This extraordinary leadership development process simultaneously transforms the executive team and the organization. Customized to fit the needs of the team, it includes a series of workshops, organization change strategies and individual and team coaching over a 9 to 18 months.
Outcomes:
· Operating as a high performing team, executives deeply understand the role of organization leadership, and set an example for integrity, collaboration, learning and courage.
· The executive team develops an inspiring organization vision and strategy, which resonates with the hopes and dreams of the workforce, leverages opportunities and creates a powerful focus for decision making and actions. (If needed)
· The team conceptualizes and implements strategies that support the strategic vision and goals at every level of the organization.
· The team creates the infrastructure to support efficiently and effectively achieving the strategic vision.
· The team understands the leadership role and change process to nurture a “high trust” culture that affirms the human spirit and embraces appreciation, diversity, innovation, collaboration, customer focus and accountability.
Rethinking Executive Team Development
Most companies are currently in the process of trying to think more imaginatively about the future and evolving to be able to respond more quickly to external changes. They recognize the need to unleash their employees talents and spirit, understand and serve the customer more effectively and create a culture that values diversity, builds trust and supports inter-organization communication and coordination. They strive to develop an understanding of the organization as a “system” and align structures, policies and practices to support the vision and strategies. They aspire to create organizations capable of long-term financial success. Unfortunately most of these change initiatives fail. In the 90’s, studies by Arthur Little and McKinsey found that Quality initiatives ground to a halt 66% of the time, re-engineering has a failure rate of about 70% and 6 out of 10 strategic change initiatives have not been started, or been started and then dropped by the end of the first year. This failure, despite the best efforts of executives, increases employee cynicism and the potential of crisis.
In 1997, Connie Meyer, president of Performance Partners, invited a select group of senior consultants (see attached bios), each with over 25 years of experience working with executives, to deeply explore what is required to create and lead healthy thriving organizations.
Drawing on decades of experience in working with hundreds of executive teams we developed an approach that supports success. We named the process 7th Sense Leadership because it awakens and draws on the wisdom and power of the team, surpassing an individual’s capacity to operate from six senses. Our approach is “systems” based and practical. We focus on results by integrating capacity building of the executive team with support in actually implementing transformational strategies.
Our Approach:
Team Based: Successfully leading the modern company requires the combined thinking and action of a powerful leadership team. We support the team in creating a shared picture of their role and the “real work” of an executive team and in building the relationships and processes that enable extraordinary performance, individually and collectively.
Development with a “Real Time” Focus: Instead of using theoretical models or exercises, we focus on the real issues and challenges the team is addressing in their leadership role. We support the team with “just in time” development to expand awareness and increase understanding of the organization transformation principles that support successful conceptualization and implementation of corporate strategies.
Coaching: It is difficult to become aware of the need for change, develop a conceptual understanding of the desired results and then actually shift to a new style of leading without support during the early practice stages. We provide coaching support, both for individuals and the team so they can be successful in applying the leadership behaviors and thinking that enables implementation of corporate strategies.
Systemic: We believe that the success of change initiatives is increased if there is an understanding and leveraging between the various change efforts. We always seek to partner with both the internal change consultants and any external change consultants (internal business performance and organization development consultants, strategic planning, diversity, HRIS, etc.) so that we can support their efforts, transfer technology and find ways to leverage all our efforts more effectively.
7th Sense Components
7th Sense is customized to the needs of the Executive Team in leading and managing the organization effectively. Three component areas are:
· Increasing individual leadership effectiveness
Increase self awareness of personal strengths, competencies and style. Clarify life purpose, vision and values. Develop a personal action plan and get support through your personal coach.
· Increasing Executive Team awareness and effectiveness
Create a shared understanding of the assumptions and beliefs that are driving decisions, actions and results. Become more aware of the “cognitive bias” in decision making and explore ways to “see differently” by valuing and including diverse perspectives, thus expanding the world of possibilities.
Learn how to build trust and address breakdowns of trust. Learn the importance of clear roles and responsibilities. Develop the capacity (EQ) for creating healthy working relationships with people at all levels of the organization.
· Increasing organizational effectiveness
Vision, Values, Mission, Strategy
Clarify the core organization purpose and values. Breakthrough to new ways to envision the future and ignite the spirit of the workforce to co-create it. Understand the dynamic nature of strategy and the need for continual adaptation and renewal.
High Performance Infrastructure: Aligning systems, policies, structure to the vision. Deepen understanding of “systems thinking” the ability to see the whole and the relationship between the parts. Learn how to move strategy to action and results.
Culture: Creating the conditions for inspired performance and superb customer service. Understand how cultures develop and are changed. Learn how the leadership team impacts the culture. Discover the key characteristics of a culture that inspire high performance, well being and customer focus.
About the Consulting Team:
Pat Clark Battle, Ph.D.
Pat works with leaders in the United States, Asia, Europe, Canada the Caribbean and Russia. The focus of her work includes executive team building, coaching, conflict management, labor management facilitation, mergers, transition management and leveraging diversity. She is a faculty member of the American University/NTL Institute Masters Program in Organization Development in Washington, D.C. and Cleveland State University. She is a co-creator of the Battle-Klein-Battle Resistance Style Inventory.
Connie Meyer
Connie specializes in large-scale organization transformation including visioning, strategic planning and alignment of structure, culture and performance learning systems. Over 2,300 executives have participated in her cutting edge leadership development, executive transition, and executive coaching programs. Before founding Performance Partners, she served as the Director of Quality for a Johnson & Johnson company and Director of Organization Development for Freddie Mac.
Bev Scott
Bev has over 25 years of experience consulting to organizations and senior leaders. She brings clarity, focus, integrity and a sense of purpose to her work on leadership development, executive coaching and large system change. Bev is a member of the National Board of the OD Network and the author of a forthcoming book on internal consulting. She served for fifteen years as the Director of Organization and Management Development for McKesson Corporation.
Theodore H. Scott
Ted has over 27 years of internal and external human resources consulting experience in such areas as leadership development, work team and executive effectiveness, and the management of large-scale change. A major area of work in recent years has been assisting leaders to guide organizations through change and transitions stimulated by customers, competitors and regulators.
