We’ve had the pleasure of partnering and providing support to some amazing clients. Here are some of the transformations we’ve been able to help facilitate. **Note: Names have been kept confidential to honor and protect the confidentiality of our amazing clients.
Case Study: Leadership Development and Teambuilding through Communication Training & Assessments
The Director of Human Resources for a prominent nonprofit organization in Southeast Georgia reached out to discuss the possibility of conducting a Communication & Personality Assessment training session for their leadership team of 38 members that were spread throughout the Southeast. The organization had recently undergone significant leadership changes, including the appointment of a new CEO and rapid growth, which necessitated a focus on leadership development and team building.
The primary goal of the proposed training session was to bring everyone together to one location and ensure that the leadership team members were aligned in their objectives and to enhance communication, collaboration, and leadership growth within the team. They wanted to increase team cohesion and equip leaders with the knowledge to overcome cross functional challenges that had arisen.
The VBLODS Approach
We scheduled a follow up consultation to further conduct a deeper needs analysis and gather relevant data to inform our intervention recommendations. We discussed their desired benefits and outcomes. For their unique needs we designed an all-day retreat that would focus on building leadership communication skills, increasing self-awareness through a personality assessment, and providing tools to enable better interactions with differing personality types. We also focused on providing learning around developing strategic questions to make meetings more productive and valuable.
We conducted preliminary surveys & assessments to gauge learning on the developmental areas. The collected qualitative and quantitative data helped us create our presentations and activities to reflect the current needs and understanding of the attendees.
On the day of the event we engaged the team with a highly focused presentation, interactive learning experiences and some fun teambuilding exercises.
Surveying results allowed us to pinpoint specific communication challenges that we were able to address and brainstorm during a facilitation exercise at the retreat. We were also able to pinpoint team strengths as revealed through their personality assessment as well as the leadership & communication surveys. We discussed strategies to continue to capitalize on those strengths moving forward.
Results
The retreat delivered on the initial goals. Each attendee learned actionable strategies that helped them better understand their own personality and communication style along with that of their teammates. They were able to learn and practice communication as well as conflict resolution techniques that would lead to productive communication.
Post retreat recommendations and suggestions were provided to help the team continue their work and engagement in learning together.
The retreat had a 93% approval rating for attendees
Case Study: Cultural Competency Learning & Development for 600 employees at a Healthcare System
The Challenge
In an effort to enhance cultural competency across their organization, the CEO and CHRO of a healthcare system approached Victoria regarding conducting a series of Cultural Competency Learning Sessions. The objective was to foster intercultural sensitivity and competence within the workplace with their 574 employees and contractors.
The sessions had two primary focuses. The first was building awareness and appreciation for cultural differences, known as intercultural sensitivity. The second was creating a mindset shift and practicing self-reflection to measure one’s effectiveness in interactions with others, referred to as intercultural competence.
The VBLODS Approach
Based on the expressed needs and concerns of the organization the Cultural Competence Learning & Development Sessions were developed and included several in-depth topics aimed at equipping participants with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate cultural differences effectively. Over the course of 12- 60min sessions twelve 60-minute sessions, reaching approximately 575 employees. The attendees participated in an interactive learning session to reinforce learning and encourage retention. It included learning activities and worksheets.
The sessions focused on understanding cultural competency and cultural humility,recognizing the importance of cultural competency in the workplace, and identifying factors and characteristics that affect one’s cultural identity. The sessions also included actions for improving cultural competency at work, communication tools to bridge cultural identity gaps, and strategies for identifying and overcoming biases, etc. Self-assessment tools for participants to gauge their own progress.Participants were guided in developing a cultural competence mindset to overcoming cultural barriers and learning actionable skills to strengthen their understanding and interactions in broad ranges of diversity and cultural differences.
Results
With comprehensive Cultural Competency Learning & Development Sessions, the healthcare system aimed to create a more inclusive and culturally aware workplace, ultimately improving interactions and collaboration among employees.
We successfully provided learning and development for them along with an action plan to continue implementing the learned strategies and principles. A post-session evaluation survey, and follow-up reporting. Overall satisfaction for this event was 95%.
