Client Overview
Our client is part of the global food company with a strong presence in many European markets. Country leadership teams (LTs) play a critical role in translating global strategy into local impact, while also shaping the culture and performance of the wider organisation.
Challenge
When Mark partnered with a country leadership team, they were navigating a period of transition and growing complexity. A new General Manager had recently stepped into the role, bringing fresh energy and expectations. At the same time, the team was being asked to elevate its collective leadership, not just as functional heads, but as a cohesive unit capable of leading leaders.
After having built a foundation, the team experienced moments of friction and less than effective collaboration which was getting in the way of decision-making, trust, and their ability to lead collectively through a period of organisational change. Here was an opportunity for the team to become even more successful.
Approach
Rather than following a fixed approach to team development, Mark and the team allowed their needs to unfold over time. At various stages the approach included inquiry through a mix of structured interviews and a Team Diagnostic Survey (TDS), a deeper exploration of how personality influences team norms, ways of working and leadership styles. Follow-up sessions integrated Hogan personality assessments, offering deeper insight into how individual styles influenced team dynamics. This session also revisited team priorities and decision-making, helping the group align on how to work together more effectively.
Later, in response to significant organisational announcements, Mark designed and facilitated a Change Workshop designed to create space for leaders to process their own reactions, understand how their personalities might shape their response to uncertainty, and agree on how to support their teams through the transition.
Throughout the two years, the work was punctuated by regular check-ins with the General Manager and key stakeholders, ensuring that each intervention was timely, relevant, and grounded in the real work of the team.
Outcome
By the end of the engagement, the Country Leadership team had undergone a meaningful shift, not just in how they worked, but in how they saw themselves as a team.
They had developed a clear and shared purpose, grounded in the needs of their stakeholders and the aspirations of the business. Trust had deepened, supported by honest conversations, personal storytelling, and a growing sense of psychological safety. The team had established new norms around decision-making, feedback, and collaboration, and had begun to hold each other accountable to them.
Perhaps most importantly, the team had built the capacity to lead through uncertainty. They were better equipped to support their associates, navigate ambiguity, and stay connected to one another even as the context around them continued to shift.
What began as a response to a leadership transition became a two-year journey of growth, resilience, and renewed connection.
