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DOUBLE TAKE: COMBINING TWO LEADERSHIP PROGRAMMES TO TRANSFORM LEADERS 1

Double Take: Combining Two Leadership Programmes to Transform Leaders:

An Exploratory Study

Anne P. Walsh

INSEAD Executive Master‟s Degree

Consulting and Coaching for Change – Wave 10

Author‟s Note

Anne P. Walsh is Vice President Global Communications, GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines.

This research was authorised by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Access to data and research subjects

was facilitated by GSK‟s Organisational Research and Employee Health Services departments in

compliance with legal regulations.

The Coaching MasterClass ™ programme attended by GSK leaders interviewed for this

study was developed by and is a trade mark and the intellectual property of the Coaching Space,

United Kingdom – a Pearson company who reserve all rights for this programme. The Energy

for Performance ™ programme attended by GSK leaders interviewed for this study was

developed by the Human Performance Institute of Orlando, Florida who reserve all rights to this

programme. Both Energy for Performance ™ and The Corporate Athlete ™ are trade marks of

the Human Performance Institute and Energy for Performance ™ is the intellectual property of

the Human Performance Institute. The research reported in this thesis is a qualitative study

which was not intended to evaluate the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of either programme.

Correspondence should be addressed to Anne P. Walsh, 41 Ave Boulogne-Billancourt, 1330

Rixensart, Belgium. Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AFTER TWO DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES 2

Acknowledgements

I wish to thank the following: My husband Peter Derom and daughters Caroline and Sophie as

well as my mother Margaret Walsh for all their support before, during and after my thesis work.

GlaxoSmithKline colleagues Laurence Bertrand, Sally Bonneywell, Tom Bowden, Julia

Brandon, Sue Cruse, Delphine Gobert, Tommy Powell, Amy Powers-Greene and Frederique

Wiot. From INSEAD, Elizabeth Florent-Treacy, Dr Thomas Hellwig, Cecile Macilius and

Martine Vandenpoel, as well as CCC Wave 10 colleague Anette Bohm. Special thanks to the

interviewees, Bill, Brenda, Delphine, Diane, Geoff, Gina, Hannah, Molly, Sue and Tessa. You

know who you are!


Abstract

Organisations continually look for the right development programmes to support their leaders,

particularly through times of change. Beyond their investment in terms of time and money, a

key criterion is how such programmes impact the participants‟ capacity for change. From a

portfolio of leadership development programmes available at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the

research-based global pharmaceutical and healthcare company, a large number of leaders have

elected to attend two very different programmes, with surprising results (Appendix 1). The first

of these is a coaching skills programme, the Coaching MasterClass ™ developed by the

Coaching Space, United Kingdom. The programme is designed to help leaders understand that

coaching enables people to perform at their best by eliciting their own solutions and resources, as

well as allowing them to develop their own coaching skills. The second, The Energy for

Performance ™ programme was developed by the Human Performance Institute of Orlando,

Florida. The Energy for Performance ™ programme focuses on the self, is based on the

Corporate Athlete ™ principles of the Human Performance Institute (Loehr & Schwartz, 2001),

and was introduced into GSK in 2006 to help leaders re-evaluate and refocus their physical,

emotional, mental and spiritual energies in challenging times and times of change.

The surprising results, which begged further exploration, came from two quantitative

studies conducted by the company‟s organisational research group in 2010 to assess the

outcomes of the individual programmes on subsequent leadership behaviours. The first study

tested for behavioural differences between Energy for Performance ™ programme graduates

and a group of leaders who had not completed the course. The second tested for behavioural

differences between graduates of the Coaching MasterClass ™ programme, graduates of both

the Coaching MasterClass ™ and Energy for Performance ™ programmes, and a comparison


group that had not taken either course. Whereas each of the programmes was found to have

helped leaders strengthen behaviours that developed others – they were subsequently viewed by

their direct reports as more “empowering” – those who had participated in both programmes

scored significantly higher on two additional 360-degree behavioural items: their openness about

their own developmental needs, and their setting of targets for improving critical areas of work

(continuous improvement). This seemed to be indicative of a higher order of leadership which

has been described in literature as “transformational”.

By better understanding the experience of GSK leaders who witnessed what appeared to

be a “booster” effect from attending both programmes, my intention is to help further inform

leadership development practice in our organisation as well as in others. A GSK leader who has

attended both programmes, I decided to use a psychodynamic approach and conducted a small-

scale qualitative study via a series of semi-structured interviews with 10 GSK participants.

Keywords: leadership booster effect, combination of leadership development

programmes, coaching, energy-management, transformational, holistic, leadership, change


Double Take: Combining Two Leadership Programmes to Transform Leaders:

An Exploratory Study

“The aim of life is self-development. To realise one’s nature perfectly – that is what each of us is

here for.” – Oscar Wilde

In times of change, employees of organisations look to their leaders to support them, expecting

them to act as teachers, coaches and champions of their development. According to Bass (1999),

“Changes in the marketplace and workforce over the two decades have resulted in the need for

leaders to become more transformational and less transactional if they are to remain effective.”

