the pivot

PORTRAITA LEADERSHIP DISCOVERY PROCESS

PREPARED FOR ALEX MILLER

JUNE 2013

CONTRIBUTOR POOLFeedback was requested from the individuals you selected below. Response rates vary and report data may not include feedback from all individuals.

• Ella Stephens

• Coraline Lyle

• George Walter

• Michael Murphy

• Thomas Maxwell

• Cecilia Benjamin

• Hailey Grayson

• Lily Jackson

• Nicholas Jeffreys

• Hollyn Brady

• Jack Mitchell

• David Carter

ABOUT THE PORTRAITThe Portrait is designed to render a candid description of how you lead, from the perspective of those around you. The individuals you invited to participate in the assessment have provided honest feedback on how they feel you can make a difference and what you might do to be even more effective. Their unaltered comments are included in this report.

The best way to read the Portrait is carefully and actively. We suggest you read the report red pen in hand. Note where you agree or disagree, what gave you pause, or what you were happy to see. A well-read report is one well-marked up, so look for those words, phrases, or comments that strike you as being worthy of further exploration. After reading through the complete report, we suggest that you identify three main areas that you would like to pursue in your development.

Getting feedback from colleagues is a great way to learn about how you are experienced by those you work with day-to-day. While feedback is often instructive and can be used to create meaningful change that enhances impact and career success, it is also unsettling and can lead to a kind of "leadership vertigo.”

In an effort to make the best use of this feedback experience, as you review your Portrait, please resist the temptation to do the following:1. Focusing in on the more “critical” comments 2. Getting caught up in the details before pulling out the high-level

themes 3. Tryingtofigureoutwhosaidwhat4. Jumping to conclusions before you've given everything time to sink in

Instead, consider using the following questions to guide your thinking:1. What are your initial reactions (thoughts, feelings, etc.) to your

Portrait? 2. Do you recognize yourself? 3. Any surprises? 4. How much overlap is there between how you see yourself and how

others see you? 5. Any initial thoughts about implications of the feedback for your

effectiveness in your current role and how you see your career unfolding?

6. What do you feel most motivated to address?

HOW TO APPROACHTHIS PORTRAIT

CONTENTS

9 2115

27 33 41

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THE

CHALLENGESFACED

THE PORTRAIT 10

What are the two or three biggest business challenges that you must confront, given the responsibilities of your role?

Your Response:In my role, I must skillfully balance the risk and reward of the business suchthatwemaintainprofitability.Thenumberonebusinesschallengethat I face is enabling the growth of the business while protecting it from futureeconomicconditionsandensuringprofitabilityoftheportfolio.

The second business challenge that I face is broadening the adoption of our products across the enterprise. While not directly my role, I play an integral part in convincing the business that our product is essential to the company's long-term success.

The third challenge that I face is ensuring that customers have the best possibleexperiencewhenusingourproducts.Thisisdifficult,giventhatourproductsaren’talwaysagoodfitformanyoftheenterprise'scustomers, resulting in a negative experience to start.

11THE CHALLENGES FACED

PEERS AND ABOVE

Aligning resources necessary to get changes implemented, while running the business.

Balance the invention and use of new data to support our business, while building the accessibility of this data back into the enterprise.Balancing our policies against the need to acquire new viable customers.

Be a more prominent leader in Philadelphia. Engage employees, findopportunitiestobringthesitetogether. Don’t make it all about your product, but rather about getting everyone to connect.

Evolving capabilities to support evolution of our business from an offlineproductneedingoffline-sizedlinestoanofflineandonlineproduct needing everyday lines, grounded in reliability.

Getting ad hoc and production access to data required to make better decisions.How to effectively support your product in multiple countries in awell-managed,cost-efficientmanner.

How to integrate an enterprise-customer-firstperspectiveintoourproduct and development.

How to open access to our product to a much larger population - challenging traditional business models.

Incorporate a more visible customer perspective in his work. Be an evangelist for the customer by actively seeking ways to improve the experience for our customers.

Integrating/aligning risk policy into the enterprise’s risk policy without sacrificingtheintegrityofAlex’sbusiness.

Leveraging any and all available data, especially enterprise data, to make the most aggressive sales decisions and line assignments possible within desired portfolio performance outcomes, and being transparent about expectations for the business.

Provide active and engaged leadership to his team, including more exposure and integration with the North America business.Re-engage with the department and ensure the broader management team is aligned on strategies.

