CLIENT BACKGROUND

A long-established, family-run manufacturing company, known for its craftsmanship and operational excellence, faced a pivotal moment: preparing for future leadership transitions.

Having traditionally relied on family members to lead, the company recognised that sustainable growth meant identifying and nurturing internal talent capable of carrying its values forward.

To support this shift, they turned to two assessment tools:

• Thomas International 360-Degree Feedback
• TEIQue (Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire)

Together, these assessments offered a structured, data-driven method to identify, develop, and support the next generation of leaders.

 

THE CHALLENGES

The business faced several leadership development hurdles:

No formal leadership identification

Roles were often filled by seniority or family connection, not potential.

Inconsistent feedback

There was no structured way to assess or develop leadership behaviours.

Emotional intelligence gaps

While technical skills were strong, interpersonal competencies like empathy and self-awareness were lacking.

Unclear succession plan

The company lacked confidence in its ability to identify and prepare leaders for senior roles.

 

OUR APPROACH

We implemented a dual-assessment strategy to build a more holistic leadership model centred on five key pillars:

1. 360° feedback for leadership competencies

Mid-level managers and high-potential employees were assessed by peers, reports, and managers. Key competencies evaluated included:

• Communication and interpersonal skills
• Decision-making and problem solving
• Team leadership and collaboration
• Conflict management and adaptability

2. TEIQue for emotional intelligence

The TEIQue measured emotional traits essential for leadership success:

• Self-awareness and self-regulation
• Empathy and social skills
• Motivation and stress management

3. Holistic integration for personalised development

Insights from both tools were combined to create tailored development plans. These addressed both leadership competencies and emotional intelligence gaps.

Example: A technically strong employee with low empathy scores received targeted coaching in emotional awareness and relationship building.

4. Leadership development in action

Custom training programmes blended:

• Skills-based learning
• Emotional intelligence coaching
• Regular progress reviews and feedback loops

5. Ongoing progress tracking

Employees were reassessed every 6–12 months, ensuring continuous development and alignment with succession needs.

 

DELIVERY

To ensure a smooth and effective rollout, we followed a phased, collaborative process:

Discovery and planning

• Conducted leadership planning sessions with key family stakeholders
• Defined success criteria for future leaders (technical and emotional intelligence traits)
• Identified target employee groups: mid-level managers and high-potential team members

Assessment rollout

• Deployed 360-degree feedback surveys via Thomas International
• Administered TEIQue assessments to the same cohort
• Provided clear guidance and context to employees to ensure psychological safety and buy-in

Data integration and insight mapping

• Analysed individual reports across both tools
• Cross-referenced behavioural data (360) with EQ traits (TEIQue)
• Created tailored leadership profiles for each participant

Development planning

• Ran individual feedback sessions with each participant
• Co-created personalised development plans
• Aligned each plan with business needs and succession priorities

Follow-up and evaluation

• Scheduled 6- and 12-month reassessments
• Continued coaching and support for development goals
• Shared anonymised group trends with leadership to inform broader strategy

 

THE RESULTS

• A more holistic view of leadership: the dual assessments helped identify well-rounded leaders that were technically competent and emotionally intelligent, ready to take on senior responsibilities.
• Improved emotional intelligence: notable improvements were seen in self-awareness, empathy, and conflict resolution across the team, leading to stronger collaboration and trust.
• Greater leadership effectiveness: leaders communicated more clearly, handled challenges with resilience, and built stronger, more supportive teams.
• Clear succession planning: with strong data in hand, the business created a confident, future-facing succession plan, one that included non-family leaders ready to step up.
• Increased engagement and retention: employees felt seen, supported, and invested in. This led to higher morale, stronger commitment, and reduced turnover.

 

Want to Explore Assessment-Driven Leadership Development?

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• Identify and develop high-potential leaders
• Build robust succession strategies
• Increase retention and engagement through targeted development
• Recruit senior leadership through our Executive and Critical Hire Search service

Get in touch to learn how we can support your organisation’s long-term leadership goals.