By Penelope Pangalos
Situation
When we met our Client, their company had been operating successfully, with a consistent, healthy EBITDA. When we started working together, they boldly stated that they would increase EBITDA by 100% within 2 years!
Challenges and Issues
– The factory was already operating at overcapacity, and they thought that did not have enough time to increase its capabilities
– The success of the previous year’s performance was due, in part, to external factors which could not be guaranteed in the future
– 360 feedback revealed that people, especially the Leader, were neither being accountable for results nor holding people to account
– Employees’ accountabilities were unclear; they were all working extremely hard but not delivering on time
– Decision-taking was a consensus-based, laborious, and emotional process
JAL APPROACH
1. Fostered a Breakthrough Thinking Culture to ensure the free flow of ideas
– Facilitated sessions that enabled uninhibited thinking leading to suggestions for ways to increase EBITDA
– Supported the creation of clear action plans – working from the outcome backwards – with Milestones and Actions to guarantee the attainment of the result
2. Ensured that Accountabilities were Clear
– Worked closely with all employees to define their accountabilities, ensuring that all outcomes had an “owner” – no doubling up or having things fall through the gap
– Provided tools to ensure adherence to principles of accountability
3. Strengthened Teams and Relationships
– Worked closely with Teams and Individuals to ensure their awareness of the state of their relationships with colleagues
– Provided tools and practice sessions so that they were able to speak openly to any colleague, irrespective of hierarchy
4. Built Leadership Skills by Focusing on Alignment, Clear Outcomes and Intentional Speaking
– Were rigorous in maintaining the focus on Outcomes – especially during conversations in meetings
– Instilled the concept of Alignment when communicating a decision to colleagues which removed the time-consuming process of consensus
– Consistently worked with all levels of the organization to ensure that the factors allowing Alignment were in place
Results
– The freedom to think beyond the predictable and what was known to be possible resulted in ideas that ultimately brought the desired 100% increase in EBITDA
– Clear accountabilities and relationships based on trust allowed for an efficient and low-drama workforce, enhancing the working environment
– Alignment ensured that decisions, once taken, were swiftly adopted and completed
– Having tools for each type of outcome provided unprejudiced laser focus for Teams and Individuals