Supporting the growth of the global business model; understanding the nuances of our product’s uses in different regions around the world and working with counterparts in those regions to develop and implement a working policy for the region.

“Balancing our policies against the need to acquire new viable customers.”

THE PORTRAIT 12

Alex needs to act as a bridge between his organization and other organizations in the business, i.e., Susan, Steve, etc. As we face the exciting challenges of handling more of the portfolio, we need Alex to keep everyone grounded.

Continued communication of new business initiatives.

Deliveringprofitablegrowthwiththe core product.

Key stakeholder in creating and executing his business strategy that involves prioritizing and executing multiple projects - some of which are internal in his department, but many of which are cross-functional and have wide impacts across the business.

Lack of input into enterprise prioritization processes that impact his department and the performance of his portfolio.

Lack of organizational alignment amongst departments, both internal and external to our product.

Leading the Policy, Operational, Research, and Organizational areas, which have many employees with different functions and skill sets.

Responsible for sales policy and the resulting performance of the portfolio. This is a challenge,

especially since the performance isinfluencedbyexternalfactors,such as regulation, outside of his control.

The biggest challenge Alex faces is his engagement with his team. The perception is that he is disengaged from the daily operations of the team. The team may function better if Alex communicated more often. It can feel as though we have multiple threads working the same issue. While we may all be running after the same goal, Alex could make us more effective through his open communication.

REPORTS

“Alex needs to act as a bridge between his organi-zation and other organiza-tions in the business . . . we need Alex to keep everyone grounded.”

13THE CHALLENGES FACED

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THE

LEADERSHIPREQUIRED

THE PORTRAIT 16

What kind of leadership do you need to exercise in order to overcome the challenges you described?

Your Response:One of the primary keys to overcoming the challenges I described is the abilitytoinfluenceothers.Astrongerabilitytostoryboardandconveyamessagewhichinfluencesotherswouldallowmetohelpmovethebusinessforwardmoreefficiently.

ThesecondactionIcanadoptisalwaysputtingthecustomerfirstandthinking outside in. Understanding why customers use our products and fixingthetopissueswhichpreventthemfromusingourproductswouldgreatly improve the repeat usage of our products.

The third area of action involves coordination with others through joint planning and priority setting to ensure alignment on business objectives. We sometimes marginalize our precious resources by duplicating effort or working on projects that never get launched. Ensuring alignment up front will result in a higher level of successful output from our resources.

17THE LEADERSHIP REQUIRED

Advocateforsomething...findastrategy and become an evangelist for it. Alex needs to show if he has theabilitytoinfluencestrategyandenlist others in his mission. He appears to have lost passion and it’s visible to others.

Alex needs to become more of a “person of the people.” He can come off as somewhat aloof and focused on “strategic efforts.” Engage with the entire org as one of us, not as a VP.

Alex should actively seek work outside his domain to engage in. In North America there are many workstreamsthatcouldbenefitfrom his voice. While there are obviouscorporatebenefits,forAlex,hemightfindnewenergy.

Be available, present, and more engaged as a path to exposing his leadership. Alex has a very solid and approachable personality but often goes into a hole, causing his team and co-workers to question his leadership.

Developing his understanding of “global,” and becoming the global thought leader for our group, vs. focusing mostly on North America and allowing his direct reports to have sole responsibility/leadership of global.

Establishing an environment to accept change as new initiatives and ways of thinking take hold.

Focus team on critical initiatives to ensure talent swings to new areas.Foster cross-functional alignment; work with the team even on projects that come down from “on high” to help create alignment before it comes to a head.

Identifying and cultivating relationships with the appropriate business experts in R&D, Legal, and Sales.

Involving and informing the business in the emerging issues.

Leading by example. While Alex is highly knowledgeable about our industry, it does not appear that he reaches out to peers across the organization to build relationships, collaborate, and work cross-functionally. While Alex is willing to assist anyone who asks, he may want to take a more proactive approach to building these bridges, thus setting the example for his organization.

More “hands-on” management and leadership of his local team.More “hands-on” partnership across the org.

PEERS AND ABOVE

“Advocate for something . . . findastrategyandbecomean evangelist for it.”

THE PORTRAIT 18

Alex has implemented employee-led development and education programs. He could improve his employees’ ability to network and engage with other cross-functional areas by more effectively getting them engaged with other projects, meetings, etc. His teams can get isolated unless he and his leaders are aggressively involved and add value to strategic initiatives.

