Case Studies

SITUATION

A large operator of over 1,500 rural lifestyle retail stores and employer of 23,000 people partnered with the CEE to develop two separate programs with focus areas that aligned with the current strategic organizational development plan of the company. The focus areas requested: “Excellence in Operational Execution” and “Leading Organizational Change.” Participants in each program range from new hires to mid-level managers and the curriculum content needed to develop consistent patterns through departments and hierarchy within the company.

ACTION

The CEE designed a series of half day facilitated sessions to be held on site for the partner company. For the focus area of “Excellence in Operational Execution” the content curriculum objectives are:

• Equip each participant with the skill and awareness needed to recognize the impact of decisions on both the customers & organization
• Create systems of commitment for follow-through on strategic initiatives
• Develop effective communication methods that drive operational commitment and customer satisfaction in all demographics

The objectives for the design of “Leading Organizational Change” are:

• Equip each participant with the skill and awareness needed to develop a method of achieving sustainable, lasting change through building buy-in and commitment across the organization
• Practice the use of various feasibility and viability assessment tools that help in determining the potential for change to be successful and the steps necessary to achieve lasting results
• Create methods of communication and confidence in using such methods at all stages of change events.

OUTCOMES

The CEE and partner company are in early implementation phase of this program. The CEE requests participant and stakeholder feedback after each session to ensure effective design and delivery. The final outcome is to develop consistent methods, languages and practices around operational execution and successfully leading and engaging organizational change.

SITUATION

A full-service law firm with an industry focus on energy & natural resources, financial services including financial institutions, real estate & construction, and technology. Individuals within the law firm work in collaborative and multidisciplinary teams to meet the needs of clients. The law firm requested CEE develop a program to develop the communication and collaboration skills of its employees, specifically director level participants that could then engage their team and lead with the knowledge gained from the program.

ACTION

The CEE developed a “Team Effectiveness Learning Series” and recommended each director engage in sessions with an executive leadership coach. The learn- ing series consists of half day & full day facilitated workshops, guided conversations, & experiential learning. The learning series objectives are:

• Building trust
• Establishing mutual respect and cooperation
• Overcoming resistance to engage in healthy conflict and difficult conversations
• Increasing team collaboration and communication

To establish an effective coach/participant relationship, the CEE engaged in thorough up-front work to set the sessions up for success. The matches are made based on the learning goals of the participants and the background, expertise, and personality of the coaches. The CEE requested each leader participate in several assessments to gather data and feedback on the individual. The objectives for the coaching relationships are:

• Determine developmental goals and action steps to achieve goals
• Create a development plan
• Consistent progress toward goals with continuous support from executive coach

OUTCOMES

The CEE and partner law firm are in early implementation phase of this program. The CEE requests participant and stakeholder feedback after each session to ensure effective design, delivery, and proper coach/participant selection. The final outcome for both client and CEE is to ensure high-pay-off for the law through consistent results brought on by coaching sessions and the ability to effectively engage in healthy conflict and difficult conversations.

SITUATION

A large government entity with over 750 employees in various field offices that is committed to growing an effective body of current and future leaders in order to ensure the longevity and success of the organization. The stakeholders envisioned a three-tiered leadership development program as a method for achieving the goal of developing leaders within the organization.

ACTION

The CEE worked in close partnership with leaders of the government entity for 8 years to develop and deliver these programs.

The first-tier development program focused on achieving leadership excellence through self-development, while the second-tier program focused on continuous development of the skills learned in the first program and included skill development in the area of developing others.

The second phase was an intense, year-long program that included opening and closing retreats, ten class sessions, extensive specialty project work, internal and external site visits and service projects throughout the year.

OUTCOMES

Numerous participants from the second-tier program have moved into leadership ranks within the organization and now serve as mentors and support for the current participants, increasing the value of the time spent in the program. An internal network of cross-functional leadership has grown from the participants, which has led to a more communicative, open culture within the organization.

SITUATION

The President of a national professional organization of lawyers with a six-member executive team and membership that strives to provide high-quality, balanced, and excellent service to their clients and cor- porations. The President desired a high-performance leadership team with a foundation of trust and transparency, including accountability, responsibility and commitment.

ACTION

The CEE worked in partnership with the stakeholders over a two-month period to develop and deliver a retreat-style workshop that fostered authentic team development by building trust among members and identifying traps or dysfunctions to avoid. This experience for executive officers included facilitator-led discussions and activities, case studies and group work to create shared agreements and best practices for focusing on the group rather than the individuals.

OUTCOMES

The executive team established new shared agreements of communication, engagement and idea generation and have continued to build their collaborative skills and team cohesion. In addition, the team created and have since adopted practices that have created greater accountability and engagement in their strategic planning and execution.

SITUATION

A locally-based international retail company committed to developing an integrated talent management strategy to enable the company to develop leaders to meet the demand of the talent pipeline. The company planned for the multi-year deployment of a high potential leadership development program to meet the needs of the business to create readiness among the director and VP levels for greater responsibility.

ACTION

The CEE partnered with the company to design, manage and deliver a high potential leadership development program that would support the leadership readiness initiative. Program included a three-day retreat followed by eight monthly one-day sessions, 1:1 executive coaching, participant assessments, action learning projects based on live business challenges and program evaluation.

OUTCOMES

Promotions based on skills/knowledge gained and applying them daily. Increased problem-solving and critical thinking skills. The opportunity to network with senior leadership throughout the program created beneficial connections and gave new perspective business challenges. Created a platform for stronger relationships and partnerships across the company.

SITUATION

A national transportation company committed to hard work and creativity was developing current and emerging leaders as the company prepared for a wave of retirements. The company adopted a strategic initiative to align all leadership in regard to language, process and culture and needed help in designing a program to achieve this goal.

ACTION

The CEE developed a two-tier program that was delivered to approximately 200 leaders and ran over the course of four years. The first tier consisted of 6 one-day workshops focused on fundamentals for new managers and understanding themselves in order to lead others. The second tier was 5 one-day workshops that continued to build on the skills learned and applied in the first tier and narrowed in on skills/ knowledge necessary for working with and leading others.

OUTCOMES

Participants from these programs have since moved into higher levels of leadership and responsibility and the common language that was introduced in these CEE programs have been utilized to promote consistency in policy creation and accountability, management of complex processes and corporate communication.