Overcoming “Air in the Chair” syndrome Turning around a dysfunctional executive team and organization © AIMM Consulting, LLC

Your Presenters Bob Adams Becky Nickol © AIMM Consulting, LLC

 Born and raised in Miami – right down the road Bob Adams © AIMM Consulting, LLC

 Graduated from South Miami High School and the University of Georgia Bob Adams © AIMM Consulting, LLC

 Helped to build assessment centers for Assessment Designs, Intl. – the original and largest assessment firm in the world, 1976 – 1990 Bob Adams © AIMM Consulting, LLC

 Born and raised in Missouri Becky Nickol © AIMM Consulting, LLC

 Graduated from Missouri’s Kahoka High School and the University of Hawaii Becky Nickol © AIMM Consulting, LLC

 Moved to Florida and became a Certified Financial Planner with Merrill Lynch and Smith Barney. Hired by Assessment Designs, Intl. as a professional assessor. Becky Nickol © AIMM Consulting, LLC

 Success at ADI and 30 years on with AIMM… Today © AIMM Consulting, LLC

 What we hear “We have a little communication problem”  Change is hard Turning around that fully loaded semi-tractor trailer!  Turning Technologies allowed us to jump start this process “Air in the Chair” Why so important? © AIMM Consulting, LLC

 Results of organizational survey showed the problems  Lack of trust  Poor leadership  Silo-ed operations  Support vs. operations  Loyalty over performance  Created probing questions for executive team, e.g.,  What is this organization’s relationship with the truth?  What are the elephants that are dancing in the middle of the senior team? How we used the technology © AIMM Consulting, LLC

 Truth How often do employees feel free to speak the truth at work? Always Never How often are employees rewarded for speaking the truth at work? Always Never © AIMM Consulting, LLC How we used the technology by formulating scaled questions

 Leadership How often do leaders seek to understand the root cause of problems before formulating solutions? Always Never How often do leaders anticipate potential problems and roadblocks? Always Never How often do leaders maintain focus and direction during change and times of uncertainty? Always Never © AIMM Consulting, LLC How we used the technology by formulating scaled questions

 Risk Taking How often do your leaders take calculated risks to accomplish objectives? Always Never How often is risk taking rewarded in your organization? Always Never © AIMM Consulting, LLC How we used the technology by formulating scaled questions

 Goal Setting Do your leaders consider team members’ desires and goals as important? Always Never Do your leaders effectively communicate the overarching goals of the organization? Always Never © AIMM Consulting, LLC How we used the technology by formulating scaled questions

Results  Truths revealed!  Problems identified  Elephants  Technical vs. adaptive  Leaders stepped up to the plate  Next steps Leadership Symposium © AIMM Consulting, LLC

Effective Leader Quadrant

Leader surveys and roundtables  Multi-rater surveys  Leader feedback sessions with direct reports  Action planning Moving along  Individual managers  360 degree evaluations  Leader Roundtables © AIMM Consulting, LLC

 Individual leader coaching  Identified developmental opportunities  Created leadership development action plans  Leaders stepped up to the plate  Timeline for reassessment © AIMM Consulting, LLC Leadership Development

Agenda  Business Goals, “Overarching” Goal  People/Succession Planning  Process Planning  Recognition and rewards  Operations vs. support, “Lighten the Load”  Common language, e.g., core leadership and personal skills, technical knowledge C-level Strategy Session © AIMM Consulting, LLC

 Probing Questions  What is our organization’s purpose? What is our mission?  What are our year business goals?  What mixed messages are we, as leaders, giving to our employees?  What are the problems that continue to be a problematic despite our best efforts?  What am I willing to risk in order to move this organization into an adaptive mode? © AIMM Consulting, LLC C-level Strategy Session

 Probing Questions  What are our top 3 challenges?  What are our top 3 goals?  How do you define a high-performing “A” leader?  Who are out potential leaders? © AIMM Consulting, LLC C-level Strategy Session

Had group evaluate potential leaders  Team member photos on screen  Potential? – turn (select 3), growth (select 2), or mastery (select 1)  How likely are you to take him/her with you if starting a new company? highly likely (3), likely (2) not likely (1)  How much are we at risk if we lose this person? high (3), moderate (2), low (1) C-level Strategy Session Using Turning Technology © AIMM Consulting, LLC

Step One Each executive came to the session with his/her department goals Step Two We combined them into a list Step Three We had them rate each goal from 3 (highly important), 2 (important), and 1 (not important) © AIMM Consulting, LLC C-level Strategy Session Using Turning Technology

Goals  10% increase in customer service survey results  Increase net operating income by 6%  New performance management system implemented by year-end  100% of budgets completed by October 31 st  10% reduction in annualized company-wide turnover  Overall 95% occupancy by year-end  New orientation program fully implemented by July 31 st  5% increase in collections by year-end © AIMM Consulting, LLC C-level Strategy Session Using Turning Technology

Outcome and Takeaways Anonymity! Starting point for discussion Encouraged people to defend and explain Identified outliers © AIMM Consulting, LLC

Outcome and Takeaways Jump-started the truth Better and more timely decisions Scientific! Personal, not generic or abstract © AIMM Consulting, LLC

 “Drill down” on issues  Morale Up, turnover down  Performance (meritocracy) vs. favoritism (loyalty) How the technology helped © AIMM Consulting, LLC

Some highlights – better leadership behavior  Assessments for hiring and development  Leadership Profiles  Circle of Excellence (COE) and related projects  Mentoring program  Individual executive coaching  New Performance Management System  New Succession Planning Strategy How the technology helped © AIMM Consulting, LLC

Trusted partner vs. consultant  New hires  Problem employees  Vendor relationships  Reorganization  High potential leaders  Meaningful work  We know history and culture How the technology helped © AIMM Consulting, LLC

Please use your key pads to rate the following statements about your organization Scale of 1 (Never) – 5 (Always) How can you use this in your organization? © AIMM Consulting, LLC

Truth How often do employees feel free to speak the truth at work? 1.Never 2.Not often 3.Sometimes 4.Often 5.Always © AIMM Consulting, LLC

Truth How often are employees rewarded for speaking the truth at work? 1.Never 2.Not often 3.Sometimes 4.Often 5.Always © AIMM Consulting, LLC

Leadership How often do leaders seek to understand the root cause of problems before formulating solutions? 1.Never 2.Not often 3.Sometimes 4.Often 5.Always © AIMM Consulting, LLC

Leadership How often do leaders anticipate potential problems and roadblocks? 1.Never 2.Not often 3.Sometimes 4.Often 5.Always © AIMM Consulting, LLC

Leadership How often do leaders maintain focus and direction during change and times of uncertainty? 1.Never 2.Not often 3.Sometimes 4.Often 5.Always © AIMM Consulting, LLC