Continue to engage team of directs to inform them of key initiatives that are on the horizon.

Cooperation - our team needs to be more aligned with other teams across the enterprise. We need Alex to lead the charge.

Engagement - Alex just needs to be more involved in some of the large problems of our team.

He already allocates resources to monitor the performance of the portfolio and external factors that could impact our business model. He could have some employees do more research or network more with external leaders who can provide leading information that couldinfluencepolicy.

Increased communication across the organization to build advocacy for our team’s issues and opportunities.

Increased communication with his team to gain alignment on expectations, vision, and direction.The org depends on Alex’s judgment and knowledge in vetting new strategies and prioritizing projects using sound business processes. He could drive better results and streamline the current process (sometimes chaotic) by asserting these principles and challenging his peers, who are loudandinfluentialbutnotasanalytical or disciplined.

Transparency - where are we going when the winds shift? How doesAlexthinkthepiecesfittogether?

REPORTS

“The team needs to be more aligned with other teams across the enterprise. We need Alex to lead the charge.”

19THE LEADERSHIP REQUIRED

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STRENGTHS

THE PORTRAIT 22

When you are at your very best as a leader, what are you doing that is effective?

Your Response:Effective people leadership - I believe I am effective in inspiring my team, in providing strong direction in the domain of analytics, in providing guidance and coaching on growing as a professional. I have seen its impact on people wanting to work with me, even though my team is known for working hard; I have seen my boss being appreciative of my skills and commending my ability to navigate and grow my team to be as effective as it is today. Partners and clients are appreciative of the strong talent and attitude that we have assembled.

I enjoy thinking about our business and coming up with new/innovative solutions, even if it’s not in my domain/job description. If I think it has value, I will work to move an idea forward if there is even a small chance thatitwillbenefitmyorganizationorthecompany.WhileIhavetheinterest to do this and I think it is a leadership trait, I need to see if I need to modulate it and better understand its impact on others. Do others perceive it as me moving in on their turf?

I strive to understand our business and to educate others about it so that they can better manage it. This is again a core drive for me. I have heard my colleagues be appreciative of my providing clarity in murky and complex business problems.

23STRENGTHS

PEERS AND ABOVE

Alex brings a lot of thought leadership to everything he does and is open to taking and acting on feedback he gets. He is authentic and genuine in his approach. This helps him inspire respect from his colleagues and partners. He is someone people look up to and want to learn from.

Alexexudesconfidence.Hishighintellect and deep knowledge of the business and his focus on the details enables him to speak with authority on most subject matters within his control.

Alex obviously has a strong analytical background and is seen as someone who is very knowledgeable about his domain. He can connect the dots between a lot of things from his vantage point and uses those strengths effectively.

Can “up level” the communications to allow senior management the ability to digest complex issues/topics. This reduces the level of re-work and editing required by others.Clear communication - very articulate and well-structured.

Decomposing the problem at hand - Alex is one of the best at logically structuring the problem, making it very simple to see the possible solutions.

Has a calm and balanced style in the face of pressure, which reduces the overall level of stress for the team.

Mental agility - one of the smartest people. Very quick to grasp.

Poised leadership is how I would sum it up. Alex is able to lead and inspire without being over thetoporbangingfistsonthetable like other leaders in the org. He is calm and composed even under stressful or controversial situations where others may tend to get emotional. This enables him to align others because he is perceived to be in control of his emotions and more rational, without being seen as confrontational or land grabbing.

Provides analytic structure and frameworks to help understand complex problems. This provides great learnings to his staff.

There is a famous phrase from World War II Britain, which was put on posters and shared widely: “Keep Calm and Carry On.” Alex personifiesthis.

“Has a calm and balanced style in the face of pressure, which reduces the overall level of stress for the team.”

THE PORTRAIT 24

Anticipates questions and addresses them in his communications.

Be positive. When the leader is positive, optimistic, and excited, it is infectious.

Great problem solver . . . the best that I have worked with.

Keeps things simple and clear, which is an amazing quality.

Passion for Analytics: Alex’s passion for Analytics is very inspiring. He can very effectively structure and break a business problem into pieces of questions/hypotheses, which in turn can be answered through data and visual representation. I keenly watch this every time Alex does it, and learn from it.

Remain calm. It is good to keep a level head and think/walk through problems methodically. This is an effective way to describe an issue, and achieve buy-in and respect.

