Strategic Design Services

The Inside Story on reversing a serious decline in company results

A significant division of a Fortune 50 company was barely into the first quarter of the year, and had already reduced their annual projection to the corporate office. Looking at the balance of the year, they were considering lowering their promises once again, given what they could see about the future of the business. No one was happy – not the executives of the division, nor the corporate office.

They hired GLG to help them reset their course. Using our proprietary Strategic Design methodologies, the top 40 division executives began to see their business in a new way, and also learned to work together in ways that went far beyond their previous experiences. Using easy-to-apply tools, they were able to “change the lens” through which they saw their business, which both opened up a series of new and very real business opportunities and allowed them to see new actions to take on existing opportunities.

They created 18 new initiatives that turned into actionable projects, and populated them with leaders and teams committed to their success. In addition to seeing the overall business differently, they began to see their relationships inside and outside the organization in new ways, set clear priorities, bring new levels of focus to their work, and develop a compelling communication program. This work led them to re-commit to the original business plan. Year-end business results actually exceeded their original plan, which was quite aggressive, by just over 10%.

While the executives we worked with weren’t always sure why GLG’s methods helped them produce these extraordinary results – one executive said, “we were asked to trust the process, and we did, even though at times it didn’t make sense!” – everyone who worked on this initiative said they were pleased with the outcomes, the year-end results, and the sense of teamwork and camaraderie that they developed.

This new sense of teamwork continues into their present-day working relationships. In fact, executives report that prior to working with GLG, strategic planning sessions left them with divergent levels of commitment. However, this strategic initiative with GLG seemed to create a “magnetic field” – a field on which a sense of trust and relationship developed that they hadn’t felt before. These outcomes gave this team of top executives the confidence to challenge themselves and take on new stretch results that go beyond their current year’s business plan as they continue their working relationship with GLG.

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