Move Closer. Build Stronger
Inspiring the Executive Board and Top 100 leaders in a European Insurance Company to integrate the execution of the strategic plan to their core activities and teams. 94% of senior leaders provided a positive evaluation of the experience
The Challenge
Senior Leaders want to be challenged and inspired collectively. So how can you run a large, senior level in person strategy offsite that surprises and disrupts even your most senior board members, and can also be taken virtual at 48 hours notice?
Our in-depth interviews and focus groups revealed a say do gap. The stated desire to do something different, yet with actions that indicated a preference for the comfort zone. A shared love of talking about strategy over cascading it in action. Do something authentic. No hockey stick graphs and burning platforms.
Very senior leaders
100 individuals who, by definition, are right at the top of the organisation, and included the entire board and chairperson.
Words over action
Leaders who could quite easily find themselves talking strategy over empowering others to execute it.
Seen it all before
The top 100 leaders event was a known format for this organisation with more than 75% having attended previously and a tension between consistency and innovation.
Paralyzing debate
The best senior leaders embrace paradox. Less than the best leaders spent countless hours debating which part of the paradox is the “right” one for their organisation. These wicked debates block forward progress and action.
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Improving Performance -
Increasing Engagement -
Business Growth -
Leadership Growth -
Accelerating Development -
Commercial Innovation -
Optimising Effectiveness -
Catalysing Change
How we helped
Collaborating with our excellent client partners we conceived an on and offline three day experience focused on facilitation and cascading called the “Unconference”. Senior leaders would work in unconventional ways to turn strategy into communication and on the week following the event, run creative virtual workshops for the entire organisation of 3500 people on all the strategic topics.
Test strategic decision making
Choice problems were created with a parallel stream of seminars that were extremely valuable, but attending them would erode the time available to collaborate on the task. These choice problems replicated the real world complications of working on the business vs working in the business. Am I so busy I don’t have time to invest in enablers that will make me better and less busy? In essence, am I too busy to become very good.
Break belief barriers
The event experience took people way beyond their comfort zone, knowing the following week they would be exposed if their workshops or communication was poor. Yet they were working outside of their knowledge area, with a mixed team, and sometimes presenting in languages they didn’t speak.
The power of rehearsal
Our process involved a full team rehearsal with extremely candid feedback and improvement suggestions, plus 1:1 coaching sessions where needed. Groups were also given feedback on their teamwork and collaboration.
14
strategy workshops deployed by senior leaders reaching over 3000 staff
7
calendar days total from design to execution
8
masterclasses delivered with over 150 participations
75
senior leaders participated
94%
of senior leaders provided a positive evaluation of the experience
100%
of senior leaders said the event would help them move forward with strategy
… And the highest scoring component of the event was the collaborative teamwork, exactly what was in the brief.
“Just one word: EXCELLENT!”
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