Case study

Michelle was the National Operations Manager for a major retailer. She had been working for the company for two years, during which time she had led her team to great success. She was now viewed as being a potential General Manager. Her key sponsors saw coaching as a means by which she could effect the development required to be ready for such a move. Michelle developed three goals:

1. Develop the strength of her team, such that the team was able to operate more autonomously

2. Use the time freed up by being able to delegate more, to develop stronger relationships
with peers

3. Feel more authentic in her role as a leader

Part of the context for the assignment was that senior management questioned Michelle’s leadership style, feeling that it might be quite confrontational. Michelle recognised that she had needed to adjust her style on first joining the company, but felt that she had done this successfully. Her coach conducted a 360 review by interview which demonstrated the extent to which her team and peers now appreciated her enthusiastic and positive leadership style, and how they recognised the changes that she had made.

In terms of building on this base to create even stronger relationships across the organisation, Michelle’s coach introduced her to some models around effective dialogue, focussing on skills
for listening and voicing, that Michelle subsequently applied with great effect in interacting with others.

Michelle used CBT journaling to develop a greater understanding of how she was being driven emotionally by people who she found particularly challenging to work with. This work helped Michelle to manage peers even more effectively, to develop a greater resilience, and to establish a stronger sense of self in what was a very challenging work environment.

By the end of the assignment senior management announced themselves delighted at the
progress that Michelle had made, and committed to a development plan that would give her
the commercial experience they felt she required to step up into a GM role.