Case Studies

The challenges facing them

By assessing how the company went about their day, in particular focusing on their behaviours and any cultural trends, I was able to identify the challenges that were holding Schroders back.

I found that, overall, their people were motivated, aware and had a desire to be effective in their duties. In addition, I noticed that their training opportunities were plentiful. Employees frequently had both soft and technical skill sessions, and they routinely carried out self-assessments to identify their strengths and weaknesses.

So what was the issue? While it seemed as though all of the elements were in place, the challenge was to make everything work together more seamlessly in order to create a real impact.

The objectives I created

The most important objective I felt was ensuring that Schroders adopted new behaviours to optimise their effectiveness.

For instance, they were given to feeling safer in silos. Conflict was largely absent, while control played a large role in how employees carried out their duties.

It was important to make sure they learned the importance of looking at the bigger picture. As such, I felt that senior managers had to be more trusting and delegate more. Rather than shying away from conflict, constructive feedback was to become a valued and welcomed part of the company culture.

The approach I took

After identifying their goals, I worked with a range of Schroders employees from the likes of Compliance, Marketing and Operations across 6-8 coaching sessions.

Here we focused on a range of leadership tools that allowed them to practice more of a coaching-based style of leadership. In particular, we focused on improving trust within the team dynamic, enhancing presentation and negotiation skills, and offering and receiving feedback more effectively.

These qualities were measured and investigated further using tools such as the Johari Windows and Skill/Will.

What they said

“In the midst of the pandemic, having to handle personnel issues virtually and dealing with bigger BCP issues for the organisation, these coaching sessions came at the right time for me. The sessions provided a safe haven and a platform to discuss issues without being judged. The feeling of rejuvenation and feeling positive after each session was great therapy for me”.

“The real-life scenario and role play was really effective. It allows me to put my thoughts into action, without having to worry about the consequences. Having Susan there to help point out some of my blind spots and make suggestions really helped to boost my confidence”.

“By asking thought provoking questions, Susan has dug deep and helped me uncover the roots of the work challenges I have been facing. She has also provided me with the right advice and tools, empowering me to be able to deal with challenges in a structural way. I feel very privileged to be a recipient of her coaching. It’s been an enriching journey.”