Critical import insight on culture and leadership of target organisation
Assignment: Culture and leadership due diligence of target organisation; supporting Sweco Belgium with relevant insight in conducting a successful post-merger integration.
How: Based on defined mission-critical leadership and culture aspects; information was collected through extensive assessment of key people, and qualitative interview of +25 internal and external references.
Outcome: Structured insight on key leaders in target organisation about their leadership capability level, future potential and how they best support a successful integration. Further, culture due diligence mapped critical areas to be aware of in the post-merger integration, that if not addressed early on would have had negative impact on the integration and the business case for the acquisition.
Marijke Van Cauteren, Director HR & Communication, Sweco Belgium
Developing Leadership Team to Deliver Growth
Assignment: Developing leadership to delivery growth.
How: All team members were interviewed by Ulrik, who analysed the interviews for themes and connections in relation to Team Effectiveness approach. Two facilitated team workshops focusing on the team’s current functioning and short- and longer-term development in being able to grow the business. Finally, coaching sessions for the leader of the leadership team on how to improve her ability to lead her team effectively.
Outcome: A structure and respectful approach made all team members feeling respected, seen, and heard. Clarity on which dimentions within team effectiveness that support growth for our business. Clear and tangible initiatives on how to develop the team to next level. Ulrik’s approach being respectful, curious, and pragmatic made the team development process effectful.
Trading company, 450 people organisation, Denmark
Career Perspectives and Strengthening Organisational Savvy
Assignment: Future career perspectives and strengthening organisational savvy.
How: During eight coaching sessions respectively career perspectives and organisational savvy were addressed. Ulrik arranged the sessions as a
- mix of coaching conversations, and
- structured exercises
during and in between sessions.Each session aimed at giving insights and learning on how to progress within the two defined areas.
Outcome: Ulrik challenged my comfort zone in a constructuve way, confronted existing assumptions and patterns, and gave useful perspectives and inspiration on how I could take myself to the next level.
Palle Nordahl, EVP, Head of Group Finance and Investments, Nykredit
Organisational Consulting & Development
Assignment: Designing structure for organisation review for the board, clarifying organisational behaviours be able living the values and delivering the the strategies in daily life. Finally, supporting leaders in activating the behaviours in the organisation.
How: A number of facilitated structured workshops with respectively the management team, all members of the organisation and with the leaders.
Outcome: Clarity and activation of behaviours closely aligned with values and strategy. Members of organisation have been involved and are committed to the behaviours which have been the basis for real effect and change to happen.
Eva Kruse, CEO and Travis People, COO, Global Fashion Agenda, Denmark
Leadership Evaluation – Senior Leaders
Assignment: Assessing senior leaders for future development or fit for open senior position in eight northern European countries.
How: Based on close cooperation with country senior management Ulrik conducted more than 40 structured competencies assessment of senior leaders based on past and current performance, and future potential.
Outcome: Qualified and efficient evaluation of individuals ensuring strong basis for selection or development of senior leaders.
Mikael Landberg, CHRO, Sweco Group
Leadership Coaching
Assignment: Strengthening and developing leadership role with focus on managing diverse relationships and strategic approach.
How: Five face-to-face coaching sessions were conducted addressing leadership topics and challenges related the assignment. Each session included room for curiosity, insight, perspective and reflection all in relation to the topic of the session; each session ending with what to focus on going forward.
Outcome: Increased clarity on own leadership role, new insight and ideas on challenges and tangible actions improving living the leadership role. In working with Ulrik, I was particularly impressed by how quickly he was able to understand the relevant context and potential challenges and to make to-the-point observations.
Lise Ladegaard, Head of Group Legal Capital Markets and M&A, GN Store Nord A/S
M&A Integration within People & Organisation
Assignment: Contributing to successful People & Organisational integration of acquired 100 people business into +1.000 people organisation.
How: Overall project lead for People & Organisational workstream, driving change management and one-to-one support for key-people in the integration.
Outcome: Structured set-up for handling People & Organisation aspects combined with effective support on ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ aspect for leaders driving the integration.
Two knowledge organisations, Denmark
Defining Leadership
Assignment: Clarify and define leadership in the organisation so leadership supports the company’s vision, values, operating model and customer approach.
How: Leading cross-border project team and through on-going discussions with Executive Team the assignment was delivered through a structured approach clarifying the most relevant leadership competencies and behaviours supporting the core fundamentals of the company.
Outcome: Common leadership was agreed and expressed in tangible behavioural terms to be used when recruiting/selecting new leaders, performance review, leadership assessment and development.
An EU-based organisation
Global Performance & Talent Approach
Assignment: Simplify and ensuring active performance and talent approach supported by a new IT system.
How: Setting up and leading project team with a number of country Performance & Talent specialists and Global IT. Facilitating project team in creating updated and modern processes and not least on how to have full effect in the organisation.
Outcome: An easy to use and relevant Performance & Talent approach improving both business and people performance.
Global Professional Service Organisation
Cultural Integration Workshop
Assignment: Facilitating a cultural workshop for approx. 60 leaders from two merging organisations with the purpose of gaining insight to each others cultures and what to harness going forward in becoming a successful business.
How: The workshop was conducted via a facilitated structured approach, addressing cultural behaviours in each organisation combined with high participant involvement, actively being curious about each another.
Outcome: Increased insight, trust and understanding of each other and a clear and common view on strength to build on and differences to be aware of going forward. A room of 60 leaders is never an easy one to engage and manage but you could feel the strong energy and enthusiasm in the room and discussions continued long after the session had concluded. It was a hugely powerful way of demonstrating the cultural synergy and differences and enabled extremely positive discussion about how the collective strengths of both organisation’s could be harnessed.
Max Joy, President and Hayley Bruce, HR Director, Sweco UK & MLM Group