Leadership Development

Developing executives with a focus on
corporate strategy and business initiatives.

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Business Issue: Unmet Expectations

New Purchasing manager in complex industry was not meeting expectations of the hiring manager even though the work history of the new purchasing manager had been excellent.

Approach Used by Flow Conulting:

Flow consultants interviewed the hiring manager and the new manager. They were then able to identify the gaps in performance expectations and the specific action plans of the new manager. Flow consultants coached the new manager in specific techniques to help him meet the expectations of the hiring manager.

Results:

The new Purchasing Manager is now considered one of the top two managers onsite at his level, and he has reduced late purchases by more than 80 percent. In addition, he has built an organization that is now considered the best organization within the business.

Business Issue: Inexperienced General Manager

The new General Manager of a large family-owned home improvement business had no prior management experience, but the second generation owners had asked him to lead the business because of his drive and proven interpersonal skills.

Approach Used by Flow Consulting:

Flow consultants began with an interview to ascertain the key leadership gaps, and scheduled weekly one-on-one visits to close those gaps.

Results:

The General Manager became highly-effective because of the detailed training he received in the use of Outlook, a Palm Pilot and follow-up techniques. He was able to remove a member of his support staff that should have been removed years before. He then implemented an incentive system that rewards department managers for profitable growth. The new General Manager then implemented significant inventory reduction techniques in three of the five departments — Furniture, Carpet and Building Supplies.

Business Issue: Loss of Faith in Director

The president of a large industrial business had lost faith in the Sourcing Director, a person that the president had hired within the past six months. The president asked Flow Consulting to help find a replacement.

Approach Used by Flow Consulting:

Flow Consulting reminded the president that he was responsible for the success of his hires. In addition, Flow Consulting implemented a coaching plan with two aspects. The first aspect was to coach the Sourcing Director in specific ways to interact with the president based on the president’s style. The second aspect was to work with the Sourcing Director and her peers to change the perception of the Sourcing Director while she augmented the staffing of her organization.

Results:

Within three months, the president became convinced that the Sourcing Director had an effective long-term strategy and was well along the way to implementing that strategy. The peers of the Sourcing Director were allowed to interview key additions to the staff, and to help shape the long-term strategy of the Sourcing Director. The staff unified to work with the Sourcing Director to implement a sourcing plan that dramatically improved the performance of the business.