Finding your Purpose

How we supported a food industry leader to take a big leap forward

Why was this work important?

Our coachee had been at the company, a global titan in the food industry, for over a decade and was known for his intellect, confidence, determination, and directness. In recent years, his development as a leader had fallen behind. He was failing to demonstrate the qualities needed to get to the next level and risked plateauing in his career. His managers knew his potential and valued his business insights, candor, and commitment. At the same, they wanted to be consistent with the company values and, as such, couldn’t promote him into a big leadership role until he addressed his sharp edges. With a strong commitment to investing in people, the organization sponsored the individual’s coaching with us.

What did we do?

A key feature of this coaching engagement was to work with the leader to help him discover his leadership purpose. Prior to the coaching, the individual had felt compelled to take too much on his own shoulders as a way to demonstrate his worth, to solve people’s problems for them, and to be the smartest person in the room. These behaviors had a range of negative consequences.

The purpose he generated centered on him being a source of inspiration for creating change and engaging others in change. He also worked on the characteristics and actions he would need to live by in order to bring his purpose to life such as empathy and collaboration. We used the coaching sessions to explore real-world situations where he experimented with living his purpose through the behaviors.

What was the impact?

As a result of the individual’s development, of which the coaching was catalytic, the leader was promoted into a global, multi-billion-dollar transformation role. The changes he made in his leadership style have been visible to his key stakeholders. The leader is harnessing the ideas of others to drive change, which is a win for him, them, and the business.

What did the client say?

MindsOpen is a great way to summarize my coaching experience as we worked on my development, leadership purpose, and style. My coach’s ability to combine psychological rigor with significant global experience across a broad range of industries has unlocked my leadership potential and significantly accelerated my personal journey. Senior executives and mentors recognized this evolution and promoted me from a high potential “diamond in the rough” to a successful leader leading a multi-billion spend, global transformation program. My leadership brand became visible to others through a clearly defined set of characteristics that guide my behaviors every day, resulting in me successfully engaging the wider organization to act and create value for the business. My MindsOpen coach helped me identify and shape these characteristics in line with my past, present, and future, which makes it very natural for me to include them in the way I lead.

What our clients
say about us

MindsOpen takes the time to understand the root issues. The coaches have a way of connecting with different types of leaders to get the most out of them in a group and in individual interactions. They approach their work in an authentic way that draws even the strongest naysayers in. During a complex engagement with a team in the business I support, our MindsOpen coach had a way of eliciting the participation of a couple of people I was not sure would open up to the process. They knew how to push people just so. The assessment tools they utilize offer a round understanding of the individual and help to push forward interesting dialogue and insight about other team members. MindsOpen is a fantastic partner. Our coaches are always available to offer insight/suggestions and they have helped me in my approach significantly. You feel like you are working with the very best when engaging MindsOpen.

D.G., HR Executive, Real Estate Investment

They understand nuance, organizational difference, and don't try label individuals or companies, or define people as a "type" in relation to what or who they are. Their approach is a journey. It does not feel like you are being led to a certain point but are facilitated in finding your way. They are clear on objectives but very agile on how you get there. For the first time, I enjoy my coaching sessions. My coach has a very good style. He is challenging but empathetic; listens and understands well; is highly astute; and brings people out of themselves to create an open and candid, but safe environment for teams to engage. I also just felt a connection, trust, and liked him. He is very human in his approach and creates space for me to be vulnerable and honest.

Their direct style is appreciated. They see into your soul. Other providers are too fluffy compared to MindsOpen. They deliver feedback in a concise and calm way. They see through all the barriers to get to the essence of a person or team. They make a meaningful difference to individuals and teams that go through the rigor of the customized plan. The best I have seen at cutting through the BS and identifying the core of the issue(s). Hence, people learn and grow quickly.

Leadership journeys today are incredibly complex, intensely demanding and ever evolving. Neil’s style - rooted in enduring principles and concepts; challenging yet caring; highly personalized - is well suited to this environment. His coaching has transformed the way I think about and practice leadership. It’s benefited me in innumerable ways, professionally and even personally. More importantly, it’s benefited the organization I lead and the next generation of leaders coming through it. That ‘multiplier effect’ is priceless. We would not be the organization we are today without him.

After working with MindsOpen, our leaders have been much more aware of their blind spots and are more self-aware in general. They have improved in their leadership abilities and have also built their confidence. It's been great that our leaders can choose from a few different professionals to ensure they are comfortable with their coach. We have really appreciated the rigor of the psychological insight being taken into consideration. We also love the balance of the customization for each individual with the consistency we are able to gain across leaders. The MindsOpen coaches keep in mind the different needs, skills, and abilities of each of our leaders. That’s been really wonderful for us.

The MindsOpen team finds synergies and aligns executives on their ways of working amidst some of the most challenging team dynamics. MindsOpen takes an inside-out approach by getting leaders to better understand themselves first, their strengths and gaps. These insights form the basis of understanding and working better with others. They are true experts at what they do, thorough, and results-oriented.