Leading through uncertainty

Matt is the CEO of an organisation that has gone through a rollercoaster experience during the lockdown resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. He has had to lead his business whilst juggling some challenging personal circumstances, role modelling the values and behaviours he expects from others, and holding people accountable for delivery.

It can be incredibly lonely at the top and personally challenging. Matt needed a safe place to talk things through, challenge his own thinking and to plan through his next steps. Recognising this, a member of his board recommended that he consider working with a Catalyst Thinking Partner.

Benefitting from a safe space to explore new possibilities, Matt has gained greater clarity, confidence and the commitment to lead from the top in a very authentic way, with excellent communication with his employees. His board members have commented on how he has grown through the crisis, personally inspiring them and others with his leadership, and Matt is now leading the way for the business to transform to thrive in the next normal.

Making difficult decisions

Jess is the COO of a small family-owned business. At points during the lockdown, the company was weeks away from permanent closure. She sought support from a Catalyst Thinking Partner as a safe and trusted place to talk through the difficult situation and what options they had. 

As a result of exploring a number of scenarios and gaining greater clarity, Jess was able to commit to several difficult but necessary decisions. The business has reopened with a smaller number of employees and less fixed costs. The way forward is still challenging, but Jess knows there are now a number of options open to the business.

Transforming from the inside out

Kate had worked in her new financial services company for six months. She knew then that what she inherited was not fit for purpose – people, skills, structure and behaviours – and could not deliver the required objectives. Something had to change. She spoke to her boss who recommended that she develop a detailed plan and offered her support from a Catalyst Thinking Partner.

As part of the coaching, Kate was supported to clarify the current situation, explore the options available and test her thinking in a number of different scenarios – thinking from both within the team, outside and from a customer perspective.

As a result, Kate developed a robust proposal that she could confidently share with her boss. He has now adopted this as the plan for the wider department and has asked her to lead on the transformation work.

Achieving a successful balance

Sarah joined her financial services business 9 months ago in a senior leadership role. She has discovered that the job that she is doing is very different to the one she was ‘sold’, also the culture has not been very welcoming or supportive.

She has been working incredibly hard during lockdown, is exhausted and very thoughtful about her future. Should she stay with the organisation or leave? She hates the thought of leaving, as this would be the first time she would have walked away from anything but right now she is that is how she is feeling / thinking.

Sarah has worked with a Catalyst Thinking Partner as part of her 12-month onboarding plan. Together, they worked through the challenges and her emotions, and created an action plan which included a very open and frank discussion with her boss, which went well.

Her plan is not just work related. Sarah had a whole life coaching experience and with her thinking partner created a complete plan. It includes looking after herself and spending more time with her family. As a result, she feels much better, more confident about the future and committed to being a success in her role and company.


A plan for growth

Steve is a lawyer and highly valued by the professional services company where he works. While his role and responsibility had grown over the last 5 years, he got to the point when he was no longer stretched by his remit and was thinking about what next. 

His company wanted to invest in him and offered coaching support. He worked with his Catalyst Thinking Partner to create an individual stretch development plan that he could then work through with his boss and sponsors. This included enhancing his skillset, adding further to his remit and changing his team structure and responsibilities so that his team members also had opportunities to develop further.

Steve presented his plan to his boss and sponsors, who were happy to sign it off. Steve now has clarity and is committed to putting the plan in place.