Case Study Two: "The CFO Who Marched Like Sherman"
As one of the youngest CFO's in the company's history, Frank strode the hallways with confidence. He was admired and respected for his Big Picture thinking. He made decisions at the speed of light and could problem-solve in his sleep. He had no peers when it came to seeing where the company needed to go and how to get there. He enjoyed the game of business. And played to win.
As long as things moved at the same speed he did, everything was fine. Unfortunately, things seldom moved at his speed. And pity the poor fool who slowed them down. Because Frank would verbally cut them off at the knees.
He led. They followed. And if someone didn't follow fast enough - he trampled them. When O'Brien Group got involved, we sat in meetings where people were inspired by him one minute, and were annihilated by him the next.
His unpredictable actions had shut down his team. They had become focused on how he'd react instead of trusting their judgment. They operated out of fear instead of with confidence. His zero tolerance policy on mistakes and failure became his biggest obstacle to success.
In working with his coach, he began to see the Big Picture of
his own actions. His coach helped him see his behavior by giving
him feedback on everything from his tirades to his finger tapping.
His coach helped him become conscious of how he feels when his anger
is triggered and what makes him feel that way. He learned how to
manage his anger.
From that point on, he became aware of his behavior when things didn't go exactly as planned. He learned how to take control of his behavior instead of letting it control him. He began to listen better. He took time to slow down and understand the dilemmas his co-workers faced. He learned to offer suggestions instead of demands. He became as dedicated to improving himself as he was to improving the company. And everyone came out ahead.
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