CASE STUDIES

Our previous work

Case Study:

Building a High Performance Team

Great Britain Men’s Paralympic Basketball Team

Client’s requirements:

As part of their preparation for the Paralympic Games the coaching and performance staff responsible for developing the Men’s Basketball team engaged with Metris to design a programme with the following objectives:

Foster a 1-team 1-goal identity and ethos between coaching and support staff and players.
Examine the impacts of personality on cohesion and team dynamics.
Enhance open high quality communication and feedback amongst all players and support staff.
Develop a high performance culture around habits and behaviours that define excellence on and off the court.
Develop leadership, responsibility and accountability throughout the team.

Context and approach

At short notice Metris designed and delivered a 1.5 day programme delivered at the team’s overseas training camp in Lanzarote. The package involved a number of demanding practical problems combined with feedback, review and reflection designed to highlight some fundamental principles around teamwork, decision-making and leadership under pressure.

To maintain momentum and embed change, the initial programme was followed up by a reinforcement learning package back in the UK.

Throughout, the approach was complimented with an additional specific focus on supporting the leadership development of senior leaders and the Captains.

Results

The metrics for this programme were designed around the desired behavioural changes the coaching team wanted to see embedded. Cohesion, trust and relationships were all strengthened which led to more honest communication and feedback which in turn helped everyone focus on their performance processes.

Ultimately, the team progressed through the group stage to beat reigning champions, Australia, in the quarter final. In the semi final the team was defeated by an exceptional Spanish team but showed great character and resilience to win their final match against Turkey, winning in extra time to clinch the Bronze medal, despite having been behind for most of the match.

Since then the team has gone on to become world champions.

Testimonials

Metris Leadership helped us find our inner strength and contributed greatly to our Paralympic bronze medal. It’s something all teams should go through; the togetherness and fight we showed after meeting these guys was there for all to see. Highly recommended and a great experience. It brought out the best in the team and it helped so much in achieving our Paralympic medal.

Terry Bywater – Men’s Co-Captain

A team building session with Metris was timely and very rewarding. Classroom sessions were simple, effective and engaging. A horizontal learning environment allowed us to draw valuable learning from both Dan’s real life experiences and those of our players. Effective communication was a key goal and this was achieved in abundance – high quantity and quality. The outdoor physical activities were challenging, engaging and entertaining. Regular reviews were intensive and invaluable.

Through it all, Metris quickly developed the relationships that provided a safe environment for being open and honest. They worked to schedule but ensured dialogue was never suppressed and they adapted the programme to ensure it met the requirements of the participants. The aim to improve trust and cohesiveness was met, helping us become a better unit and playing a part in our success in Rio.

A follow up session was just what we needed to refocus and re-energise. Open and honest feedback from the team set the scene, creating the trust to share thoughts and feelings and develop the team’s bond. Competitive activities produced competitive banter which further strengthened the team.

Haj Bhania – Head Coach

Case Study:

Leadership Development Programme

Blackwells Bookshops

Client’s requirements:

Blackwells is a heritage brand with a trading history stretching back to the opening of their first shop in Oxford in 1879. Specializing in university book shops with additional strong retail and commercial sales the company runs over 40 outlet shops as well as its online and digital publishing interests. The company employs over 600 full time staff. Having initiated a major internal review of the company’s values and behaviours the President and Board of Directors wanted to focus on developing exceptional customer service at every level of the business as a key strategy for long-term success.

Context and approach

This programme began with a number of meetings with the CEO and senior leaders designed to develop an understanding of Blackwell’s culture, strategy and vision. The analysis from these discussions concluded that the strategy represented a major cultural shift and that to be successful the process would have to be led by managers. The problem was that shop managers were excellent managers but did not think or behave like leaders. The requirement was to design and develop a leadership development programme that would give managers the knowledge, skills and self-confidence to lead a seismic change in the delivery of Blackwell’s customer service.

In response Metris Leadership designed a leadership development programme for all managers within the business. This was delivered to a cohort of 96 managers during 2015. The programme began with an initial 3-day off-site course and was followed by reinforcement learning workshops, coaching support and weekly touch emails. The designed outcomes for the programme were:

Improved self-awareness (in part enabled by 360° reporting & psychometrics)
Develop self-confidence as a leader
Understand appreciate and utilise diversity in teams. Reinforcing strengths
Feedback as a mechanism for performance development
Building high performance teams
Innovating and collaborative decision-making
Communication skills
Working and leading in a localised business – mission command understanding and thinking 2 up

Results and RoI

The metrics for this programme were designed around the desired behavioural changes the senior leadership team wanted to see embedded in the business. On this basis the results to date include:

Improved engagement and morale amongst managers
Improved retention and more internal promotions saving money on recruitment
Improved customer service – highly engaged as a proportion of footfall, local stats show typical improvements of 15% post course. Mystery shopper etc and business wide data will accrue from Q1 2016

Testimonials

I was very impressed by the course. There have been several over the years and this by far and away the best.

Charlie Lee

Completely changed my perspective on leadership and gave me the tools to improve

Jon Mitty

Absolutely life-changing for me

Jane Douglas

Absolutely loved it.
Far exceeded my expectations

Ian Carrington

Without a doubt has had a massive impact on shop managers and support managers, starting to see real change

Linda Dunbarr-Bassett

Case Study:

Building a High Performance Team

Expanding SME Accountancy Firm

Client’s requirements:

The client is an ambitious and rapidly expanding accountancy firm, which had gone through an acquisition and subsequent merger with a smaller competitor. The culture of the business, its purpose and sense of direction as a result had lost clarity. The client wanted to revitalise the ethos and spirit of the company whilst establishing a clear strategy for growth.

Context and approach

Engagement began with a process of mentoring with the two senior Directors charged with leading the process. These sessions focused on:

Leadership as a practical behaviour.
Personal and business values.
Vision, strategy & planning.
Effective communication.

These mentoring sessions allowed the senior leadership of the business to develop real clarity about the business and where it needed to go.

The next step was a 2-day off-site retreat for 16 key staff with the objective of beginning the process of building a high performing and engaged team strongly aligned to the vision and strategy of the business. The programme focused on:

Understanding of self and others, (initially enabled with MBTI).
Business values and their practical application
Culture, vision and strategy

Subsequent to the off-site there have been a number of follow up sessions at the client’s offices with the whole team, coaching support to key individuals and continued mentoring. This ongoing support was designed to provide a progress pulse check and help the continuing process of evolving change and developing performance. This enduring relationship has been critical in solidifying the change and commitments initiated on the off-site.

Results and RoI

The metrics for this programme were designed around the desired behavioral changes the senior leadership team wanted to see embedded in the business. On this basis the results to date include:

Greatly improved working atmosphere, trust and relationships
Mutually agreed business values created by the team. The integrity of these values has become a clear guide to decision-making and the basis for individual commitments to the team and the business.
A clear vision for the business and a practical strategy in place to achieve this
Clear sense of purpose, direction and team spirit.
High audit scores for trust, buy-in, accountability and focus on results
Greatly improved engagement, excitement and commitment to the business which is growing rapidly