The Client:

One of the world’s most prestigious and highest-profile non-governmental organizations.

The Challenge:

Conflict between two senior executives with similar experience and expertise – but very different leadership styles.

Background:

Two members of the executive team of a key international program were both analytically-minded, Type A executives, who were determined to make a difference through their work at one of the world’s most prestigious non-governmental organizations. Their CEO sought out coaching to help grow their leadership capacity, and to address issues they were having in their working relationship. While they generally got along well, 60+ hour work weeks and the intensity of their work made it increasingly difficult for them to collaborate effectively. The CEO wanted them to better manage their unhealthy relationship dynamics so they could continue to produce stellar work, and so he could focus on leading the organization’s innovative efforts, not on managing a longstanding internal dispute.

Assessment:

According to the organization chart, the Regional Director reported to the COO. However, in reality, they were on equal footing in terms of their ability and experience. As a result, there was unspoken disagreement about who reported to whom, and who could control how each spent her time. Added to this was a stark difference in their leadership styles: the COO was very a direct communicator and expected others to do the same. The Regional Director, on the other hand, did not like being on the receiving end of the COO’s direct feedback, and had a hard time being direct herself, especially with someone whose behavior intimidated her.

Team Consulting:

The approach encompassed two components: Executive Coaching and 3-way Facilitated Conversations.

Executive Coaching: Through one-on-one coaching with the COO and Regional Director separately, I helped the COO strengthen her ability to manage the Regional Director effectively—primarily by learning how to lead while giving the Regional Director much greater autonomy. I helped the Regional Director learn how to more effectively advocate for herself by identifying and directly articulating to the COO what she wanted and needed to do her job effectively.

3-way Guided Conversations: In addition, through a series of facilitated 3-way conversations, I helped the COO and Regional Director engage skillfully in the tough, honest conversations they needed to have not only with each another, but also with their CEO.

Results:

As a result of the executive coaching and facilitated conversations, the COO and Regional Director exponentially increased their leadership capacity. They were able to make sound decisions about who would work on which projects, on what timeline, and what each could expect of the other. They each honed their leadership styles to fit with one another’s needs and expectations.

The Bottom Line:

Leaving behind the unhealthy dynamics of the past, the COO and Regional Director were able to operate with greater freedom and ease than ever before. This allowed them to focus their attention where it was needed most: on their work serving the world’s most deserving populations. And it allowed the CEO to focus his attention where it was needed most: on leading the organization’s innovation efforts, not on managing a longstanding internal dispute.