Leadership Vacuum - Stepping into the Void

Large, higher education institution, experiencing high turnover and tight fiscal environment, challenges with internal culture and staff engagement after a series of failed recruitment in leadership

A Maestro was brought in to lead the team, improve culture, increase engagement and facilitate a unit redesign during a period of intense sector change

The solution was multi-faceted. It included: an open door policy and transparency about the role and its measures of success. Time invested in 1:1s to understand that worked and what didn’t for each team member, the development of a team charter, an unconference, a reciprocity mentoring circle, as well as a co-designed strategic planning day, with a blend of peer to peer learning and purpose driven strategic development.

The cohesiveness of the team improved, as their discretionary volunteering around work, their support for one another, shared learnings and comfort in sharing their views (inclusiveness and engagement). This in turn led to better teacher evaluations, reduced conflict and growth in student enrollment, facilitating a 3.2% increase in revenue. 6 collaborative innovation projects were designed by the team, with self allocation and 100% signup. It also results in increased commitment to compliance and better understanding of risk and its impact on the student experience.