Bass differentiates between transformational leaders, who uplift the morale, motivation and

morals of their followers, and transactional leaders, who cater to their followers‟ immediate self-

interests: “The transformational leader emphasizes what you can do for your country; the

transactional leader, on what your country can do for you” (Bass, 1999). Transformational

leadership, then, is by nature more altruistic and indicative of a higher level of motivation akin to

self-transcendence, as described later in his life by Maslow (Koltko-Rivera, 2006).

In a global employee survey conducted by GSK in 2009, only 55% of respondents

agreed that the leaders in their department were fulfilling those “higher order” leadership roles.

Many senior leaders at GSK have strong scientific backgrounds, but the responsibility of

coaching and managing others has been found to draw upon a very new and different set of skills

(Hurd, 2009). GSK has endeavoured to address this issue in part by making a Coaching Master

Class (Coaching MasterClass ™) available to all its senior leaders.

In an unpublished study commissioned by GSK (Ollier-Malaterre, 2005), a large

number of highly valued employees were found to be at risk of burning out or walking


out. In response to these levels of stress among leaders – resulting from external as well

as internal factors – the company‟s Employee Health Services sought to identify a

programme that would help support its leaders. They found a programme called Energy

for Performance ™ based on the Corporate Athlete ™ principles of Jim Loehr and

Tony Schwartz from the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, Florida. The subject

of an article published in the Harvard Business Review in 2001 (Loehr & Schwartz,

2001), the approach recognises that whereas athletes need to be at the top of their game

for a limited number of years, and even then on a limited number of occasions, corporate

leaders are expected to exhibit a high level of professionalism on a daily basis over many

years. Energy for Performance ™ is designed to help corporate athletes re-evaluate and

learn to refocus and renew their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual energies in

order to achieve and maintain full engagement (Loehr & Schwartz, 2003). Initially

introduced to GSK in 2006 among senior leaders, it is now available to all staff.

The focus of this research is to explore the “spark” serendipitously set off by the

combined effects of attending both leadership programmes (Coaching MasterClass ™ and

Energy for Performance ™ ), as captured in the findings of a quantitative study on the 360-

degree behavioural items of a set of participants. These provided the research setting rather than

the research focus – hence I draw no conclusions about the effectiveness of the individual

programmes. It was this combination (attending both programmes) that seemed to contribute to

leaders reaching significantly improved heights of leadership in such key areas as openness

about their own development needs, as well as setting targets for continuous improvement in

critical areas of work. I took these leadership behavioural traits to be markers of a higher order of


leadership – described in the literature as transformational (Bass, 1999) or boundary-spanning

leadership (Ernst & Chrobot-Mason, 2011).

Scientists have discovered that, for some of the most elusive disease targets, a vaccine

based on an antigen alone can be ineffective in providing protection (restricted reference); in

those cases a specific adjuvant or system made up of immuno-stimulants must be added to boost

effectiveness (restricted reference). What transformational adjuvant, I wondered, was

inadvertently created by leaders attending this specific combination of two development

programmes? If the effect could be understood or identified, could it be replicated among GSK

leaders, or elsewhere? With these questions in mind, I listened to and analysed the stories of

change from 10 GSK leaders who had attended both programmes in order to capture and analyse

their experiences.

The Energy for Performance ™ Programme

The Energy for Performance ™ programme is a two-and-a-half day programme in which

leaders can enrol individually or in teams. The objective is to help participants become more

productive under pressure by managing their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual energies

more effectively. Participants should acquire the comprehensive energy-management skills

required to make energy investments in any area of life that really matters to them, and as

defined by them. They learn how to develop greater resilience and flexibility in the face of non-

stop demands and how to effectively expand their energy capacity in order to improve their

productivity. The programme helps participants develop rituals to support maximum

performance and replace non-effective habits that potentially compromise the achievement of

any important objective.


A key exercise in c is one in which participants reflect on their mission in life and then

contrast it with the energy they are currently dedicating to this mission. A typical personal

mission may focus on being a good parent and spouse, yet when participants evaluate how much

energy they actually devote to home and family compared to their working life, they are often

quite shocked. Participants are also prompted to think about the “legacy” they would like to

leave. Through the “power of story” (Loehr, 2007, p. 144), and writing and rewriting their

mission statement, leaders develop a new focus.

The Coaching MasterClass ™

Based on the conviction that the greatest impact senior leaders can make on their

organisation stems from how they deliver results through others by empowering those around

them to perform at their best, GSK has offered the Coaching MasterClass ™ for several years.

