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Board Coaching
Automotive
The Organisation
A well-known brand, recognised and respected for its quality product, our client recognised that, even for luxury cars, competition in the market was increasing. Substantial investment into the organisation had seen the workforce rise from c.1,500 to 4,000 alongside the initiation of a new set of corporate goals that would propel the organisation ahead of its competitors.
The company had already acknowledged that it needed to smooth its profit growth by the timed introduction of other cars to fulfil the gaps between product-family launches. To create a more sustainable business, greater efficiency in bringing new products to market was needed. The growth of new markets, especially China, also urged close attention to customer satisfaction; reliance on brand recognising would not be sufficient.
The Project Context
During a time of significant change – including the appointment of a CEO from Group level who was new to the business, a reorganisation of the Board and the initiation of stretching business goals – cohesion within the Board was essential. Nervousness was growing within the business that the capability did not exist within the leadership cadre to implement the desired changes, and that the Board would not be sufficiently equipped or united to create the right momentum.
The Requirement
ASK was asked to work with the Board to help them support each other in working effectively together, and creating clarity around their personal, collective and business goals so that they could skilfully support the teams that reported to them. Our coach worked with individual Board members and with the whole team to establish the challenges that they faced, and to give them the space to explore and agree their priorities before putting in place short- and long-term goals. The team used the coach to focus on:
- Creating a cohesive team
- Exploring interpersonal styles to raise self-awareness and awareness of others in order to improve communication, trust, understanding and openness
- Establish communication strategies for their teams by creating a unified message that they would share across the business
Evaluation and Results
Following successful one-to-one and team based coaching with the Board, each Board Member worked with ASK to put together a joined-up series of meetings and supportive conversations with their direct teams. The focus for these sessions came as a direct result of the Board coaching, and they were aimed at establishing the expectations for change within the leadership teams that would support the transition.