First Time General Manager Accelerates Results Through Integration
CHALLENGE
A multi-national consumer products organization owned two businesses providing similar lines of products. Both businesses were underperforming … market share was declining, innovation had stalled, costs were high, and neither company was effectively leveraging the shared resources of the parent corporation.
To salvage the businesses, the two underperforming units were merged into a single, unified division. A new GM was promoted from within and ineffectual leaders let go. The new leader was tasked with creating and rejuvenating a new leadership team, defining a growth plan, reducing costs, optimizing all available resources, and returning the organization to its previous growth pattern.
Despite significant talent and business acumen, the new leader had never held a full-fledged General Manager role. PrimeGenesis was poised to help this GM quickly tap his talent, establish his leadership and set a new direction and momentum for the team.
ACTIONS
- Helped the new leader get on his front foot by preparing a well-rounded 100-Day Action Plan outlining goals, priorities, stakeholder planning, leadership messaging and key milestones
- Accelerated team alignment behind the leader by facilitating an assimilation session that level-set expectations, removed the mystery behind the changes, engaged the team in a conversation about the future and addressed the team members’ key concern, “What does this change mean for me?”
- Engaged broader organization behind a well-crafted “growth through integration” message
- Kick started the integration process with a framework including criteria and checkpoints for decision-making, communication and execution
- Enabled early “people” decisions to provide immediate clarity for the new leadership team
- Regular behind-the-scenes coaching to help GM focus on priorities and where he could drive results
- Facilitated two-day Team Imperative Workshop, a galvanizing event to unify the two teams around common mission, vision, values, goals, actions plans, operating cadence and communications.
RESULTS
- Unified, integrated, efficient team operating effectively against a co-created plan
- Exceeded financial goals in first 2 quarters in the role, first time the unit(s) had achieved plan in 3 years
- Focused negotiation resulted in new $20 million commitment from previously under-performing customer
- Exceeded aggressive cost-saving/integration goals by 2%
- Retained key employees during integration exercise
- Redefined sales organization utilizing best practices of both companies and corporate resources
- Optimized corporate resources to accelerate plan, progress and results
- New leader has full confidence of self, team, boss and board