The programme, typically run by a trainer from The Coaching Space – a Pearson Company with

the involvement of an internal GSK trainer, is a distillation of essential coaching skills into a

simple and effective set of tools, processes and models that leaders can immediately apply. Key

skills covered are effective questioning, deep listening skills, being present, giving feedback and

mirroring the coachee. Participants learn to apply coaching models, processes and thinking to

understand how to elicit robust objectives and outcomes, and address obstacles to progress. This

approach helps leaders identify the resources they need to make breakthroughs and holds them

accountable for the results. At the time that those interviewed attended the Coaching

MasterClass ™, the programme format was two days up front and a third within a one-month

interval.

Method


A small number of GSK leaders who had attended both of the programmes were

identified. Using a qualitative, semi-structured interview approach, I sought to explore the

potential cumulative effects that might be at play, allowing participants to attain the key

leadership behaviours reported in the quantitative studies that initially triggered my interest.

Moving backwards from the quantitative findings, I analysed the stories told by the 10 leaders of

their experiences in the programmes and any changes that followed in an attempt to uncover a

dynamic at play which might be safeguarded, recreated, replicated and potentially reinforced in

subsequent leadership development work within GSK or other organisations. While my research

did not comply with any conventional criteria for validity such as a robust longitudinal study or

an assessment of individual behaviour change over time, I felt that the statistically significant

quantitative data from the GSK studies of participants who had attended both programmes

provided a solid starting point for further qualitative exploration.

Inspired by the approach taken in an INSEAD working paper (Kets de Vries et al., 2009)

that studied the effectiveness of a transformational leadership programme and was based on both

quantitative and qualitative data, my qualitative research study focused on three areas:

1. The leaders‟ experiences of the programmes and key take-aways

2. The changes that occurred (were implemented or were dealt with) in their professional

and/or personal lives after attending the programmes

3. The effectiveness of the programmes in helping the leaders develop from transactional to

transformational leadership (Bass, 1999).

As in the approach taken by Kets de Vries et al. (2009), I focused on the outcomes at the

cognitive, attitudinal and behavioural level.

The Sample


The legal requirements related to Personally Identifiable Information led me to work

through GSK‟s organisational research team, who recruited volunteers on my behalf in a “blind”

manner from among 130 leaders, representing a random subset of a much larger database of

leaders who had attended both programmes. Ten leaders between 35 and 44 years of age

volunteered, mainly located in the US or the UK, reflecting the Anglo-American merger history

of GSK. Four leaders were aged between 35 and 40, the remaining six leaders being between 40

and 44. Nine out of 10 individuals interviewed had attended both programmes between one and

four years previously. One had attended Coaching MasterClass ™ within the same time interval

but had participated in an early pilot version of the Energy for Performance ™ programme at

GSK nine years before the interview.

Table 1

Gender, Nationality and Functional Distribution of Sample: n = 10

Men Women

UK 1 5

US 1 2

Europe - 1

Function HR Business Support

4 4 2

Level VP Director

5 5

A Qualitative Measure of Change Based on Individual Interviews

The semi-structured interview framework consisted of 10 questions plus an 11th open

feedback question (Appendix 2). As in a research approach based on grounded theory (Glaser &


Strauss, 1967), my initial intention was to conduct a study without any firm ongoing hypotheses.

Nonetheless, in my discussions on the subject with GSK programme faculty and others,

questions related to the role of life-stage or to the order of attendance of the two programmes

were raised, and I subsequently integrated these in my interview guidelines, while retaining an

open mind.

The interviews took place between 24 October and 11 November, 2011, were audio-

recorded with the participants‟ permission, and professionally transcribed (Silverman, 2004). I

endeavoured to use myself as an instrument in listening to and coding both what was said and

how they told their stories (Denzin, & Lincoln, 2005). As in an ethnographic study approach, I

also tried to establish a parallel between how I had personally experienced the programmes and

what the interviewees described (Silverman, 2004). My objective was to look for a process of

change via the exploration of raw data from the interviews to discover new patterns and generate

a theory. To guide me in my qualitative research approach I reviewed, at a number of steps in

the process, the best practice of analysing social settings (Lofland, Snow, Anderson & Lofland,

2006).

Although the following three key steps outline my analysis of the interview data, the

actual process was more iterative and involved my going back and forth between the data and

developing a theoretical framework:

1. Due to variable transcript quality, I had to re-listen to and correct each interview

transcript. Since I did this without directing my attention to anything in particular, it

allowed me to hear the individual stories.

2. I re-read the updated transcripts, looking for and noting elements of the subjects‟

experiences, paying particular attention to their capacity to effect change in themselves


and others in either their professional or personal environments. This resulted in a final

list of 10 codes by the time I had reviewed roughly half of the interviews, and this list

remained valid for the remaining interviews.

3. A construct emerged whereby I was able to relate the key question “What did the

participant know, do and feel?” to the categories of cognition, behaviour and emotion

(Kets de Vries, Guillen, Korotov, & Florent-Treacy, 2010).

