“Caret was exceptionally helpful in developing the Executive Management Team at Sandwell Council. We are learning more about each other and how to use our combined strengths to make a bigger impact"

Melanie Dudley, Director of Transformation - Corporate Services

The Issue

Sandwell Council had struggled for years with poor Audit commission ratings and very significant problems in some key departments. Eventually a new CEO was appointed and politicians and officers agreed on key priorities. To support the change the CEO asked Caret to work with the leadership team and drive for much stronger corporate behaviours.

Caret’s Solution

Caret worked with the leadership team over twelve months. We started with psychometrics and surveys to identify the strengths, capabilities and aspirations of the team. We identified how they were most likely to work together and impact the organisation. We introduced the team to Jim Collins’ work on Good to Great and encouraged them to discuss their values and passion, and consider the best outcomes they could deliver. This work was supported by Executive Coaching focused on culture change and improvement.

The Results and Impacts

The results were initially mixed. The work created expectations that teamwork would improve significantly and immediately. These were unrealistic but we were able to work constructively with the frustrations and tensions to get more open debate. One Senior Director had to leave the authority for not being a corporate player. The Executive team started to behave more strategically and devote more time to corporate working. Over time, service delivery improved significantly and Sandwell developed a much stronger leadership culture. The organisation has stayed with the Good to Great themes and three and a half years after we began this work with them it is the central message for staff road shows with all employees.