Scaling a Lean Team to Hit Aggressive Financial Targets

“Change moves at the speed of trust, and the high level of trust between the VP and his division set the stage for rapid and transformational change of the division.”

Problem

A small, innovative division within a global technology company planned to significantly scale its business without a corresponding increase in headcount. The vice president understood that achieving his financial growth objectives required that his team embrace new and more efficient ways of working. But how could he get more performance from a lean team that was already stretched to its limits?

Solution

I began with an assessment of the team, speaking to key stakeholders to understand their experiences, strengths, and pain points. Team members were keenly aware of the inefficient processes they had to navigate, the lack of sufficient headcount, and the number of high touch customers and corresponding escalations. However, these pain points were largely outside the scope of influence for the vice president and his team.

What was not as well-understood by interviewees were the impacts of empowering their direct reports, engaging in employee appreciation activities, and role modeling inclusive leadership behavior.  

Because of the team’s deep respect for each other and desire for change, we were able to openly and transparently engage in leadership development and coaching activities to unlock better and more efficient ways of working together.

Methodology

I began with Hogan Personality Assessments for the leadership team. These validated assessments provided information that the leaders needed to better leverage their strengths, align with their values, and manage their derailers. The vice president modeled open and vulnerable communication about his own Hogan results with the team, and although I always negotiate confidentiality when providing any assessment, every single team member freely chose to share their data with him.

This level of transparency afforded clear insight into restructuring the group so that each person could play to their strengths, and it gave the VP insight on how to mentor each person on an ongoing basis. To support the VP, I provided group coaching to build key leadership skills and ongoing coaching to individuals who were stepping into new levels of responsibility. 

Notably, the open communication and restructuring allowed two key leaders who had been engaged in conflict for over a decade to recognize how they had orthogonal personalities and strengths. This realization allowed them to leverage each other’s strengths in the areas where they were weak rather than competing with each other. Their path out of conflict and into collaboration unlocked even greater performance than before.

The team noticed a clear improvement in morale and engagement as they empowered their direct reports, prioritized their time off on the weekends, streamlined and optimized their meetings, and engaged in intentional team building activities with each other. These gains directly contributed to their success in achieving the division's ambitious financial goals.