Leadership Case Study #3

SITUATION

In 2016 I was employed as the Head of Technology at NostraData, a business intelligence and data analytics company operating predominantly in pharmaceuticals. I was engaged in this role as a people leader with no experience in the technologies or pharmaceuticals. 

 

CHALLENGE

The challenge for the previous incumbents was that they were technology people who had risen in seniority with little training in people leadership. However, my challenge was my lack of technical expertise, and it became apparent very early that I would not have the time to resolve this and make informed decisions. 

 

OUTCOME

I decided to train the technology team in communicating in a way that would allow me to make informed decisions. I also focussed on develop the team such that leaders ascended, and they no longer needed me. 

 

Over time, I also started managing troubled client relationships and it became clear that customer engagement was a systemic concern. I produced a report on the status of customer engagements at NostraData and the likely result if it wasn’t managed. The outcome of this was that I also became Head of Customer Engagement, which meant that 70% of the organisation reported to me. I developed and embedded Customer Engagement practices, appointed a team leader, proposed a new company structure, oversaw the engagement and onboarding of 2 new Heads (Technology and Testing), and completed my tenure.