Stories of Impact

Industrial Manufacturing: When Maintenance Meant Waiting for Things to Break

Reactive to Proactive

The Challenge: A Fortune 200 industrial manufacturer operated eleven facilities around the clock. Equipment downtime cost millions. But the maintenance approach was reactive—one plant manager called it "finding out something is broken when it stops working." Technicians walked routes and checked gauges, but the data lived in spreadsheets and clipboards, disconnected from decisions that mattered. Morale was low. Catastrophic failures had become the norm. Running these facilities was stressful and unsustainable.

The Insight: We started with questions, not solutions. Was the team checking boxes or genuinely committed? Did they take pride in the small things—like keeping the lubrication rooms clean? What we found surprised us: front-line employees were tired of playing whack-a-mole. They wanted to succeed. They just needed help knowing where to start—and confidence that new systems would make their lives easier, not harder. Technology alone wouldn't fix anything if the people using it didn't trust the data they were capturing.

The Result: 46% internal rate of return. Catastrophic failures dropped. Maintenance shifted from reactive to proactive. The plants were cleaner and safer, and technology helped people make better decisions, faster.

Client Industry: Industrial Manufacturing (Fortune 200) | Duration: 2+ years

Enterprise Transformation

Healthcare: When Systems in Silos Hurt Rather Than Help

Data Rich, Insight Poor

The Challenge: A 38,000-employee healthcare system was drowning in technology but starved for clarity. Finance, HR, and Operations each had their own systems—and none of them talked to each other. Leadership couldn't answer basic questions about talent: who was ready to advance, where skill gaps were affecting patient care, why good people kept leaving. The data existed. The insight didn't.

The Insight: We started not with technology but with alignment—facilitated sessions where leaders defined what they actually needed to know and what was most commonly missing from their day-to-day work. What were the actual pain points, and what would good look like by skill area? The goal was not more dashboards or more data. If anything, it was less—which increased actionable insights for senior leaders and made decision-making easier for providers, case managers, and other P&L owners.

The Result: 31% increase in internal mobility. Employee engagement rose 17 points in early-adopting departments. Providers stayed because they felt heard—and patients got better care.

Client Industry: Healthcare System (38,000+ employees) | Duration: 18+ months

Retail & Hospitality: Transforming Operations and Driving Growth Through Innovation

The Challenge: A nearly 60-year-old restaurant and retail company ($3B+ revenue, 600+ locations) faced activist investor pressure, stagnating shareholder returns, and an aging store format requiring modernization. The organization needed both long-term strategic vision and immediate operational improvements.

The Insight: We treated technology, store design, operational workflows, and corporate training as interconnected—not separate initiatives handed to separate teams. Technology decisions were made during the design phase, not retrofitted later. And we trained the trainers: 150+ corporate and field leaders who would carry the change forward and help implement changes in existing stores along the way.

The Result: 16% ROI on $90M investment. New store opening costs dropped 25%. Sales per labor hour rose 19%. The transformation happened behind the scenes—visible in the financials, invisible in the dining room.

Client Industry: Restaurant & Retail (600+ locations, $3B+ revenue) | Duration: 2+ years

Communications and Advocacy: When Technical Excellence Isn't Enough

Great Engineers, Silent Leaders

The Challenge: A Fortune 12 multinational energy company recognized a critical gap: when the organization stayed silent on strategic decisions, their most critical stakeholders (activists, regulators, media, competitors) filled that vacuum with their own narratives. Technical excellence and operational discipline remained core strengths, but senior leaders needed to develop complementary capabilities in strategic communications, stakeholder engagement, and authentic advocacy. The company sought to transform leadership from technically-focused operators to strategic influencers who could build trust, navigate competing priorities, and shape industry dialogue rather than react to it.

The Insight: We didn't design hypothetical exercises. We worked with senior executives to identify the actual stakeholder challenges their teams faced—difficult conversations with regulators, contentious community meetings, media inquiries during crises. Leaders practiced navigating real situations before the stakes were real. The scenarios came from their world, not a textbook.

The Result: 300+ senior leaders trained across three years. The program kept getting extended—not because it was mandated, but because leaders saw the value and asked for more.

Client Industry: Energy | Duration: 3+ years (ongoing)

Leadership Coaching and Facilitation

Executive Presence: When Domain Expertise Misses the Mark with the Board

Technical Depth, Communication Gap

The Challenge: A cybersecurity leader at a Fortune 500 firm had deep technical knowledge but was losing credibility with key decision makers every quarter. Board presentations are high-stakes moments for any executive. For a cybersecurity leader, they are especially challenging: the topics are technical, the risks are significant, and board members often have limited time and patience for needing to find critical details.

The Insight: The goal wasn't to turn a technical leader into a perfect presenter. It was to let deep expertise come through clearly in high-stakes moments. We worked on what the board actually needs versus what a cybersecurity expert instinctively wants to share. We practiced on real materials before real meetings, raising the intensity when the stakes were low so game-time would feel more normal.

The Result: Named to Top Global CISOs list by Cyber Defense Magazine for success in board communication.

Client Industry: Global Advisory Firm | Duration: 6 months

Team Turnaround: When Experience Hinders Success

Learning to Influence

The Challenge: A high-visibility team owned the company's growth engine—every new store, plus the testing ground for new concepts. Two-thirds of the CEO's Wall Street strategy ran through them. The problem: the veterans had gotten comfortable. They confused compliance with success. One RVP put it bluntly: "They were like drug dealers. They liked having folks addicted to needing them. The problem was when they left, the teams didn't know how to function without them." New store turnover ran 160-200%. Sales would plummet after the first few weeks and recovery would take months or years.

The Insight: Understanding cause and effect was critical to changing the trends. If the retention issues could not be fixed, even the best operators and managers would struggle to succeed. Burnout disguised as commitment was not leadership and was negatively impacting decision-making. Success needed to become a team sport and become about building capability that lasted long after the team was gone. As Brene' Brown would suggest, the teams could be clear, and kind, and use mutual respect to implement higher standards for what good looked like.

The Result: Turnover dropped from 160-200% to sustainable levels. P&L ownership expanded from 1 quarter to 5. RVPs who once avoided the team started requesting help with turnarounds. Recruiting flipped from struggling to fill roles to turning candidates away. The turnaround rebuilt confidence—and made the "Store of the Future" initiative possible.

Client Industry: Restaurant & Retail | Duration: 2+ years