CASE 1:

FROM THE PROBLEM GROUP TO THE HIGH PERFORMERS

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A seasoned Marriott team leader and former U.S. Navy chief was at the end of her rope after 3 years of attempting to effect positive change within the loss prevention team she managed. This experienced leader was ready to resign due to feeling “stuck, discouraged, and out of ideas.” The team’s culture was apathetic and staff morale was quite pessimistic as the team routinely received negative feedback from other staff and hotel guests. In fact, this team was referenced as a “problem group” within the hotel to the point where it had drawn corporate attention. The team leader was concerned her 20+ year pristine reputation would be critically damaged should she not find a solution.

 

Bridge Performance Coaching (BPC) was hired to help this sharp team leader,. At the first meeting, her palpable frustration and fear of failure as related to improving her team’s performance was apparent. She knew her team well and had tried various approaches but had become too close to the issues to see the big picture. Best Person = Best Performance = Best Result.

 

BPC began asking strategic questions of the team leader and eventually the hotel General Manager. A streamlined approach designed to identify performance gaps within the team was proposed. The process was initiated along with individual staff interviews. These interviews were instrumental in developing trust and building rapport so BPC could eventually influence the entire team. Upon collecting valuable information about specific issues affecting team relationships, BPC recommended a team strengths assessment process. All team members completed an online assessment and participated in individual, confidential unpacking sessions. From here, BPC facilitated a team strengths assessment sharing session that addressed long-standing relationship issues. The final recommendation was shifting team members to different positions within the team to better fit their respective skill sets, resulting in overall improved team performance.

 

By the end of this process, the results were astounding. The team members were performing so well they were regularly receiving positive comments from both staff and hotel guests. Team members were communicating effectively within the team, helping each other achieve goals, and even expressed wanting to come to work. The team’s performance again drew attention from a corporate level, but this time in a positive light. Both the team leader and the General Manager were thrilled with the outcome of this coaching exercise; in fact, the team leader went on to further develop this team’s performance abilities.