the real business challenges as the vehicle for operating differently to begin working more strategically as a team. Kathy introduced me to the team, and through a combination of facilitation and coaching during 6 sessions over 12 months, we worked on several things. These included the team dynamic, a more strategic agenda and, creating sustainable learning. Perhaps most importantly, part of the work was to encourage the team to notice what was going on in the room, to pause, reflect and have the confidence to offer their perspective for discussion to build the necessary collective intelligence to operate strategically.
Kathy was the heroine in this story, overcoming the personal challenges of bereavement and Covid, to role model the behaviours she wanted to see in others. Specifically she showed her vulnerabilities, becoming more open and comfortable with not knowing the answers, being curious, asking questions and encouraging others to do the same. Psychological safety grew by being the change she wanted to see in others. There was a palpable sense of openness, a diversity of thought and contribution not previously available.
These changes were ratified by feedback from the Chair of Trustees – ‘this is a different team that has grown in confidence and is so much more uniformly aligned with the business plan.’