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What was your initial
impression of Stop At Nothing?
One of the things I liked when I looked at the materials
you sent is the whole premise around leaders and helping
companies develop strong leadership teams.
What kind of results were you looking for from Stop
At Nothing?
We were looking to build a strong leadership team and
move toward being a high performance team. Gateway
was very entrepreneurial and I felt that Stop At Nothing
would bring some consistency to our leadership. We
were also looking for a greater sense of teamwork from
our employees across the country.
So you wanted some alignment of the leadership?
We didn't want to have any mavericks out there. We
also wanted to have everyone aligned and working together
toward the same objectives and goals.
You did a Climate Study and Team Development Process
with your leadership team. Did you have any concerns
going into the project?
I didn't have any from the Stop At Nothing side. My
biggest unknown was whether our employees would feel
very open and free to give their honest feedback so
that we'd know what we really needed to work on.
Was Stop At Nothing able to create the environment
needed to get the feedback you wanted?
Definitely. I feel that the employees really opened
up and we got some good, honest feedback. From there,
we were able to develop a solid plan of action to progress
further on the critical items.
How about the individual leaders who attended the team
development session?
Each member of our leadership team came away from their
session with at least three action items that they
are going to work on to improve their skills. In fact,
we've already had an update to see how we all are doing.
How would you describe the overall process of working
with Stop At Nothing and how well did the process work?
I can't say enough good things. Their approach brings
fact-based information and it also involves solid,
face-to-face feedback mechanisms to help people really
give and receive honest feedback. Overall, it was very,
very powerful. And I know that everyone described it
as the best team- building experience that they've
ever been part of.
How would you say that Stop At Nothing is different
from other firms offering similar services?
It is best described by one of our team members who
said that typically you go off and build a raft and
try to float it and it sinks, and then everybody goes
home and you don't do anything with it. With Stop At
Nothing, you take real-world information and do something
with it. You come away with a clear course of action
so that you can drive things forward.
What changes have you seen since the team development
session?
I definitely have seen improvement in the quality of
decision making as a leadership team, and we're better
utilizing the diverse strengths of our various team
members. It's a major shift from where we were.
How has the High Impact Leadership Seminar (HILS) contributed
to the positive changes you've seen?
The people who have been through the HILS program are
clearly further along the curve as far as self-awareness
and openess to really using feedback. It has also helped
myself and others, who have been to HILS, to model
openess to the directors who haven't been yet.
In your opinion, what's the benefit to Gateway of employees
having more self-awareness and understanding about
how other people operate?
Certainly it's a great aide in improving communications.
As we become more aware of ourselves and how we impact
others, it has a tremendous impact on all of us. So
while we get the personal benefits of increased self-awareness,
Gateway benefits from all this personal growth due
to everyone's behavioral improvements.
What advice would you give other people who are looking
for leadership or teamwork development or individual
executive training?
I'd recommend Stop At Nothing to anyone. I would recommend
a good climate survey and really get to understand
where their organization is and what their employees
are thinking about. Then during team building, you
can create alignment among the team members and build
a plan to identify and change behaviors. Then I would
recommend follow-up training and individual leadership
development to keep the momentum going.
Anything else you'd like to add?
Just that Stop At Nothing is dynamite. I can't say
enough good things about the group and the good impact
that Stop At Nothing has had on my leadership skills
and my career.
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Interview with Jim Hobby, Vice
President, Customer Client Care, Gateway Inc. |
