Results / Case study
Case study · Engineering and construction
Earning the seat: a CFO's leadership transformation
Client
Regional engineering and construction firm
Leader
Newly appointed CFO
Sponsors
CEO and SVP Human Resources
Engagement
12 months, 2024 to 2025
12
Months of engagement
9
Participants in the 360° interviews
3
Independent After-Action Reviews
+3.0
Leadership effectiveness, rated by his manager. The maximum.
Executive summary
A newly appointed CFO had the technical capability to succeed, and a leadership style creating friction across the organization.
Over twelve months, Robert Paulson led a structured engagement anchored in a 9-person 360° assessment, formal After-Action Reviews completed independently by the CEO, the HR sponsor and the CFO himself, and a post-engagement survey of five colleagues the CFO personally invited. Finance and Accounting became the firm-wide benchmark for collaboration, and the CFO is now being considered for expanded responsibility.
01 · The situation
Built for performance. Not yet calibrated for collaboration.
He succeeded a long-tenured predecessor in a team where many colleagues had been in place for ten, fifteen, even twenty years. The CEO and SVP of Human Resources saw the trajectory was unsustainable and sought out Robert Paulson.
What the organization observed
Asserted authority rather than building trust with peers
Approached colleagues as adversaries rather than partners
Dominated conversations, rarely created space to listen
Resistant to feedback, challenge and alternative viewpoints
Senior management actively unhappy with his approach
What the CFO sought to achieve
A clear path to the next level of his career
To recover the calm and equilibrium he had lost
Stronger working relationships with peers and his team
To lead more effectively, and to be recognized for it
A genuine willingness to be challenged and to change
02 · Awareness
Nine voices, interviewed one by one.
Every engagement begins with a structured 360° interview, administered independently to ensure candor across four respondent groups.
1 CEO
4 Peers
3 Direct reports
1 Self
Finding 01
A strong foundation
Capable, decisive and respected for technical and financial excellence, consistent across all respondent groups.
Finding 02
One critical gap
Leadership style: collaboration, active listening, managing down, and emotional regulation under pressure.
Finding 03
Self-awareness confirmed
His own assessment aligned closely with peer and direct-report feedback, a strong predictor of coaching success.
03 · The engagement
Twelve months, built with the CEO and HR.
Diagnostic clarity
A precise, multi-perspective behavioral baseline before any coaching began.
CEO and HR alignment
Sponsors stayed engaged throughout, not only at kick-off.
Reflective coaching
One-on-one sessions anchored to the behavioral themes the 360° surfaced.
Built-in sustainability
Feedback loops and accountability structures from day one.
04 · Measurable outcomes
What changed, documented by three independent reviews.
Observed state at the outset versus the close of the engagement, synthesized from the After-Action Reviews of the CEO, the HR sponsor and the CFO.
| Dimension | At engagement outset | At engagement close |
|---|---|---|
| Team performance | Finance team siloed, viewed as a friction point across the organization. | Finance and Accounting became the firm-wide benchmark for collaboration, accountability and teamwork. |
| Peer relationships | Perceived as arrogant and adversarial by peers and senior leadership. | A trusted, collaborative member of the senior leadership team. |
| Career trajectory | At risk. Senior management unhappy with his approach and attitude. | Being considered for expanded responsibility within the organization. |
| Personal growth | Reactive under pressure, struggling to find equilibrium. | Less reactive, more intentional. Found the calm and presence he had been seeking. |
Post-engagement stakeholder survey
Five colleagues he invited, rated on a scale from −3 to +3.
Each rater scored how much a behavior changed: −3 is much worse, 0 is no change, +3 is much better.
He shared his action plan with each of them and checked in monthly. 100% confirmed he had shared his development goals.
Follow-up frequency, scale 0 to 4
Self 2.0 · Manager 3.0 · Colleagues 2.5
Scale −3 to +3. Every rater, in every category, scored above zero.
In their own words
“Better use of language and better understanding of how to get things done by using relationships.”
“He has created bi-weekly team meetings and allows each individual to speak on whatever they deem necessary.”
“He is receptive to all feedback, ideas, and conversations.”
“Better use of language and better understanding of how to get things done by using relationships.”
“He has created bi-weekly team meetings and allows each individual to speak on whatever they deem necessary.”
“He is receptive to all feedback, ideas, and conversations.”
From the sponsors
The change was seen at every level.
06 · Why it worked
Six factors, present at the same time.
No single factor was sufficient alone. The engagement succeeded because all six were present simultaneously.
6 of 6 present in this engagement
Ownership
He took full responsibility and leaned in completely, and that carried the work through difficult moments.
Organizational commitment
The CEO and SVP of HR co-designed the engagement and stayed involved. Sponsorship was not ceremonial.
A rigorous 360° foundation
Nine perspectives gave an honest baseline and a standard to measure progress against.
Formal After-Action Reviews
Independent reviews created a documented record of what changed and why, beyond memory or anecdote.
A scored stakeholder survey
Behavioral change measured with quantitative precision at the close, by the people who live with it.
Sustained momentum
Progress was real, recognized at every level, and still growing at the close of the engagement.
“I made it happen. I said to myself: I have to change.”
That foundational mindset made everything else possible. Measurable leadership transformation is possible when coaching is structured, stakeholder-driven and anchored in accountability.
What this means for your organization
Stronger collaboration across leadership teams
Increased trust and alignment
Measurable leadership effectiveness
Sustained behavioral change beyond coaching
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