The leadership team of a multinational business in Europe had become accustomed to referring decisions upwards, while individual functions often operated in silos. The Country Director wanted the team to take greater ownership — while recognising that he also needed to step back and create the space for them to do so. Over two years, I worked with the team through a series of workshops, alongside individual coaching with some members.

We focused on building trust, encouraging more honest conversations and addressing tensions between functions whose priorities sometimes appeared to pull in different directions. The real test came when the Country Director moved to another role and his successor was not appointed for almost a year. During that period, the leadership team successfully ran the business collectively — demonstrating how far they had moved from relying on one person for direction.