Literature Review

In line with a qualitative research approach, my awareness of the relevant literature

developed as I went back and forth through the data and my analysis (Glaser & Strauss, 1967;

Miles & Huberman, 1994). The literature review covered five main areas:

1. Overall leadership concepts and questions: What are the key leadership concepts relevant

to my research? What are the right questions to ask about leadership?

2. Higher order leadership descriptions from the literature: Was “transformational versus

transactional leadership” the closest description for what I saw reported in the

quantitative research findings of participants of both programmes and what came through

the stories of those I interviewed?

3. Emotional intelligence in leaders: To what extent did this provide an explanation for what

I observed in a subset of the interviewees who seemed to have achieved a higher order of

leadership after attending the two programmes?

4. Emotional contagion in a group: How to understand the impact of the shock or wake-up

call due the emotional experience of the Energy for Performance ™ programme?


5. Leadership development: What in the literature could explain a potential booster effect of

the combination of the two leadership programmes GSK leaders had followed? Could

the leadership development programmes (Energy for Performance ™ and Coaching

MasterClass ™) have triggered or facilitated identity work in participants?

Despite decades of research into leadership, questions and differing opinions abound, as

evidenced in a special edition (January 2007) of American Psychologist devoted to the subject.

Overall leadership concepts and questions

Where to start? What are the right questions to ask about leadership? (Hackman &

Wageman 2007). Are leaders born or made? How can they be identified or developed (Spreitzer,

McCall, & Mahoney, 1997)? Does the complete leader exist, or do leaders need to surround

themselves with others who have complementary skills or profiles (Ancona, Malone, Orlikowski,

& Senge, 2007)? What differences in leadership are there between men and women (Bass,

Avolio, & Atwater, 1996)? Is it the leader that makes the difference, or is it his/her environment

(Sternberg & Vroom, 2002)? How can leadership be best taught, or leaders best helped to learn

(Armstrong & Sadler-Smith, 2008; Lombardo & Eichinger, 2000)?

Towards Leadership of a Higher Order - Transactional versus Transformational

Leadership

Were the GSK quantitative research scores on key 360-degree feedback items indicative

of a shift to transformational leadership? Were we creating a new breed of “higher ambition

leaders” with an ability to “unlock their organization‟s full human and business potential”

(Foote, Eisenstat, & Fredberg, 2011, p. 96)? Self-development, the development of others and


continuous improvement seem to point to what has been described as transformational

leadership, notably by Bass (1999): “In contrast to the transactional leader who practices

contingent reinforcement of followers, the transformational leader inspires, intellectually

stimulates, and is individually considerate of them.” Bass then extends the concept into the

realm of social or emotional skills, as follows: “Transformational leadership refers to the leader

moving the follower beyond immediate self-interests through idealized influence (charisma),

inspiration, intellectual stimulation or individualized consideration” (Bass, 1999, pp. 9–11).

Transformational versus transactional leadership has been discussed since the 1980s. It

appears to be even more relevant to today‟s organisations owing to a state of constant change

approaching chaos (Pascale, Millemann, & Gioja, 2000). A consensus has emerged that

“average” leadership is not enough to resolve today‟s tough challenges (Van den Broeck &

Venter, 2011). Only organisations that are built to change and support their leaders‟ efforts to

change themselves and enable others to do so will survive (Lawler, & Worley, 2006). Indeed, to

remain effective in times of accelerating change leaders must be able to empower others, and the

demand for such leaders will rise as they are seen to be highly effective (Spreitzer, Kizilos, &

Nason, 1997; Thomas & Velthouse, 1990). In this regard, coaching skills will be crucial to

empowering and achieving through others.

What is the magic mix of capabilities and behaviours essential to a leader‟s toolkit? For

example, how important is charisma versus the more instrumental attributes of leadership (Kets

de Vries, 1994)? What role does self-awareness play in attaining a higher level of leadership?

The development of acute self-awareness helps leaders not only to lead but to “see” themselves

leading; to develop the capacity to seamlessly switch between the “dance floor” of participative


leadership and the “balcony” of observation and self-awareness, described by Heifetz et al. as

key to the practice of adaptive leadership (Heifetz, Grashow, & Linsky, 2009, p. 107).

The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership

The more emotionally intelligent leaders are, the greater their organisation‟s ability and

likelihood to realise radical change (Huy, 1999). Much has been written about the role of

emotional intelligence, why it can matter more than IQ (Goleman, 1997), and its role in learning

to lead (Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2004). In their paper “What is Emotional Intelligence?”

