Overcoming significant career obstacles to becoming a board member
The CTO of a prominent tech company sought tailored consulting to gear up for a major leap into a top management role. He needed to convincingly showcase his capabilities and readiness to the management team and the company's founder to further his career progression.
Description
In approaching this case, Marina Morgan undertook a comprehensive review of the executive's granular strengths and weaknesses, crafted a strategic communication plan, and fostered key relationships with the management team and the company founder. A pivotal part of the approach involved assessing the CTO’s competencies against other industry leaders using Korn Ferry benchmarks in order to pinpoint improvement areas. Finally, underscoring the assertiveness of the approach, the evaluation results were reviewed jointly with the company's founder, allowing the CTO to receive direct feedback and agree on a developmental plan with the founder’s direct endorsement.
Solution
The assessment, feedback, and subsequent coaching sessions significantly enhanced the CTO’s leadership abilities and self-confidence, especially in the areas of communication and strategic thinking. The founder committed to supporting the executive's developmental journey and to providing ongoing feedback.
Results
This case underscores a common hurdle for professionals aiming to climb the career ladder, namely the shift from a technical to a leadership and strategic orientation. Through our partnership, the CTO secured his role as a member of the company’s core leadership team, proving his capacity to lead and make a strategic impact.