In this case study you’ll meet Chad Hagwood, a skilled business leader who was known by those closest to him for expecting a lot (OK, far more than a lot!) and taking an “all work and no play” approach to life. 

On the surface, from outside appearances, everything looked phenomenal. Chad’s company, Hunt Capital, has closed over $10BB in loans and is regularly identified as an industry leader. 

Behind the scenes, we different story emerged. In Chad’s words— 

•  “My anxiety level is very high.”
•  “I don’t do a great job celebrating or appreciating my team.”
•  “My patience level is so low with them… really with everyone. I actually feel anger and resentment toward my own team!”
•  “I know tons of people, but feel very isolated. I feel like I have short fuse and it’s burning down.”
•  “My team tells me I am stubborn and impatient.”

Chad was winning at work-- because he was always all in. But he wasn't winning at life. And, to be honest, work was hard to manage. He knew there was something "more" available for him.

What we did

When Chad came to us, we know what to do. In fact, the struggles many high-level leaders feel are actually common. 

We took him through our Coaching Pathway, beginning with the Personal Gears of Growth Assessment, as well as the Organizational Gears of Growth Assessment. 

This tool empowers us to identify what’s holding you— and your organization back. 

(You may have been told to lead from your strengths— and you should. At the same time, it’s the weak points that create tension and grind organizations— and people— to a halt.)

Our framework includes: 

•  Culture = closing the gap between what we say and what we do
•  Team = fostering togetherness 
•  Systems = getting things out of our head, and putting expectations and processes on paper— so everyone can do them

Think of the three gears like this— 

Any cog— or gear— in your car’s engine can keep the entire vehicle at a standstill. Or cause it to move slower.

(When the gears all work in alignment and move in sync, the results are fabulous!)

The result is that you go farther, faster, with less effort…

In the same way, there are three gears in your organization. They each work together, and they’re equally important. 

The weak link

Chad was a great technician, needed to make some adjustments… 

In his words, “it’s can't be just work, work, work, work all the time…”

Chad realized his weakest gear was team. The company was highly functioning because he had high-performers with a high-capacity.

But they weren’t working together, as a unit, meaning they weren’t tapping their true potential. 

Gossip, passive aggressive behavior, and nothing ever being “good enough” were common.

The pathway forward + the result

Chad’s coach worked with him to develop a plan to define healthy behaviors, establish core values, and have raw (honest!) conversations.

They began collaborating as one, and they defined all of their processes.

Utilizing the Gears of Growth framework, we adapted the Coaching Pathway to his unique context. The result is: 

•  His best year ever
•  A thriving team, which experiences a closeness and a camaraderie 
•  A focus even on his team’s emotional needs as they meet the needs of the business
•  Some things he learned himself that he didn’t even know he was capable of that he’s been able to implement 
•  Untapped potential in team members that they didn’t know was there!