Salovey & Sluyter offer the following definition:

The capacity to reason about emotions and of emotions to enhance thinking. It includes

the abilities to accurately perceive emotions, to access and generate emotions so as to

assist thought, to understand emotions and emotional knowledge, and to reflectively

regulate emotions so as to promote emotional and intellectual growth. (Salovey &

Sluyter, 1997, pp. 3–31)

I was particularly interested to understand how management education could help develop the

emotional, social and cognitive intelligence of leaders (Boyatzis & Saatcioglu, 2007). Notably,

could emotional intelligence help explain what I observed in a subset of the leaders interviewed?

Impact of the Group Experience – Emotional Contagion

In light of the highly emotional experience of the Energy for Performance ™

programme recounted by the interviewees, my interest was directed to the role of the group

dynamic of transformational programmes and the potential impact of the affect aspect of the

experience itself in triggering change in leaders (Kets de Vries & Korotov, 2007). The

experience of the Energy for Performance ™ programme as a shock or “wake-up call” by

participants made me question the group dynamic and the emotional contagion or “ripple effect”


of the stories told by others in the group. From the interviews it seemed that the group sharing

and disclosure may have acted as a catalyst for heightened self-awareness and empathy.

Whereas the literature on emotional contagion looks at how the effect is created (Freedman,

Birsky, & Cavoukian 1980, Bartel 2000, Barsade 2002) it was clear that the ripple effect

continued to be felt in their subsequent change journeys. The Energy for Performance ™

programme design recognises the importance of anchoring any change to a clear and compelling

life mission, which may be a point of differentiation between this and other leadership

programmes. It is hardly surprising that the in-depth reflection on life mission and change

intention by the participants of Energy for Performance ™ triggers quite some emotion.

Leadership Development

I started by asking the following questions: What are the limitations of leadership

development programmes – in isolation from environmental factors – in driving change? What

prior research could help me understand a potential learning booster effect of the combination of

programmes GSK leaders had followed? What is it about leadership development programmes

that, under certain conditions, help participants change their leadership behaviours? (Barling,

Weber, & Kelloway, 1996). How can individual leaders‟ ability to learn from their own

experiences be enhanced (DeRue & Ashford, 2010)?

Could the programme design or combination be triggering identity reflection and work on

the part of the participants? (Ibarra, 2003; Petriglieri, Petriglieri, & Wood, 2011). Was the

combination of programmes creating an extended “identity workspace” facilitating the

participants revision and consolidation of their individual identity as a leader? (Petriglieri, 2011).

Or at a minimum allow them to “play” with new identities through the storytelling and visioning


exercises at Energy for Performance ™ followed by their testing of new identities back in the

workplace. (Ibarra & Petriglieri, 2010).

In thinking about how change actually occurs, I was interested to note Lewin‟s

observation that “there is nothing so practical as a good theory” (Lewin, 1951, p. 169). I

endeavoured to discover how the right combination of leadership development programmes, at

the right moment in a leader‟s career or life, could accelerate or reinforce the three-step change

model originally described by Lewin. Even if this model came under increasing criticism from

the 1980s onwards, since the mid-1990s there has been renewed interest in applying his approach

to change. Indeed, the model was recently reappraised to reflect the fact that the change process

itself is likely to be applied in an environment of change (Burnes, 2004). In the same way, it

would seem logical that we re-appraise current approaches to developing leaders of change to

take into account not only the environment of change but also the potential for a greater impact

by offering personalised leadership development packages instead of a bewildering menu of

leadership development programmes.


Figure 1. Adaptation of Lewin‟s change model to depict the combined leadership programme

experience

Research Findings

Based on the literature, the key construct used to understand the stories told by the 10

leaders interviewed was that of a “mental triangle” with the three levels of influence required to

help executives change: cognitive, emotional and behavioural (Kets de Vries et al., 2010). In

this section, as well as in the later discussion and conclusion, I include quotations from

interviewees to illustrate the key themes that emerged and are developed in this paper. (Names

have been changed to conceal their identities).

The Emotional Experience Triggered by the Energy for Performance ™ Programme – A

Wake-up Call


The element which stood out from a majority of the interviews was the affect versus

effect dimension of attending the Energy for Performance ™ programme. The interviewees

recounted their experience of the Energy for Performance ™ programme with so much emotion

that I had to accord some importance to the impact that experiencing the programme had on the

change and leadership development process, although its relevance was not immediately clear.

