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Diadem
The start of the new millennium marked the emergence of Diadem, a company whose unique product, physical brand implementation, put them in a league of their own - literally. Diadem creates and implements branding strategies for a company's physical assets, for example, their branch offices or retail stores, vehicles, and wayfinding signage. With few direct competitors Diadem has expanded exponentially.
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Why Coaching?
Diadem's extraordinary growth meant the three founding Directors, including Dominic Russo, were all things to all people. As the work flowed in, the task list grew longer and working hours increased. Initially, Dominic headed the design area, then added managerial responsibilities for which he had no formal training.
The company's momentum suddenly seemed bigger than we could handle. The rapid growth meant that any formal plans we made became quickly superseded. I was working over 90 hours per week doing everything, and barely keeping up with the demands of the business.
I was beginning to wonder how on earth I could keep going like that. There wasn't time to be strategic or to prioritise.
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Leadership Coaching
Dominic felt out of control professionally. He needed a shift. So when The Coaches Consortium approached him with a Leadership Coaching strategy, Dominic listened.
I met with TCC and they put into perspective how I could benefit from the coaching. I really identified with what they were saying. Business text books don't necessarily work in practice, especially in a SME like ours. We were building the business block by block and I needed some help to balance the ideas of management and business ownership.
Dominic completed the Intercept® Report that benchmarked his business and management approach against 36 key areas that impact business success and underpin leadership qualities. He started a conversation with his coach that identified the approaches that were holding him back. Dominic and his coach discussed how his approaches might shift to become more supportive of his objectives. Ironically, one insight highlighted that Dominic's strength of being highly capable and doing everything was also his Achilles Heel.
In hindsight, the Intercept® Report gave me a very tangible framework for the coaching and identified shortfalls to prioritise. At the time, though, it was difficult for me to really understand the context of the results. For instance, I was challenged on accountability and I couldn't understand how, because that's one of my most important values. I wanted to do the report again. By the end of the coaching, I understood exactly what those results meant. I no longer felt the need to redo the report.
Having undertaken two coaching sessions with a different organization, Dominic appreciated the practical business sense that underpins TCC's approach. Through the conversations with his coach, Dominic discovered new approaches and strategies he could use immediately. In fact, six weeks into Dominic's program he experienced a work crisis that demonstrated the real value of the TCC approach.
When you're living in a manic business world, it doesn't help to have someone holding your hand and taking you through textbook steps. About six weeks into the coaching, I had a difficult situation with a staff member. TCC didn't theorise. They asked, "What do we need to do?" We side-tracked, dealt with the issues at hand and then got back to the rest of the program.
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Sustainable Results
Leadership Coaching has given Dominic the clarity to look beyond the next five years. His business approach now aligns more proactively with business objectives. He is more aware of the structure he needs to reach those objectives and is in the process of grooming others to take over some of his responsibilities.
It's hard to be strategic when you outstrip every plan you write. It was all overwhelming at times; just doing to keep up, instead of looking strategically into the future. Now there's more space, more clarity. For me, it's finding that balance between business manager and business owner . . . and that's not to be confused with entrepreneur. It's about juggling the present yet still looking to the future.
While Dominic has completed his coaching program, he has already approached TCC to setup coaching for others in the organization.
I'm sure I'll encounter challenges in the future and need a realignment. For now though, there are other staff members who can benefit from the opportunities that coaching brings.
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