CASE STUDY
From Paralysis to Progress: Rebuilding Leadership Alignment and Accountability in Higher Education Auxiliary Services
THE CHALLENGE: A Leadership Stalemate and the Cost of Avoidance
A leadership team within a higher education auxiliary services organization of a well-respected university found itself in a state of paralysis. At the center of this dysfunction was a long-tenured, underperforming director whose micromanaging, condescending style, and resistance to change had created a bottleneck of frustration. Because leadership was hesitant to address the performance issues head-on, the director was never held accountable. This inaction fostered deep resentment, silos, and open conflict among the team of eight directors.
The resulting leadership stalemate created significant risks to the business:
- Talent Attrition
High-potential staff felt unsupported and unheard, leading to turnover of top talent. The organization had begun to develop the reputation as a hard place to work.
- Strategic Stagnation
Organizational goals were sidelined while leadership energy was consumed by interpersonal drama and workplace grievances.
- Erosion of Trust
The tension between the Executive Director and the HR Director became a public fault line. The HR Director advocated for firm accountability and corrective action, while the ED, fearing the fallout of direct confrontation, leaned toward avoidance. This divide left the rest of the leadership team feeling leaderless, insecure, and disconnected from the alignment that teams need to get to high performance.
THE WORK: Mediating, Restoring, and Systematizing for Success
We partnered with the organization to transition from conflict to cohesion through a multi-phased intervention designed to rebuild the leadership foundation.
- Mediation and Alignment
We began by facilitating intense mediation sessions between the ED and HR Director. These sessions moved them from a reactive state to a shared understanding of their roles, establishing a unified commitment to hold difficult conversations.
- Restorative Leadership Circles
We convened the entire eight-member leadership team for restorative circles. These sessions provided the psychological safety necessary for directors to voice their pain and move past the resentment of previous years.
- Shared Language and Skill-Building
We introduced the team to shared communication frameworks, focusing on conflict styles and candid conversation tools to replace gossip and accommodation with direct feedback loops.
- Systematizing Healthy Conflict
We helped the team redesign meeting structures, implementing consistent agenda-setting, explicit behavioral norms, and clear decision-making trees.
- Ongoing Coaching for the ED
We provided dedicated coaching to the ED, focusing on delegation, holding firm boundaries, and leaning into the discomfort of accountability.
OUTCOMES: A Unified Foundation
- Accountability Restored
The organization successfully transitioned to a culture of accountability. The underperforming director was held to a performance improvement plan and ultimately transitioned out, providing closure and clarity.
- Resilience and Communication
Directors now utilize established meeting norms and shared language to address tensions before they spiral, increasing their ability to lead to meet their ambitious goals.
- Improved Cultural Climate
Staff morale stabilized as the leadership team began to operate as a cohesive unit, replacing performative fixes with systemic improvements like robust performance evaluations and growth oriented 1:1s
- Empowered Leadership
The ED now acts with greater confidence, understanding that accountability is a fundamental requirement to protect the organization’s mission.