Almost unfailingly they spoke about the shock or wake-up call it triggered, as well as the impact

of the experiences of and stories told by fellow participants:

“I was quite shocked actually at some of the really deep-seated emotional things that

were coming out of other people.” (Tessa, vice president and general manager, 43, two

children aged 12 and 8)

“In the group I was with, of course I noticed and experienced other people going through

real profound sort of dawning of what had happened in their lives, and what they had

become, and how they didn‟t like what they saw.” (Sue, vice president of human

resources, 43, two pre-teen daughters and a baby)

Tales of lack of balance and decline in relationships, health and well-being from other

participants triggered in seven out of 10 interviewees not only profound empathy, but also a

dawning that they were potentially in danger of such a fate themselves. There was clearly an

element of projection in this:

“I was quite struck on Energy for Performance ™ by how many men there were with

families who had got the balance a bit out, and they needed to make a lot of really basic


changes about having time with the family. Somehow they had got out of kilter and I

didn‟t think I had, but maybe I would have done in the future – I don‟t know.” (Diane,

director of human resources, 37, three children)

“You can suddenly find that, here you are aged 48, with three kids that you realise you

don‟t really talk to because they‟re teenagers, and they don‟t want to talk to you. And

you suddenly realise you haven‟t shared, you haven‟t really had a relationship with them

for three years. And your wife and you, all you ever talk about is your project of bringing

up your children, and in fact you haven‟t had a proper conversation for years. And every

night you take your laptop home, and you get out your laptop and you never talk. And

suddenly you realise that has happened slowly over 10 years. That in itself can be a

wake-up call.” (Sue)

“In Energy for Performance ™ you had so many people around the room who all said the

same thing – „I have way too often made my job more important than my family!‟ And

never did I hear the converse out of a room of 25 people, right?” (Gina, director of

finance, 41, two daughters aged 15 and 11)

Towards the end of the interview, participants were asked what, in their view, would be

the best timing for such leadership programmes in one‟s life or career. For Energy for

Performance ™ they responded with evident gravity, apparently building on their own

experience and situations:


“The thing with Energy for Performance ™ is that you can suddenly realise that it is all

creeping up on you. It is a bit like the boiling frog in the water – you haven‟t realised

because it has all been additive. It doesn‟t have to be one single thing that has happened,

just the realisation of what your life and relationships have become over 10 years. That in

itself can be quite a wake-up call.” (Sue).

What Changes Occurred after the Energy for Performance Programme?

A number of types of change after the Energy for Performance ™ programme were

evident in the examples given by the majority of those interviewed. These fell into four main

areas, which are explored in turn below:

1. Rebalance of work and life, including realignment to purpose in life

2. Reconnecting with others or rekindling of key relationships

3. Physical exercise and nutrition – heightened awareness coupled with action

4. Introducing change proactively into one‟s work or life, embracing change, and resilience

to change faced.

Rebalance of work and life, including realignment to purpose in life. Eight out of 10

interviewees struggled with work-life balance:

“Where they have you talk about your personal objectives and the disconnect in the time

spent on them, where I thought my priorities were personally versus where I was

spending my time, I think was a key take-away for me.” (Gina)


“I had two children, they were probably 4 and 6 years old, and I travelled with

work…three days and nights a week. And the juggling – I am actually proud that I did a

good job with it – but I was definitely at the bottom of the pile.” (Diane)

The majority of those interviewed cited multitasking, technology and 24/7 connectivity as

negatively impacting their capacity to maintain a focus and an appropriate level of engagement

on family or on work. This is in line with recent research into the negative impact of

multitasking on quality of life and the stress levels of leaders (Compernolle, 2011). Many

leaders today are doing what has been referred to as “extreme jobs”, with long hours, tight

deadlines, a lot of travel, or 24/7 availability (Hewlett, & Luce 2006). The constant connectivity

via email as a source of stress has been documented by Barley, Meyerson, & Grodal (2011).

“Energy for Performance ™ take-away for me was around putting some rules and

boundaries in place...like „I will never come in the door home on my mobile phone, or

watch a match on my mobile phone half the time.‟” (Sue).

“My take-away was around full engagement. If you multitask you run the risk of not

doing anything very well or very effectively. When I am with my family, the

understanding is that it isn‟t OK to be just in there halfway with my BlackBerry, with my

computer.” (Geoff, vice president sales, four young children)

“There are very specific things I wanted to change around habits, like not being on the

phone all the way home and when I am walking in the front door...Actually what I


realised is that it is very important for me to have that space between leaving work and

coming home, and that allowed me to readjust my energy.” (Hannah, vice president

human resources, 35, married)

Interestingly, two women who juggled their family and careers talked about modern

technology as positively contributing to their better balancing of work around important family

commitments. This is in line with recent research on technophobes and techno-enthusiasts

(Coget, 2011), which found that those who embrace technology with discipline can leverage it to

help them achieve focus and full engagement where and when necessary, on either family or

work.

