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In the realm of leadership, few figures stand as tall as Bill Walsh. His strategies transformed not just teams, but the very essence of leadership itself. Walsh's approach was rooted in discipline, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. He taught us that success is not merely a destination but a journey paved with hard work and resilience. Embrace the lessons of leadership that Walsh imparted, and you will find the keys to unlocking your potential as a leader.
SITUATION
A well-established healthcare company in the Copenhagen region, known for its profitability and market success, recognized the need to evolve to remain competitive. Facing rising competition from Asia, the U.S., and Europe, and aware of the rapid changes driven by AI and new business models, the leadership team realized that maintaining their current processes and mindsets would not be enough for the future.
To prepare for the next five years, the leadership’s goal was to foster a more innovative, risk-taking, and adaptable organizational culture, empowering teams to unlearn old habits, embrace change, and collaborate across organizational borders.
STRATEGY + RESULTS
To support this transformation, I designed a strategy centered around measuring and developing the leadership team’s Adaptability Intelligence (AQ). Each leader was assessed individually and mapped within their existing teams, creating a detailed leadership adaptability profile.
The initial outcomes revealed that innovation and risk-taking needs varied widely across the eight leadership teams:
Some teams needed to increase mental flexibility to open themselves to new ways of working.
Others demonstrated radical ideation but struggled to let go of outdated methods when it came to implementation.
One team needed to align its creative initiatives more closely with the broader organizational strategy, which would improve cross-collaboration and communication.
Another team showed a critical need to build psychological safety and strengthen alignment with their manager to unlock innovation potential.
Using the insights from the Adaptability Assessments, the company now has a more transparent, data-driven roadmap for building an innovation-ready culture. They can implement targeted coaching, tailored leadership development programs, and team-specific activities & workshops to cultivate adaptability, cross-functional collaboration, risk-taking, and unlearning capabilities across the organization.
This strategic foundation has set the company on a path to future-proof its business, ensuring it remains resilient, innovative, and competitive in a rapidly changing global market.
