ER Consultants undertook a Leadership diagnostic exercise in order to define leadership capability gaps and so to recommend development areas for the Client's Leadership Programme.

Project Background:
There had been significant debate surrounding leadership capability of the Client. Understanding the leadership challenges was therefore deemed to be critical to the Programme, and moreover an independent assessment was considered to be essential to offset any perception of bias across the Business. 

ER Consultants Approach
Through desk research, data analysis of ER-designed questionnaires, interviews and focus groups, the diagnosis covered the following areas:

• Understanding the Client's organisation model of how decisions are made and how the various parts of the business interconnect, in order to determine what leadership style and capability is required to deliver the Client's objectives
• Identification of the critical leadership success factors that are needed for the Client across all grades to successfully deliver its strategic objectives
• Assessment of the level of decision making taking place by grade, to test if decision-making is taking place at the lowest level of authority, commensurate with capability and risk
• Review of the Client's approach to performance management, how objectives are cascaded down the organisation and how people are being performance managed
• Assessment of the total reward package regarding how it supports the delivery of the Client's strategic objectives
• Once the analysis for each had been undertaken, we assimilated the findings in order to identify the critical success factors for the Client, from which we determined their organisational, process and capability gaps.  These findings were then validated in separate focus group sessions to assess reactions across the business.

Client / Consultant Relationship
ER Consultants worked with the Board, and a cross section of the Client's managers at all grades, through 1-2-1 interviews, focus groups and workshops.

Success Factors / Challenges
Success Factors - Within 6 weeks, the provision of ER's insights and learnings into the following:

• Assess the Client's leadership capability, and related underlying areas
• Identify the key areas that need to be addressed

We then worked with the internal Project Team on how these areas could be addressed in order to build a programme of interventions that will turn leadership capability into a positive force for delivering the strategic objectives. 

Challenges - rapid mobilisation of project, and engagement of Board and managers in the process.  ER Consultants was able to put the project in motion very quickly, as required by the client, and we engaged the Board and managers though involving them in the diagnostic stage. 

Results / Benefits
The Diagnosis was the first piece of work on Leadership that provided a holistic look across a range of dimensions, and assessed the causes of leadership behaviours as well as the actual leadership capability and attitudes.  The Board approved the learnings.  Also, the way in which the diagnostic was undertaken in a highly engaging way, ensured involvement across the business and therefore easier buy-in to the results.

For more information contact:  Gary Ashton