Leadership Accountability & Performance

Improving Organizational Performance at a Leading Distributor

Client Case Study

Situation

The Laminex Group (Laminex) is the leading marketer, distributor, and manufacturer of premium decorative surfaces in Australia and New Zealand and has a portfolio of market-leading brands. The organization has a long history in the manufacturing sector, approximately 1,900 employees, and about $1 billion in revenue.

Laminex was aiming for a stronger human performance focus to the business and an increase in leadership accountability for results.

Complications

  • Economic Pressures: Increased economic pressure combined with greater competition was squeezing revenues and margins.

Approach

  1. Diagnose: Understand the existing performance environment using our proven High Performance Environmental Structure Diagnostic Tool. The diagnostic enables leaders to quickly build a detailed picture of the current performance environment and accurately pinpoint key levers to improve performance.Typical outcomes include identifying:
    • Strengths and weaknesses of the current culture / performance environment
    • Likely accelerators and inhibitors to performance
    • Current and future ‘pressure’ dynamics that will most influence performance
    • Benchmark comparisons
  2. Strategize the Two Key Moves: Review the diagnostic results with the Leader and the Executive Team and agree on the two key actions that, if taken, will result in the most dramatic improvement in performance across the organization.
  3. Execute: Implement the two actions in a way that makes sense.
    • Address individual performance measures in their own teams
    • Increase accountability for outcomes among their direct reports

Results

In the words of CEO David Worley:

“This high performance environment model contribute[s] to my ability as a CEO to contribute to performance. Tension around performance is a good way of stimulating and containing performance. There is good clarity between what is expected of the individual or the team. I don’t think without this project, I would see as many individuals hitting objectives.

The high performance environment model helps the leaders implement change in a clear way. The common language in the approach is extremely helpful and we have adopted the language in our business. Without the high performance environment process, I would not have gotten as much out of my management team as I have over the past 12 months. The process has been very helpful and is a complement to how I am aligning my leadership team and not a distraction.

The high performance environment principles, levers that can be pulled, and concepts are easily applicable to any corporate context.”

Related Information

LSA consistently delivers for me and my team.  Recently they demonstrated the criticality for executives to look beyond current ethics topics and focus on applying fundamental values in everything they do to demonstrate true leadership. They successfully delivered in two hours what most leadership development facilitators would spend an entire day trying to communicate.

Nick Voyvodich, SPHR
HR Manager

Fujitsu

Thanks for your incredible patience and passion working with our leadership team to create alignment.

Your leadership and executive coaching services have been one of the most effective I’ve ever known.

Debbie Von Raesfeld
Director and HR Business Partner

AMD

LSA’s approach has certainly brought value to Knight Ridder Digital. They were laser focused on our goal and determined to meet all of our Leadership development program needs. Their flexibility and commitment were keys in making our program successful.

Dipik Rai
Director of Marketing

After a difficult search to find a partner that could address a very specific leadership development need, we chose LSA Global. They were responsive to our needs and created a highly customized solution that we continue to see results from. It is nice to know we have access to their expertise with a simple phone call.

Valerie Blackburn
Director of Business Operations

At the onset of our engagement with LSA, I was skeptical that an outside firm would be able to understand and dissect our organization’s highly complex and technical business challenges.

However, through the leadership team interview and strategy retreat processes that LSA utilized, they provided a fresh, innovative, and practical perspective that created tremendous strategic value and focus for our executive leadership team.

As a result, I would highly recommend LSA Global to any leader struggling with building the strategic alignment and high performance teams necessary to generate sales growth, in a way that fits their unique corporate culture.

Robert Laudati
Managing Director

Having taken on a new executive leadership role, one of my first calls was to LSA Global to help my leadership team to design, implement, and cascade clear strategic plans.  First, LSA helped our leadership team identify the strategy, culture, and talent areas that mattered most to create organizational alignment.

Then they helped facilitate the design of a strategic growth plan that is clear, compelling, believable, and implementable. We now have 100% commitment from an aligned leadership team and key stakeholders going forward.

I would recommend LSA to anyone who wants to create high levels of strategic alignment, growth, and performance.

Erik Arvesen
Vice President, General Manager

As a high growth agency with cutting edge talent, we hired LSA Global to help clarify our strategy and work with our executive leadership team to help implement strategic changes in a way that made sense for our unique culture.

The work was so successful that we also hired them to coach our key leaders. LSA has been instrumental in helping us transition to a new leadership team and triple revenue.  In this age of useless consultants, I highly recommend their practical and business-oriented approach to strategy, culture, and talent.

David Bentley
General Manager

AKQA

LSA helped us with leadership development by designing a solution to match our unique needs and culture.

It was a huge success. I would highly recommend LSA to help take leaders and managers to the next level.

Karen King, SPHR
Manager, Human Resources

Alliance Data

Our relationship with LSA is extremely valuable.

We worked closely with LSA to customize critical Management Training Programs to meet our unique business needs.

I’d recommend LSA to any company looking for first class and high quality leadership and management training assessment, design, delivery, and follow-through.

Ken Boehm
Vice President of Human Resources

LSA’s executive coach based his approach on understanding our business circumstances and strategy, as well as our leadership aspirations. The customized coaching covered all aspects of leadership; it was not simply a touchy-feely endeavor.

In fact, the focus on clear business outcomes and real life circumstances challenged me as a senior leader to develop my thinking and actions related to leading the business.”

Janet Pagano
Managing Director

Ovid

Over the years, both at 3Com and now at Redback, I’ve found LSA Global to be a valuable partner. The recent management programs that they delivered for Redback’s executive and management teams was the right solution, of the highest of quality, and customized to fit our unique business and culture. I would highly recommend LSA to any company looking for top quality solutions.

Gina Fulton
Vice President of Human Resources

It was a challenge to find a consultant with an approach to performance improvement that fit our unique performance culture and style. We were pleasantly surprised to discover LSA’s depth of expertise in the fields of motivation, developmental coaching, performance management, and measurement.

LSA seamlessly integrated those components without our folks feeling like the intervention was forced. They understood what we were trying to accomplish, helped us clarify our objectives, and created a solid, refreshing approach that quickly got us moving and engaged at all levels across the organization.

Overall, I couldn’t be happier that we found a true strategy and implementation partner in LSA.

Doug Hansen
President and Director

Redwood Trust

LSA worked with our Executive Leadership Team to help create strategic clarity and alignment as we look to increase our growth rate and unlock innovation.  They masterfully handled very complex, challenging, and high stakes leaders, decisions, and cultural nuances to help us identify what matters most and move toward one unified direction.

Their practical, straightforward, and client-centric approach was refreshing.  I highly recommend them to any executive team looking to get aligned to create even higher performance.  They are lights out awesome!

Patrick Resk
Chief Financial Officer, Partner

Porter Novelli logo LSA Global

LSA helped us design and deliver blended leadership solutions for our key leaders to help drive our growth plans in a way that aligned with our unique culture and values.

LSA understood our business, had deep expertise in the content areas, customized the leadership development programs to fit our specific needs, and delivered great results in alignment with our strategic priorities, culture, and performance management systems.

I highly recommend them to anyone looking to take their leaders and the performance of their teams to the next level.

Beth A. Taylor
Vice President of Human Resources

Thoratec

Thank you so much for being the right person with the right experience and expertise to lead our Executive Team in re-examining our approach to change leadership.

I’m grateful for how you engaged and challenged us with so many “holy crap!” insights and realizations that we needed.

Jeff Nally
Chief Coaching Officer & CHRO

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