Tools for leaders to leverage their time and influence positively

We consult with Chief Executives and Senior Leadership Teams from our field-research base about what works in day-to-day practical leadership. Our research has involved observing over 450 leaders in real-time, working with their teams. This research resulted in the development of a suite of practical Team Tool Kits designed to assist leaders to:

Accelerate teams to maximise productivity while maintaining staff engagement
Think strategically and innovatively
Create a culture of trust within teams
Develop compelling futures and visions
Reflect on the whole organisational leadership system
Use systems thinking to understanding the wider impact of an agency’s action on our wider society
Develop both strong management and board governance teams
Utilise the skills, talents and time of their teams
Develop and train leaders in 21st Century leadership skills – to deliver on their promises and create cultures and organisations that people wish to belong to
Identify innovative ways of solving the tough problems.

We work in partnership with clients (and other consultants) to achieve agreed outcomes and transfer knowledge, skill and success stories along the way. We provide the tools for leaders to leverage their time and influence positively, for the higher good.

Posts by @CEsCoach

“We cannot solve problems at the level of thinking that they have been created.” Einstein

CUSTOMER CASE STUDIES

Building Confidence to Enhance Performance & Engagement

Leaders in Christchurch were having a tough time after the earthquakes. Their confidence in their own leadership ability was low. We were asked to shadow each leader individually, for a day; this to identify what they were doing well and what they could enhance. We gave individual face to face feedback (as well as a written report on their strengths) and provided handy hints and a practical tool kit for their on-going development.Result : they regained some confidence and some months later, their staff engagement scores were improved.

Creative and Strategic Thinking around the Competition

A CE wanted his senior team and governance body to develop their thinking around their competitive edge.We designed a series of workshops for the leaders and board members to ‘define’ the issues; ‘explore’ the possibilities and ‘analyse’ the options.There were so many creative ideas, that these were harvested and stored in the Cloud for future use.

We use the Idea Navigator Innovation Board Game to 'finish' off the thinking and incubate the actions.

Accelerating the Forming of a Top Team

A CE invited us to ‘shadow’ their new Top Management Team at a series of meetings to enhance their forming and norming. They were already good – we took the measurements to prove it. And then, we worked with the whole team to develop their ways of working or protocols. They identified the leadership culture they wanted in their team; their team stories and their team language. They shared the models and frameworks from their individual disciplines – before deciding on the frameworks for their collective leadership. Most of this was done on-site – through structured affirming conversations, learning journeys to each other and the occasional short workshops.

Silo-Busting: Performance Improvement Framework - Review - Pre & Post

A Chief Executive wanted a step-change in the senior team’s sector and collective leadership after a PiF Review that was critical of their senior leadership team’s performance.

Jane McCann held a mirror to their leadership practises. She observed the team in action at their weekly Senior Team Meetings over 6 weeks and then reported back to the whole team on their:

leadership behaviours – functional and dysfunctional – individual vs collective
how their choices perpetuated the silos and lack of sector leadership criticised in the PiF
the unintended consequences & impact of their priorities & leadership on staff
their time-use & agenda prioritisaties – were they working on the right levers
leadership impact on each other; from the analysis of their behaviours at meeting
use of the talents & personality preferences around the top table.

Then provided group and 1-1 coaching of the senior team to enable them to have:

A fair fight and how to resolve interpersonal conflicts around the table
Rigorous evidence-based debates for the across sector, tricky intractable problems
Lift their Meeting Manners
Role model better leadership behaviours
Refreshed their leadership toolkit - asking powerful questions; avoiding biases and assumptions – stepping into each other’s shoes.

RESULTS = Improved relationships | Engagement scores improved | Deliverables reprioritised

Internal Change Agent

Chief Executive & General Managers were hard-pressed to manage the ‘people side’ of a restructure while delivering on their Statement of Expectations. They employed Jane McCann to be their in-house change agent to:

build change capability with leaders and staff – through observations and just in time coaching
help leaders to manage their predictable Emotional Cycles of Change (see What we’re thinking – put up paper please) be a listening ear to help people problem solve through their own issues
identify risks and recommend mitigation strategies to the senior team

We did this by:

Identifying development needs for staff & leaders – translated into PDPs & aligned to vision
Conducted just-in-time short sharp trainings on:

Resilience │Creative Conflict │Power & Persuasion │Dealing with Biases

Result = Staff retained | Capability improved | Engagement scores static

Career Coaching for Professionals

A team of professionals were being restructured. We were invited to assess their development needs and help them with their ongoing career options.

We designed a Career Tool Kit and walked each leader through the following:

They conducted a personal career, values , skills & archetype audit
Assessed the themes and patterns in their life & work
Helped them walk their time-line into their ‘ideal future’
Identified their existing and potential networks & how to utilise them
Developed a branding plan with stories from their experience
Created Learning Journeys to other professionals to learn from them
Designed a new CV and prepared them for interview

McCann Consulting Limited