So did his workload.

His days became pure reaction mode – putting out fires, playing whack-a-mole with problems, saying yes when everything in him screamed no.

A few months in, his VP’s feedback hit hard: “You’re not strategic enough. You’re spending too much time in the weeds.”

But here’s the thing – Dave had a massive team scattered across the globe, different time zones, language barriers, and a workload that never stopped growing.

His work days stretched longer and longer. He was waking up in the middle of the night, stressed.

Sound familiar?

Here’s what we did in less than five months:

We tackled the difficult conversation he’d been avoiding (the one making everything worse). We created a visual system so he could finally track everything without losing his mind. And we got clear on what was actually important versus just urgent.

The real test came after his long vacation.

Normally? Pure dread coming back to that mountain of emails and piled-up work.

This time? Pure calm….even though his workload had actually increased significantly since we started working together.

Recently, his boss told him: “I don’t know how you do it. Even I wouldn’t be able to do what you do.”

I just published Dave’s full story – the real challenges, the actual tools we used, and the specific results he got.

If you’re managing a large team and feeling overwhelmed, this one’s for you.

There were two organizations being merged by one of the parent companies.  Both organizations were different in size and culture.  It was unknown how well the staff would integrate under the new organization.

Transformation

Over several months, I worked with both leadership teams to develop strong relationships and clarity on the kind of culture they wanted to create in the new organization.  These strong relationships needed to be built to tackle the complexities of the merger.  I facilitated numerous sessions with the team and individually coached some of the team members.  

Result

The leadership team members got to know each other, gained a better understanding of their colleagues work and the challenges they face, and trust deepened as a result.  As a result, they gained a better understanding of how their decisions impacted other departments.  Prior to leaving this project, one of the leaders said that “this is the strongest leadership team she’s ever worked with”. 

John contacted me with 24 hours’ notice to facilitate an emergency session with union staff.   The staff were extremely upset about the mandated increased hours of operation which meant that they had to work late shifts and weekends, creating a negative impact on their personal lives.  The employees were threatening union action.  Management, 45 unionized members and the shop steward were present at the session.  

Transformation

After spending some time listening to the union members’ needs and wants, I turned the tables around.  Rather than them being told what shifts they would be working, I asked them what they really wanted.  Recognizing that they could not oppose the mandated new hours of operation, they wanted to at least have control over the schedule so that there was more equity in who would work when based on their personal situations. 

Hearing what was truly important to the staff, the director recognized an opportunity.  He was willing to negotiate with the staff and give them full control to set up their own schedule as long as they were able to meet his needs.

Results

Staff went from anger, frustration to feeling heard and even clapping at the end of the meeting.  We turned the situation around with a win-win solution in less than one hour.  This intervention prevented what could have been a costly and disruptive event to the organization.  Many years later, this scheduling system is still being used. 

Two leaders had been working together for several years, deep in conflict.  Their performance was impacted as a result of their inability to work together.  This was affecting the department’s ability to deliver  and their conflict created two camps, creating further conflict on the team where gossip and disengagement were on the rise.

Transformation and Result

In one facilitated conversation alone, both parties became clear on the real issue.  Various emotions surfaced and there was deep understanding and forgiveness.  With the real issue addressed, they were able to return to work and collaborate better together. 

The approach I used is one that I have developed over the past two decades to allow people to communicate on a deeper level.  This powerful process is impactful and brings results because core issues are identified early in the process, so that time is focused on where it really matters.

Anthony had been working with a partner for years.  Their partnership was dissolved after several years and the former partner (John) remained as a sub-contractor.  Given their long-term business relationship, Anthony felt some loyalty to ensure John was successful as he set off to build his own business.  However, John was not willing to be paid typical sub-contractor fees and felt entitled to the former fees as set out when they were partners.  There were many conversations, and feelings of blame, guilt, and disloyalty by both parties. This went on for years. 
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​Anthony knew that something had to change as John’s insistence on the higher fees was hurting his bottom line and the conflict was keeping him up at night.

Personal Transformation

After only a few coaching sessions, Anthony was able to see what was holding him back from having the difficult conversation. He learned that he was not responsible for John’s success and while he offered some help, it was not his responsibility to do so.  He was able to identify what he was willing and NOT willing to do for John and was able to confidently draw a line in the sand. 

This was a key breakthrough because ever since Anthony had this conversation, something significant had shifted for him.  Anthony was able to run his business successfully without the same attachment to pleasing others as before.

Financial Results

Anthony determined that ending his relationship with John (and hiring others at market value) saved his business 15% overnight.

​The immediate financial ROI was 300% when coaching expenses were taken into consideration, however, the future savings and stress that Anthony avoided was priceless.

Christie started coaching to achieve more work-life balance. Her heavy workload had put her health, relationships and the quality of her work at risk. If things did not change, she knew that this would impact her ability to deliver, her professional reputation, her team and the multi-million dollar project she was working on.  Christie’s goal in coaching was to be more focused on the right things, do value-add work and grow so that it would prepare her for career advancement.

Personal Information

Christie was coached over a 5-month timeframe. During this time, she became more self-aware on her mindset and ineffective behaviors that were putting her at risk on a number of levels.  She found the courage to have difficult conversations with colleagues, recognize what she was truly accountable for, and created boundaries so that she could lead a healthier lifestyle.

Financial Results

Christie’s personal transformation led her to speaking up more about her concerns regarding how the team was interacting and the frequency in unproductive meetings.  The team’s engagement and productivity increased as a result of eliminating unnecessary meetings and identifying which critical meetings to attend to. Fewer meetings saved the company significant dollars in unnecessary meetings. 

With more space in her calendar, Christie noticed a 20% increase in her productivity.  She also learned to prioritize and say no to non-value work and changes to her own work processes improved significantly. The ROI was 378%.