How it all Began


The Enterprise arm (AUD1.5bn/more than 2,000 people) of a telco was trying to get ahead of the highly competitive + high-speed security, mobility and IoT race.  Challenges:

  • The organisation’s evolution itself (internal execution to match brand + customer offerings)
  • Continuing decline in engagement, particularly among people leaders
  • Strategic initiative ‘overwhelm’ in number, complexity, inter-relationship + progress
  • Widening gulf between sales and delivery functions

… having a detrimental affect on employee experience and results, quarter on quarter



How We Helped



  • Held up a mirror to the top team (c. 30) through a structured + phased immersion, highlighting effectiveness, accountability, execution. Then introduced a leadership operating framework
  • Plunged all leaders (c. 330) into an experiential gallery (based on interviews, observations, etc) that clarified individual + collective accountability for culture + results
  • Created an MD-supported plan to pursue Vitality in business (ways of working + results) + people; identified business levers to target that would have the biggest impact
  • With Execs, created a meaningful org purpose – lack of shared meaning was one of the root causes of performance – and helped cascade it
  • Took all leaders through an immersive + practical program that connected functions + leader levels to shift to target culture (working in partnership to delight the customer, learning to improve processes properly, choosing ‘planned + considered’ over frenzied reactivity)

Results Achieved


Over 2 years,

  • Leaders reconnected their frustrated passion for the business with more considered action; the ‘escalation’ culture started to dissipate with people coming together to solve customer problems in good time
  • Leaders were re-inspired and better skilled to motivate their teams (and confidently + encouragingly hold them to account) despite difficult industry pressures
  • Leaders starting to cascade Vitality through and across functional + geographic teams, for better engagement + results
  • Exec team simplified the initiatives-web and took a more planned approach to strategy, demonstrating significantly more skill in communicating more authentically + often with the leader population