Translating brand values into winning behaviours
Whether it is to help differentiate yourself from the competition (as was the recent need of one ian mcclean & partners client in the healthcare sector) or the desire to create a new cultural identity for a business unit following a merger; working to understanding the unique selling points (USPs) and brand values at the core of their organisations has helped these organisations to gain clarity and alignment internally as well as aiding recruitment of the right people, criteria for staff appraisal and market place advertising and promotion.

Elements included: Crystallising values with leadership team Creation of a brand essence wheel Articulation of relevant behaviours (per function) Focus on employee behaviour workshop Bringing values to life – what do they really mean Leadership coaching - ongoing

Winning more pitches
An impactful and memorable pitch can open doors as one of our client companies in pr and advertising is acutely aware of. When pitching to new and existing customers the challenge is to create a presentation that exhibits both style and substance, that demonstrates your brand values and clearly outlines the business benefits to the customer. ian mcclean & partners worked in partnership with the team to create a structured, innovative pitch, as well as helping the team to improve their communication skills for maximum impact.

Elements included: Consultation with managers Designing a bespoke pitch structure and flow Recording on DVD with one-to-one feedback Working with designers to create speaker support media Creating a unified approach across the organisation

Maintaining engagement during a restructure
It can be difficult to predict the impact a restructure can have on staff. In one of our client companies, employees were very attached to the “old ways” and the transition to a new culture resulted in significant turmoil. ian mcclean & partners worked to help employees to share their concerns with management consider what actions they could take and what undertakings management need to take to expedite the change process to ensure a return to a positive and productive workplace.

Elements included: Slot analysis of the business “APACT” tool for auditing your own team Engaging team exercises Focus on communication across the organisation Collating and feeding back outputs to management team

Leading through downsizing
Redundancies and downsizing are a reality for many companies today. This client made the decision to work with ian mcclean & partners to address the challenge that managers and leaders faced when communicating with their teams, delivering bad news and attempting to maintain productivity and morale during turbulent times. Using a variety of techniques from coaching, to training and role plays using actors, ian mcclean & partners worked with the management population prior to the announcement of downsizing to ensure that managers were prepared and felt skilled to lead through the challenges.

Elements included: Focus on preparation for situation using role play with actors Developing an understanding of how employees are feeling Developing communication skills Coaching for leaders and managers Leading through uncertainty Creating a vision for success

Creating and living the ideal corporate culture
The newly appointed management team at this organisation in the financial sector realised that defining the values and culture of the organisation before the name went over the door would help them to create the type of company they wanted to work for as well as an opportunity to give their new staff an opportunity to contribute from the beginning. The process began with facilitated discussion and debate, and resulted in a mission statement with defined values. ian mcclean & partners then worked with both management and employees to animate these values and bring the culture to life through interactive workshops.

Elements included: Facilitated brainstorming with management team Focus on leaders – role modelling the culture Creating and cascading a vision for success Focus on behaviours that bring the values and culture to life