“I will say, „Guys, I am going to be in early tomorrow. My daughter has got a ball game,

so I will be leaving at 3.30. You can reach me if you need me!‟…. In this era of

technology, and what I needed was for things to get done, they didn‟t have to be done on

a nine-to-five basis.” (Gina)

“I am very strict about not bringing work very much into home. I do work at home

sometimes but that will be when the kids have gone to bed, and I will sit there to do the

work. Or my husband and I will have a conversation about the fact that I really need to

do some work over the weekend and so we‟ll arrange for some time that he is off with the

kids doing something and that‟s when I will do it.” (Sue)


Re-connecting with others or rekindling of key relationships. The stories the leaders

told were of realising they had de-prioritised important relationships including those with their

spouses, children, and other family members:

“Eating so much that at night [that] you‟d come home, and when it is time maybe to talk

to your wife and for your kids to go to sleep, then you‟d fall asleep on the couch – well

that was me!” (Geoff)

“I was guilty about not giving my mum enough time, because she lives on her own and

that kind of thing...and that routine. The response I get from absolutely being present

when I am at home has a positive impact on the family. Just very simple things like that.

And my relationship with my mother…her feeling needy, me feeling guilty, and now

being up to date with her news.” (Sue)

“I needed to put a bit more effort into home life and stuff like that and personal

relationships. Actually thinking „Well, if this time is really important to me then I need

to make sure that I‟m in good shape for my children, my wife and everybody at the

weekend as well.‟ You have to make sure you acknowledge and appreciate your

partner…You don‟t just ignore them or whatever!” (Bill, vice president commercial, 40,

two children)

“I realised that me not being always behind my son, that his activities after school were

not really varied and he spent a lot of time on the computer. And it made me sick and sad


and I didn‟t want him to end up becoming a geek.” (Delphine, director organisational

development, 41, son age 10)

Physical exercise and nutrition – heightened awareness coupled with action.

Although a large component of the Energy for Performance ™ programme is built around the

importance of physical exercise and nutrition as a key energy source, a massive conversion to

physical exercise was not central to the stories told:

“Although I think they definitely gave you the skills, and they gave you all the reasoning

why it was the right thing to do, I haven‟t been as successful with that portion of it.”

(Gina)

Out of the 10 leaders interviewed, only one testified to a true transformation in terms of

the physical health aspect of the programme:

“I was very much overweight. I was at 230lbs. and I went to 190lbs. I dropped I think it

was five full percentage points of body fat, and so it had a major impact on me, both

physically, health-wise, but…obviously that carries over onto work. I had more energy,

which I think made me more effective… more confident. So I think there were major,

major implications for me from that programme.” (Geoff)

On a number of occasions, participants mentioned that it was all stuff they knew they

should do, but that there was a difference between knowing (the cognitive) and doing (the


behavioural). They stressed the strength of old habits and the real challenge of creating and

embedding new ones. Citing this as a reason, one leader interviewed out of the 10 remained

indifferent to the Energy for Performance ™ programme:

“You know it‟s [Energy for Performance ™ ] all the things that we know… nothing in

there was new.… I am not great at following a lot of what‟s in there.” (Molly, director

research and development, 44)

Nonetheless, it appeared that attending the Energy for Performance ™ programme did

encourage at least half of the participants to either continue physical exercise or to resume

exercise routines that had waned. One leader recounted how her attendance had encouraged her

to enter a half marathon, and that she then continued to go to the gym:

“I didn‟t have this, like, profound transformation that happened to me because of Energy

for Performance ™ , but I could see myself moving towards some very bad habits

already. So, on the health side it was much more…paying lots of attention to

that…keeping fit, eating healthily, drinking water.” (Sue)

“I had fallen out of the habit of going running during the week, and I have kind of

reinstated that. So probably the biggest improvement has been to my general state of

mental health and well-being, and that probably has in some unidentified way translated

into better work performance.” (Bill)


Introducing, embracing and resilience to change. Six leaders out of the 10 testified

that, thanks to Energy for Performance ™ attendance, they had been able to effectively initiate

change themselves, cope with new work or life challenges, or navigate changes they had been

confronted with:

“Energy for Performance ™ was about getting really ruthless about what I do, what I

spend my time on and not…. I can‟t remember if I had been promoted or not at the time,

but I do remember noticing the difference moving into a VP role, how you had to make

real calls on your time…When you move into that bigger job, there are more people who

want you to be part of things, or things that you need to be involved in because your

remit is larger, and you can‟t be involved in everything.” (Sue)

“With Energy for Performance ™ , you think about what is your purpose in life and what

is most important to you. And I think that does enable you to take things with a bit more

equanimity when difficulties come along. It makes you more resilient.” (Bill)

Findings from the Coaching MasterClass ™ and other Coaching Exposure

In contrast to the shock experienced with the Energy for Performance ™ programme,

many referred to the experience of the Coaching MasterClass ™ programme as a pleasant

surprise or awakening. This was attributed to their discovery of the power of a coaching

approach for their roles as senior leaders in the company.

