An operations executive moving into a new leadership role strengthens his public profile while retaining his down-to-earth management style.

A career executive at a Fortune 500 company was being groomed to take on the role of head of global operations. He had always been successful at getting his job done, most recently as head of manufacturing. His personal style was somewhat reserved. In contrast, the outgoing operations leader had been extremely effective in setting broad-based strategy, energizing employees, and being a public face of the company. The incoming global operations leader needed to find a way to follow in these footsteps while maintaining the integrity and no-nonsense style that were at the core of his success.

With several months to prepare for the transition, the outgoing operations leader and HR VP approached KCG and asked for help in developing the new company leader. Specifically, they wanted their incoming leader to have support in understanding the unique challenges he would confront in his new role.

The KCG coach worked closely with the incoming leader to help him adapt his own behavior to the demands of new role and establish personal priorities for his first year in the job. The coaching engagement had three steps:

1. Set the Stage and Gather Input. The KCG coach and the client met first to define goals and how they would work together. The coach then conducted confidential interviews with 10-12 colleagues—peers and direct reports. All interviews were conducted in confidence. This was the client’s first 360 assessment.
2. Analysis and Feedback. The coach summarized the findings from the interviews, sharing both high level themes and specific examples. The future operations leader learned that he was perceived as a strong manager but one who stayed close to home. His colleagues believed he would need to make a concerted effort to build ties across the organization in his new role. They also saw his long history at the company as both a strength and a potential detriment; they were concerned that he had become insular.
3. Development Planning. The coach helped the executive develop a plan for reaching out across business units in his first months in the new role. They also mapped out specific actions that he would take to become more aware of industry trends and to develop a network of other business leaders. In addition, the leader began to open up his reserved style so that others could connect more easily with him.

The coaching engagement, spanning four months, gave the executive the tools he needed to be effective in his new role and to establish an identity that built on his predecessor’s foundation but remained true to his own character and values.