Case study: The leadership team that didn't know how to lead

The Need
The client was a successful medium sized UK company providing consulting and technical services in environmental management to industry, finance and public sector clients. The entrepreneurial founder had promoted a number of people to Director level - all based on their undoubted technical expertise. In addition the company had merged with the UK arm of a larger US based company in the same field, bringing a small number of Directors on board from the merger. The result was a board with little idea of direction or leadership, except for that imparted by the founder, and limited cohesion.

The Solution
We were asked to facilitate a 2-day offsite for the Board during which they would arrive at a coherent strategy for the combined company going forwards, a greater understanding of their leadership role, both as a board and as individuals, and a set of "team protocols" or ways of working to guide their development as a team going forwards. The offsite was also required to deliver some very specific outcomes around buy-in to the vision, commitment to what growth would mean, and the roles and responsibilities of board members.

The offsite was developed in close cooperation with the board and covered:
A striking demonstration of the power of cooperation and what happens when it is not present
An in-depth examination of Leadership and Decision Making styles
Work on the strategy designed to draw out each individual board member's views and create team concepts
The establishment of Team Building Blocks and Team Protocols
Analysis of current roles and roles required for the future
Agreeing the roles and responsibilities for each board member going forward A
Agreeing responsibility for specific parts of the plan together with reporting mechanisms and performance measures
The writing of Heads of Agreement confirming each individual's commitment to the vision and their part in achieving it

Outcomes
Every individual board member left the offsite with a clear and public commitment to the vision as well as knowing and understanding their part in it. The board had established how they would work together going forwards, how they would make decisions and how they would develop their capability as a team.

Feedback was uniformly excellent with several Board members saying it had been 'the most productive two days of my business life'.