Alex has a remarkable ability to work through even the most stressful situations in a logical and collected way. His intelligence and composure are a winning combination in his position.

Very solid and inspires trust. He has built up a lot of credibility over the years.

Fullyinvestsinfindingthebestsolutionandconsistentlyidentifiesnew approaches to problems.

I see Alex as an intellectual role model; he uses his knowledge to motivate and educate others to look at all sides of a problem, from a variety of perspectives.

Always willing to help out when asked. Even if he doesn’t instigate, he is a very approachable guy.

Because he is so quiet, it is easy to forget why Alex is in his current position. But he is often just thinking of the optimal solution, considering all the options; he isverycarefulandreflective.Hedoesn’t speak unless he really has something to say.

REPORTS

“Keeps things simple and clear, which is an amazing quality.”

25STRENGTHS

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LIMITATIONS

THE PORTRAIT 28

When you are at your worst—which everyone is from time to time—what are you doing that is counterproductive?

Your Response:I don’t really enjoy confrontation, so I tend to avoid it. This can be a problem in that others may think I agree with something when I don’t, anditmayleadotherstoavoiddifficultconversationswithme.

I like to get things done right - I may come across as a perfectionist, and that can mean that my team iterates more than needed.

Sometimes when conversations get mundane or repetitive, I have a tendency to get bored and check out. This results in others thinking that I amnotinterestedorselfish.

With certain people/personalities, I try to solve problems/issues without directconflict.Thestrongestimpactofthatisthatissuessometimestake longer to resolve or do not resolve at all. This sometimes results in missedopportunities/benefitsformyteamorme.

29LIMITATIONS

PEERS AND ABOVE

At times, not focused on leading and engaging with his direct reports, which reduces his impact on his team.

Can lose focus on projects and direction, which results in a lack of progress or ineffective results.

Flees from conflict. Picks andchooses problems to solve based on his comfort zone. Avoids tough situations and tends to operate independently.

It’s a great testament to a person’sconfidencethattheyaresatisfiedtoleadfromtheback,but sometimes it’s great to see a leader lead from the front. Be engaged in key projects and help business leaders course correct within the lifecycle of a project, rather than in post mortem, when the metrics tell an otherwise avoidable story.

It’s hard to answer this question since I have yet to encounter a strong situation like this with Alex. One aspect that comes to mind is he may have a tendency to stall decisions sometimes if he is not ready to commit. He does not share full context on this, but continues to be noncommittal even though he may be working on other things in the background. This causes some churn and delays, because I may not have enough context on his thought

process or stand on a particular issue. He needs to be more transparent at sharing context on what is stopping him from making a decision or a commitment, so that the bottleneck may be resolved or I take away that he got what the issue is and is thinking through it. Absence of any acknowledgement at this point sometimes creates confusion on whether we are aligned.

Not confrontational - I’ve never seen him challenge convention. I have never seem him have a difference of opinion! Not sure if ‘good behavior’ is a requirement forhigheroffices(Ihavenoexperience in that matter). On the other side, it can be a good job-retention strategy (you don’t get firedifpeoplelikeyou).

Not execution focused. Awesome thinker but spends energy on theoretical problem structuring.

Remains to himself - inward focus. Not going deep in “data.”

Too quiet/passive. Almost seems disinterested in areas that are not relevant to him.

“Not confrontational - I’ve never seen him challenge convention.”

THE PORTRAIT 30

REPORTS

Decision-making speed: Alex’s approach of getting input from various sources and debating more might be a cause for delayed decisions. In some instances where I had expected a quick decision, I did not see one. In some ways this could portray the level of risk he is willing to take in imperfect decisions.

Do not let yourself or your team over-analyze the situation, or valuable time (and sanity) is wasted on the trivial.

Does not work on feedback; tough tofindtimeoncalendar,skips1-1’sregularly, does not adhere to time, and extends meetings at will.

Expects everyone to be of the same caliber he is in problem solving, communications, and keeping things simple. Has become overly cynical over the last year . . . ready to jump on mistakes and hesitates to praise.

Getting an email read, a document approved is a nightmare. Often requires repeating discussions given the gap and hundreds of things on your plate. Will give sign-off only when things are just the way he wants them to be . . . unwilling to hear people out before a story gets formed.

Micromanaging and taking over meetings. If others are leading a meeting and have a plan in place,

step in when asked. Otherwise, preparation is time wasted and meetings may run over time, which can frustrate attendees.