Case Study: Managers learning coaching skills to improve effectiveness
The Challenge
The Vice President of Claimant Journey at a major partnership firm reached out to Victoria, who came highly recommended by an internal connection, to inquire about one-on-one leadership coaching for two of their managers. Victoria visited the firm’s facility to discuss the situation in person. During the visit, the VP provided a detailed synopsis of the challenges faced by the two managers and the overall context of the organization. Additionally, another senior leader shared her observations and experiences leading one of the managers, highlighting areas for improvement and growth.
The consultation raised several questions to guide the coaching process, including identifying the managers’ leadership styles, determining essential leadership competencies and behaviors for meeting organizational objectives and goals, and assessing the managers’ proficiency or deficiencies in these areas. Additionally, the consultation sought to understand how the managers best communicated, their self-leadership strengths and growth opportunities, and which leadership blind spots needed to be addressed. Finally, the consultation aimed to identify the managers’ team leadership strengths and areas for improvement. Based on everything that we discussed the managerial coaching program was proposed.
The manager coaching initiative aimed to help the two managers enhance their performance in leadership roles, equipping them with the necessary tools and skills to influence and lead their teams effectively. The goal was to establish a stronger leadership foundation to foster team productivity and motivation. Manager coaching would support the managers as they expanded into their roles and worked with their direct reports. It would also develop essential leadership competencies and behaviors needed to achieve organizational outcomes, providing skills and tools for better development and leadership of team members.
The VBLODS Approach
Based on our initial discussions Victoria met with the sponsor and managers (coachee) to gain additional info, summarize the goals and ensure commitment and buy-in. With everyone on board and excited to get started our work together commenced.
Our custom “Lead by Coaching Others” coaching program concentrated on teaching skills and tools for developing and leading others, adopting a coaching style to better lead direct reports, and taking greater initiative in leading direct reports while ensuring adherence to policies and procedures. This shift would involve identifying current proficiency levels in communication and interaction and creating customized leadership development plans to address skill gaps. Behavioral assessment reviews would be conducted to clarify growth opportunities.
It aimed to strengthen communication, listening, and empathy skills, identify current proficiency levels in communication and interaction, and enhance the ability to motivate and engage with the team. Building sensitivity to understand team member needs and respond with emotional intelligence was another key aspect of the program.
By focusing on these areas, the leadership coaching initiative sought to equip the managers with the skills and tools necessary to lead their teams effectively, fostering a productive and motivated work environment.
Victoria’s worked closely with each manager over the course of 4 months totalling 9 sessions each.
Results
Manager A:
Manager A was an experienced individual worker who due to high performance was promoted to manager without any previous managerial experience. He found the transition of shifting from working alongside his peers to now managing a bit challenging. In addition, he wasn’t leveraging the full breadth of his communication skills. Through some assessment coaching we were able to help him implement some additional communication tools that would make him more influential and better able to garner buy-in from others as well as dependability. We also discussed some blindspots around his emotional control and how getting overwhelmed would cause him to shut down. We worked on developing some techniques that would allow for better mental and emotional regulation. Learning coaching skills helped to shift more responsibility and follow-up on the direct report which helped the manager break the habit of always doing the work himself.
As a result of our work together the manager and his supervisor reported an improvement in interactions with his direct reports and team as a whole. He has received compliments on the positive changes he’s been implementing and his team is working together in a much smoother fashion.
Manager B:
Manager B had a smaller team with only 2 direct reports. One of his team members worked remotely and the other in-office. Manager B struggled with understanding how to foster more inclusive communication. She had the habit of feeling she had to carry the full weight of the conversations which would oftentimes turn tense, resulting in her dominating the conversation and rendering the interaction counterproductive. We worked with her to better understand her communication strengths and preferences. We then addressed her blindspots and behavior that would help steer interactions toward the goal and improve interactions. Learning the coaching methods helped to stimulate more sense of responsibility for the direct report and allow Manager B to engage in more productive conversations that allowed for accountability, problems solving and goal development. Manger B and their supervisor noticed a major change in her interactions style which has increased more productivity and team motivation.