Steve was a Senior Vice President in a financial analytics firm. While a subject matter expert, he struggled as the leader of his department. His employee engagement survey results were low; he was not developing his team; he had a contentious relationship with a key stakeholder. His internal customers and his boss saw Steve as tactical rather than strategic. He was also a bottleneck on projects and contracts. One result was that his team missed the deadline to renegotiate an important contract, costing the firm significant money. On the personal side, Steve admitted that he was close to burnout.

We used the Hogan Assessments to identify Steve’s derailers, those behaviors that prevented him from being an exceptional leader. Steve identified his goals:

Demonstrate strategic thinking and leadership courage
Be a better mentor and coach to his team; develop talent
Improve relationships with stakeholders and senior management
Insure timely completion of projects
Maintain a calm, professional demeanor in all situations

With coaching, Steve identified actions that he would take to reach his goals. He identified his ‘trigger points,’ those situations where he would automatically react. Then Steve decided on an action that would remind him to pause before responding, to give him time to think. He began meeting with his team members one-to-one, to determine their interests. When problems arose, Steve listened to their solutions first, and gave them the autonomy to implement them.

Steve built in regular ‘think time’ to his week. During this time Steve would focus on strategic plans for his department. Steve then expanded his weekly meeting with his boss to include discussing his plans. He had more regular meeting with stakeholders to discuss their needs, as opposed to just reporting on tactical items.

One turning point came when Steve received an email from the problematic key stakeholder. Rather than respond immediately, he paused, picked up the phone and had a conversation. This small behavioral change led the way to a more productive relationship.

At the end of our six month coaching engagement, Steve saw his employee engagement scores increase by 75%. His stakeholders noted his change from tactical to strategic behaviors; they also commented on a marked improvement in their relationships with him. Steve’s boss praised his strategic thinking and planning, and his more professional behavior. With Steve no longer a bottleneck, his team was able to finish a contract renewal negotiation on time, saving the company over $100,000.

A personal benefit: Initially, Steve said he hated the thought of Mondays and starting his work week. Over the course of our coaching, he realized he had the choice of how to approach his day. Now, he decides to choose joy.