Stick to the schedule. If the organizationistobemoreefficient,we need to start and end meetings on time. This has to be practiced at the top or it will not succeed. Time management: Alex has challenges in managing his time and others’. This results in delayed meetings and meetings going way beyond scheduled time, and eventually leads to focus on lesser areas than what could have been achieved otherwise.

“Alex has challenges in managing his time and others’.”

31LIMITATIONS

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THE

CHARACTERSKETCH

THE PORTRAIT 34

Provide a character sketch of yourself.

Your Response:Alex is a quiet, thoughtful person. He has always been looked to as a functional expert with strong credibility. When he speaks, it’s usually from a position of authority and his thoughts are usually spot on. He is calm in the face of chaos, a rock when the sand is shifting. He is a person of strong moral character who can be trusted to tell the truth. He is charming and convincing when he wants to be and somewhat withdrawn when he’s disinterested. Alex does not like to be the center of attention, but rather the person who synthesizes the random thoughts of the group into an eloquent summary. He believes that knowledge overcomes politics in the long run, so usually doesn’t seek to play political games. Alexislikableandhumorous.Infact,youoftenfindhimusinghumorinthefaceofconflictratherthanconfrontation.Alexneedstimetoprocessinformation, but thinks deeply about problems long after the discussion. SometimesAlexcanbeviewedasselfishwhenhedoesn’tcontributeto a conversation, but he is usually listening and will contribute if he has something meaningful to say. Alex is respectful of others and he demands the respect of others as well.

35THE CHARACTER SKETCH

A fact-based leader, Alex works to ensure that decisions are made based off grounded information. Anticipating the conversation, he manages his team to enable the constant supply of information to enable the organization to make good decisions. A cautious leader, ashemanagesthefinancialhealth of the organization he can be tentative when subjective calls need to be made. Easy to work with while in the same room together, he can disappear when the work is needed over the phone or email as we all crisscross the globe. Desiring order, he provides great value to ensure the business makes great decisions.

Alex is a very bright guy who understands the business and can help drive it to the next level. He should be leading the cross-functional charge. Alex is also personable and can be easy to work with. Unfortunately, he has largely gone missing. He does not seem engaged in any facet of his business, leaving his team to its own devices (not an issue given the team), his peers to theirs, and the site to its. He will occasionally swoop in without context or as part of the story development team and can create disruption or ill feelings. Heneedstofindhisroots,re-engage at a meaningful level, and embrace his organization more than the sr. leaders. He can help change the business, but today it

feels like his career management is more important to him.

Alex is a very creative and bright talent. He enjoys challenging assignments and the problem solving that is required to solve them. He is articulate and professional and has a solid grasp on the business and his function. When Alex engages staff and executives, he leaves an outstanding impression.

But Alex uses his leadership and innate skills selectively. His staff is desperate for his attention and direction. They need and want his engagement. The perception is that once he got his title he sorta checked out. Yet the business needs his inventiveness and his business skills. His potential for greatness is only hindered by his engagement style with his staff and peers.

Alex is easily the most intelligent person in the room in most conversations. He is also the subtlest and least confrontational. Heisabletoinfluencequietlyand thoughtfully. He is very insightful but I think it’s important he take a stand on key issues and play a broader role across the organization. He could just as easily be running a regional or global team. Alex does thrive where there is intellectual stimulation and hard problems to

PEERS AND ABOVE

THE PORTRAIT 36

solve and can have a lot to offer on those problems. He doesn’t necessarily feel the same when it comes to negotiations or other kindsofconflict,whichIthinkhetends to avoid or navigate around. He is a good people leader and can inspire people around him when he talks big picture. His interests, however, tend to be more academic/consultative and he stops from getting into execution. He is a valued member of the leadership team and would have a lot to offer to the organization if he considered a broader role.

Alex is widely respected as the thought leader in the organization, and considered by all the numberoneexpertinhisfieldat the company at this time. He is personable and generally well-liked, but there is a fairly wide perception amongst the business that Alex only shows up when it counts (i.e., he’s only present when there are senior executives in the room, meeting, or discussion) and often unavailable outside of these forums. Alex is articulate, a strong problem solver, and a broad thinker, but rarely reaches out to peer leaders in the business to apply those skills to issues outside of his team.

