Tom began his career in sales with a medical products firm, quickly rising to sales team leader for outstanding productivity. He was known as a hard charger, setting and achieving high goals. The members of his team were like-minded; independent, and driven, who required little in terms of direction or support.

Tom’s troubles began when he was awarded the coveted position as Regional Director of Sales. His new team members did not deliver the way his old team had and he began to view them as inept. When his staff did not perform to his expectations he went into tirades and fits of yelling about their incompetence. He regularly belittled and humiliated his reports in front of others and criticized their ideas. It didn’t take long before performance plummeted and his team wanted his head on a platter. Tom was on the verge of being terminated when Innovative Business Dynamics was contacted.

After our initial meeting it became clear that Tom’s abusive behavior was the result of frustration over his failure to achieve the results he wanted from his new team. His coach helped Tom realize that he had become a significant part of the problem. The driven, blunt approach that had created his past success became his greatest liability. He had been using his old strategies, which were not effective with the diverse range of personalities present in his new position. To compound the problem, the situation had deteriorated to the point where none of his reports wanted him to continue as director—there was no trust or confidence in his ability to lead.

The first step in Tom’s turnaround was to gather feedback from his team regarding his behavior. It wasn’t pretty. Tom was labeled as an insensitive tormentor and micromanager. It was an awakening for Tom, who had no idea how others perceived him. With the help of his coach, the feedback was used to craft an action plan that included new strategies to deal with the challenges he faced. First, Tom faced his entire team, taking responsibility for his past behavior and presenting them with his plan for change. He changed his command-and-control approach and learned to effectively engage his team working with them to solve problems, create innovations, and achieve goals. As he followed through with his new style, Tom gradually won the respect of his co-workers. Productivity soared, exceeding financial targets by 150 percent. Even more rewarding for Tom, he was subsequently recognized by his company for outstanding leadership.