Examples of Our Work
Global Employee Development
An advanced engineering division of a large high tech company wanted to make employee development a key business imperative. We partnered with the senior leadership team and HR to design an overall global development strategy with specific components for implementation tied to their business strategy. We designed a customized WIKI to hold all related content including coaching, mentoring, training, on-the-job opportunities and tools and templates for the employee-manager conversations. We created video’s for both leadership introduction and case studies for training. We delivered the workshops worldwide and partnered with HR to sustain implementation. The leadership bonus structure was modified to ensure commitment to this imperative. This was the first-ever employee development initiative completed in the company.
High Engagement Strategy Development
Worked with the CEO and staff of a mid-size company of research scientists/inventors to design a high engagement process for developing their long term strategy. Historically, this company had a yearly top down approach to strategy development that often generated resistance to the strategic choices proposed by the top team. By utilizing a high engagement process that combined small strategy development teams and large group vetting and refinement, the company was able to develop a 3 year strategic plan with full support and enthusiasm of the entire management team.
Organizational Assessment to Redesign
The vice president of a division of a local high tech company had a problem. He inherited a new leadership team. The organization was grumbling about the visible leadership issues it saw. We were hired to conduct a full organizational assessment. We delivered this comprehensive report to the vice president and his leadership team. It uncovered a number of important issues that has led to a re-evaluation of the organization’s structure roles and responsibilities, and relationship with the business units. We coached the vice president in approach with the leadership team as this initiative progressed. The leadership team is now moving full steam ahead in enterprise thinking and cost efficiencies due to the new org design.
Redesign of a Colleges Outreach & Enrollment Process
We led the redesign of a Community Colleges outreach and enrollment process to improve the student experience, increase student retention and enable scale & growth of key innovative programs. Working with a diverse design team, we guided an analysis process to fully understand the current state, future needs/trends and best practices, then conducted a day and a half design session utilizing an accelerated design process with a large group of faculty, staff, students and community members to design a new outreach and enrollment process for the college.
Executive Coaching
Coached 7 members of the management team of a high technology company with a focus on creating a culture of accountability. The process included a review of their interpersonal dynamics and refining assertiveness, productive confrontation and conflict resolution skills. The participants incorporated new personal practices that role model accountability for the wider organization while deepening their understanding of how to hold others accountable for their commitments.
Redesign of Core Business Processes
Led the redesign of 2 core financial processes for a fortune 500 high-tech firm. Worked with the CFO and his staff to ensure an effective quarterly close and forecasting process. Significant results were realized in 90 days, with near perfect results in 3 quarters.
Change Management
A newly formed, post merger, Fortune 300 global company, limited resources, changes in the structure and culture, new players, lack of trust and membership, low morale and burnout. At stake was the success of the corporation, which was depending on the support of this legal team to manage through the strategic transactions, intellectual asset management, and dispute resolution that lay ahead of the business. Change management coaching and team facilitation provided by Therese focused on simplifying the complexity of the restructuring and refocusing the group after a merger of equals. Leveraged the role of the senior leader for more effectiveness by building other leaders on the team, scaled the financial model and renewed the energy and spirit of the team.
M&A
A professional consulting services firm invested heavily in its first acquisition, a Silicon Valley high-tech company. The two opposite cultures collided. Our work focused on coaching and cultural interventions and tackling a variety of cultural integration issues. As a result of consulting and coaching, the leader reported that his work with her allowed him to be more successful in leading the new combined culture than otherwise would have been possible. The coaching and facilitation helped create a new vision, needed buy-in, with a clear strategy, and allowed the EVP to manage the development of the new business with minimal turnover during the first year.
Team Kick-off and Acceleration
Designed a team accelerator program for the product development teams in a mid-sized medical device company and facilitated all active product teams through the two-day program workshop.
Coaching and Performance Management Skill Building
Designed and delivered a coaching and performance management workshop for a mid-sized San Jose bio-tech company. All leaders, regardless of level (including the company president) participated in the program over a two-year period.