Executive Coaching (Individual and Group) Case Study: Banking Executive
Kirsten’s client on this project was a former head of State and currently the Chairman of the Board and CEO of a financial institution. A visionary and innovator, he wanted to change the way banks did business, and he had a set idea of the feeling he wants customers to have, the minute they walked in to one of his banks.
The trouble was that the presidents of the five bank locations didn’t fully understand this new strategy. They didn’t see enough reason to change the traditional ways they were used to doing things, and so they were pushing back against his ideas.
They weren’t seeing enough evidence that the changes would have any benefit, and they felt disconnected and mistrustful as a result. The Chairman/CEO tried to get his message across, but there were definite gaps in his communication process, and that created a veil of confusion and angst on both sides.
His own imagination had been sparked by reading a ground-breaking business book, so he thought it might help if everyone on the executive team were to read it. That strategy didn’t work.
Eventually, he came across Kirsten Allen at a networking event. As they got to talking, it was clear that Kirsten’s Executive Coaching was a great fit for helping this innovator realize his ideas and bring the more traditionally-minded executive team on board with him to do it.
After an initial meeting, Kirsten concluded that a two-day learning session for the group of company presidents would begin to create an understanding of what the Chairman/CEO was trying to do. She set out to teach the innovative business model from the book, to set the stage for moving the model in and to hold the presidents accountable to trickle it down through the organization in order to build a new culture.
Following the two-day learning session, she assigned homework and followed up. She compiled the information they gathered and gave recommendations of where to go next. She completed her work with the Chairman/CEO and group in approximately 90 days.
When asked “What are you doing differently now since the learning session?” and “What is the impact on the bank?” one president noticed that he was more creative in his thinking and is now looking for ways to break out of the traditional banking model. Also, several said they are looking for ways to execute new ideas and maintain speed, craft relationships, and stay focused on the big picture. Additionally, one president reported that the session gave him a deeper awareness regarding the talents of the other presidents.
Based on the feedback she received from the five presidents and the Chairman/CEO who hired her, Kirsten achieved her goal to foster buy-in and a greater understanding of the new business model. She also worked with the Chairman/CEO to improve his communication style and do a more effective job of transmitting his creative ideas in a way that would be well received by more traditional thinkers (for example, ensuring that he always follows up with concrete information).
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