Executives at a major bank wanted to win at an increasingly competitive game in an uncertain financial environment. So when the bank earned poor marks for teamwork during an annual survey, leaders asked Emerson to examine the issue.
We focused on creating an “end state” culture, defining and prioritizing the behaviors that drive the culture, and creating simple ways to practice those behaviors and build momentum. For example, we had them begin each meeting by asking who should be there, but wasn’t.
They concluded each meeting by asking who might be impacted by the meeting and should be brought up to speed. We had the CEO follow up with weekly stories about how the new practice worked. This simple intervention began to focus attention on teaming.
We also used an upcoming Leadership forum to launch discussion between their CEO and the CEO of a partner company, highlighting market and customer perception.