Client Challenge
A private equity-backed company had a new CEO facing challenges with his leadership team.
He had made a critical hire to replace a divisive C-suite leader and needed to unify his executive team.
The goal was to get the leaders aligned, treating the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) as their "first team," and driving organizational change effectively.
Mukala Approach
We started with a 360 assessment and coaching for the CEO. The process gave him tactical tools to communicate better with the board and greater awareness of his impact on the team. It also revealed blind spots, particularly regarding the CFO.
Building on the CEO’s progress, we led a series of facilitated team sessions. The first session focused on individual insights and building trust. Four months later, we held a follow-up session, diving deeper into change management and communication strategies.
When it became clear the CFO needed to be replaced, we conducted Hiring Assessments of the finalist candidates and provided onboarding support to ensure a smooth transition.
We also helped the COO, who was struggling to lead a sales transformation, through coaching and team development sessions focused on personal connections and cascading communication strategies in his area.
Outcomes
The CEO gained clarity and confidence. His 360 assessment exposed challenges with the CFO, leading to a targeted search and a more seamless transition to a new hire. We supported the process through assessments and onboarding, ensuring the new CFO hit the ground running.
The COO’s team experienced accelerated progress. After identifying misalignment and making key personnel changes, the new leadership team rolled out a sales management system with higher adoption and impact. Follow-up sessions kept the momentum going.
The new CPO gained deeper insight into his leadership style and organizational needs. This led to a key leadership change, reducing tension and strengthening the team. The process also delivered a clearer and more sustainable succession plan.
“Overall, it was a great experience. It was encouraging to see the team actively participate and engage at a high level. People can either mail it in or really show up, and this group showed up. The timelines exercise was completely new to me and very insightful. The feedforward approach also stood out. It created a safe space for open dialogue, and hearing what was really on their minds gave me valuable and actionable feedback.” - COO