Alex is politically astute and is able to navigate the politics of the company but is perceived to be unapproachable by many within his organization. Alex is often slow

on administrative deadlines and often delegates administrative actions to others on his team. Well-respected by all, considered “absent” by many, it appears that Alex may be struggling with his own engagement within the division and/or the company.

So picture yourself on the 23rd flooroftheburningtowerandthefirebelowisthreateningthesubstructure of the building itself. Windows are shattering, the air is thick with acrid black smoke. People are screaming and running in all directions, tripping over each other and the furniture that they can’t see.

Amongst all of this Alex is standing calmly by the water fountain, soaking a piece of cloth, ripped from his shirt, which he places over his mouth. He turns and walks steadfastly to the one stairwell where there is no smoke and the lights are still working. He places a hand on the shoulder of a sobbing colleague, raises a calming smile, and beckons his colleague to follow him down the stairs and out of the building. Along the way, several others follow and are saved by their quiet hero. That’s Alex. Solid, steadfast, and calm whilst planning the optimum solution to the problem at hand.

Weworkinabusinesswherefireswillflareupfromtimetotime.These skills of Alex’s would be

PEERS AND ABOVE Continued

37THE CHARACTER SKETCH

welcomed by many colleagues and alas, it’s not possible to be everywhere. But I’m not sure that this teacher has taught his pupils to follow his lead. If he could succeed in that, he could multiply his impact on the business several fold. But Alex doesn’t want to be the center of

attention and is happier to quietly lead from the back. When the passion takes him, he will pursue a challenge. He needs to build on the political capital and ‘savvy’ he already has, to ensure that other business leaders see his efforts as complementary rather than contradictory.

PEERS AND ABOVE Continued

Alex comes across as very intelligent,thoughtful,reflectiveand introverted. Clearly one of the more intelligent people in the organization. He thoroughly understands the business, not only from his unit’s perspective, but also Marketing, Technology, etc. These strengths serve him well in conceiving solutions to business problems. His biggest challenge is leadership. I sense he does not understand that not everyone views the world the same way he does, nor is as intelligent as he is. It can come across that he’s assumed you were on the same page in spite of never having communicated what book we’re to read from. He does not engage others in meaningful discussion of a personal or professional nature. Thereisasignificantdistancebetween him and his staff. This distance then manifests itself in a lack of common understanding, lack of alignment on priorities, and sub-optimal results at times. While there may be a lack of

communication and congeniality, thereisdefinitelynotalackoftrust. When Alex does speak with the team, it is thoughtful, forthright, and moving. He would help himself by doing this more often in public and private settings with his staff.

Alex is a thoughtful contributor. He is extremely intelligent and a fast processor of information and ideas. In real-time, he can sort through a lot of information and come back with a clearly communicated concept/solution/alternative. Alex takes great pride in his work and has extremely high expectations of himself - it appears that his expectations are higher for himself than for others. He is fun, has a great sense of humor, and is quick to laugh, making him someone that others enjoy working with. He’s well-respected for his work ethic and his commitment to quality work. Alex is resilient; when faced with challenges he doesn’t get discouraged or quit - he keeps at it. Alex has a broad organizational

REPORTS

THE PORTRAIT 38

scope; he tends to favor the strategy and planning roles over other roles, leading to mixed reviews from his stakeholders. Where he spends time, he’s a rock star, where he doesn’t, he receives ‘needs improvement’ ratings. He’s got great potential and a great future.

Alex is a very kind individual. He is an amazingly astute individual who can grasp the details of any situation. Alex has navigated his organization from a small group that was very set in their ways into a group that wants to innovate for the next challenge. Alex empowers his leaders, but this can be a double-edged sword.

Alex comes across as very intelligent,thoughtful,reflectiveand introverted. Clearly one of the more intelligent people in the organization. He thoroughly understands the business, not only from his unit’s perspective, but also Marketing, Technology, etc. These strengths serve him well in conceiving solutions to business problems. His biggest challenge is leadership. I sense he does not understand that not everyone views the world the same way he does, nor is as intelligent as he is. It can come across that he’s assumed you were on the same page in spite of never having communicated what book we’re to read from. He does not engage

others in meaningful discussion of a personal or professional nature. Thereisasignificantdistancebetween him and his staff. This distance then manifests itself in a lack of common understanding, lack of alignment on priorities, and sub-optimal results at times. While there may be a lack of communication and congeniality, thereisdefinitelynotalackoftrust. When Alex does speak with the team, it is thoughtful, forthright, and moving. He would help himself by doing this more often in public and private settings with his staff.

Alex is a thoughtful contributor. He is extremely intelligent and a fast processor of information and ideas. In real-time, he can sort through a lot of information and come back with a clearly communicated concept/solution/alternative. Alex takes great pride in his work and has extremely high expectations of himself - it appears that his expectations are higher for himself than for others. He is fun, has a great sense of humor, and is quick to laugh, making him someone that others enjoy working with. He’s well-respected for his work ethic and his commitment to quality work. Alex is resilient; when faced with challenges he doesn’t get discouraged or quit - he keeps at it. Alex has a broad organizational scope; he tends to favor the strategy and planning roles over other roles, leading to mixed

REPORTS Continued

39THE CHARACTER SKETCH

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reviews from his stakeholders. Where he spends time, he’s a rock star, where he doesn’t, he receives ‘needs improvement’ ratings. He’s got great potential and a great future.

Alex is a very kind individual. He is an amazingly astute individual

who can grasp the details of any situation. Alex has navigated his organization from a small group that was very set in their ways into a group that wants to innovate for the next challenge. Alex empowers his leaders, but this can be a double-edged sword.

REPORTS Continued

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THE

CALL TO ACTION

THE PORTRAIT 42

FROM YOUR COACH

Alex, there’s a great deal of rich data in your report. My suggestion is to spend some time looking for patterns. For example, what kinds of comments came up repeatedly? Were the responses consistent across your colleagues or were they variable? Did your personal responses match up with others’? One thing you might do is pick out those comments that struck you as particularly meaningful.

I don’t think anything here will radically surprise you. A number of themes are consistent with yourpreviousreflectionsandourconversations. What is clear is that you have all the talent needed, that people very much want you to step up as leader, but that something is missing. If it’s helpful, I want to point to just a few themes in the report, both from the Limitations section. I offer these observations and questions knowing that they might not hit the mark but in the spirit of stimulating your own thinking.

You noted how you can check-out when conversations become mundane or repetitive. It might be useful to probe a little further into what’s going on for you at these moments. Certainly the outcome is that others can easily perceive you to be aloof, distant, or disengaged, but perhaps more importantly, I wonder if these moments say something about how you exercise leadership. It’s in these situations - when a team or

conversation is veering off-course and losing its coherence - that your skills are most needed, where you can elevate the performance of the group and connect with others. But the switch you need to make isn’t just about getting engagedorfightingboredom;it’s about whether or not you feel responsible as a leader for making the team better. You correctly see that the outcome is that others see you as being not interested or selfish.ButonequestionIwouldask you is whether you are, in fact, beingselfishinthosemoments,inthat you are satisfying your own needs instead of the team’s. This isn’t about your character - you clearly have a lot of integrity and compassion - but your motivations. It speaks to what you really care about and how you think about your leadership. Is there a way in these moments to reorient your purposes such that it’s possible to take up leadership?

There were a few comments made by your peers and above (especially in the Character Sketch) that you put your best game on for senior leaders while ignoring your staff, that at times you come off as “too important” for some things. My comment would be similar to the one above. Is this mere perception or is there some truth here? I don’t mean this at all as a judgment; rather, it is an invitation to search your feelings for what’s going on in those situations.

43THE CALL TO ACTION

Finally, there were several comments in the Limitations section,specificallyfromthosereporting to you, referencing their perception of your struggle with time management. Are delayed meetings, and extended meetings symptoms of another challenge?Asyoureflectonthis feedback, consider what’s underneath these patterns. Do you extend meetings because you struggle to make decisions? Do you gravitate towards topics that interest you, while putting off other agenda items? Is it a question of prioritization, or focus?

It strikes me that many people responding to this report are

waiting for something from you. Having read through all these comments closely, I wondered whether, at the end of the day, the real issue is that you must wrestle with a choice. What do you want? Do you need more time or are you ready to re-engage? You have most of the skills to make a mark at the company (though we might spend some time talking about your aversion toconflict).Iimaginethatgivenall the challenges outside work, thischoiceisterrificallydifficulttomake. Nonetheless, it strikes me as a very important choice, on which many of these other issues, as diverse as they might be, may hinge.

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THE PORTRAIT 44

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45NOTES

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THE PORTRAIT 46

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47NOTES

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THE PORTRAIT 48

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49NOTES

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