Realisation of the power of coaching as a key leadership skill. Seven out of 10

interviewees expressed a new-found belief in the power of coaching techniques as a key


leadership skill. Their comments related to the power of listening, questioning and helping

others arrive at their own solutions, instead of being directive:

“My job in developing my staff or the people around me was to ask the right question and

not to provide the answer. And that was very much an „aha moment‟.” (Gina)

“The biggest thing I took away from coaching was really instead of solving people‟s

problems, helping them solve it for themselves. That was a kind of „light-bulb

moment‟.” (Molly)

“Listening at the third level – I thought that was really great, really made you think [and]

take a step back before you… plough in with your thoughts and opinions.” (Brenda,

communications director, 34)

Only one interviewee out of the 10 was indifferent to the Coaching MasterClass ™

programme itself, although he did not reject the validity of coaching skills:

“Coaching MasterClass ™ for me was more a reminder of the time you should invest in

coaching. For me, what really detracted from that programme, and this could have to do

with the amount of time they were given to do a lot, but my colleagues and I walked

away with the feeling of being overwhelmed with way too many models.” (Geoff)


Use of new coaching behaviours at work. The application at work of the newly learned

coaching behaviours was evidenced by the stories from eight out of the 10 leaders interviewed:

“I‟d like to think that my effectiveness in my professional life has improved. I have

managed people before but this (Coaching MasterClass ™) was a real big step forward –

to see people walking out of the room, feeling empowered…as if they had really been

helped to seek a solution for themselves.” (Brenda)

“Letting go of the leashes a little bit, ask the right questions, and trust your people to go

out and do the right thing, [that] freed up some of my time.” (Gina)

Noteworthy among the stories was the recognition by some participants of the value of

coaching beyond their direct reports in their increasingly matrix environments, and its power

when used with other senior leaders. They testified to the gaining of a new leadership edge:

“Interestingly, in my job now the only person who reports into me is my personal

assistant. So in order to get work done, i.e. influencing others, coaching, or advising

others, I think the coaching class has had a significant impact on me helping others

achieve what they need to, because I can‟t do it for them.” (Sue)

All but one of the 10 leaders interviewed gave examples of effectively incorporating

coaching skills into their leadership repertoire at work. The tenth claimed to be nonplussed by

Coaching MasterClass ™ having been exposed to coaching skills in a sales role early on.


However, he clearly recognised the importance of coaching skills as a leader, and drew on these

on a daily basis. Interestingly, he was the one individual who testified to a truly transformational

experience from Energy for Performance ™ in terms of weight loss and physical health. It may

have been that his enthusiasm for one programme simply overshadowed the other in the

interview context.

Discussion

The qualitative research approach endeavours to identify and explore what could be

contributing to the significant improvement in several 360-degree feedback leadership behaviour

ratings given to GSK leaders who attended boh the Energy for Performance (Energy for

Performance ™ ) and the Coaching MasterClass ™ compared with leaders who had attended

one or the other. The assumption made was that the significantly higher scores on these key

items related to self-development, and that the development of others may be indicative of a shift

to a higher level of leadership. I embarked on the study with two loosely formed hypotheses to

explain the performance outcomes: (1) the potential influence of the order of attendance of the

programmes, and (2) the potential influence of age/life-stage at time the programmes were

attended.

Influence of Order of Attendance on the Outcome

It is generally accepted that to lead others, leaders must first understand themselves and

the way they interact with others (Kets de Vries & Korotov, 2007). As with psychologists, one

hopes that leaders have mastered an acceptable level of self-awareness thanks to self-reflection

(Pavlovich, 2010) and self-management (Drucker, 2005), and possess some belief in their self-


efficacy (Bandura, 1997) before they attempt to develop others – hence the hypothesis that the

effect seen may be caused by the order in which the programmes were attended.

From the 10 leaders interviewed, no overall pattern emerged in terms of order of

attendance, nor did any obvious effect from order of attendance stand out from the data of the

group as a whole. Eight out of 10 leaders interviewed had attended the Energy for Performance

™ programme first and then the Coaching MasterClass ™; seven out of 10 leaders completed

the programmes within one year. For two others, the programmes were completed within two to

three years, and in one instance there was a long gap between programme attendances – in this

case, seven years.

I was not surprised that, when asked directly, participants saw no correlation between the

order in which the programmes were attended and the programmes‟ impact as this would likely

be an unconscious process. The interviewees rejected the notion, insisting that the programmes

were separate events:

“It doesn‟t seem a particularly relevant question for me and I don‟t really see it that way.

I haven‟t really made the connection.” (Sue)

“I don‟t think I see a connection between the two. They are logically separate events.”

(Bill)

“I don‟t think it really matters. I mean, to me they are two very different and separate

things that you are doing.” (Molly)


“I don‟t think that [order] really matters, to be honest.” (Hannah).

One interviewee, however, did give due consideration to the question:

“One is about you and your whole self and your journey, and it is quite internal and

personal, so it is quite reflective in that sense. And the other is about you as a tool for the

organisation where you‟re coaching and developing others, and how to get the best out of

others. You could say that Energy for Performance ™ should come first because it is

about yourself and you can‟t deliver to others unless you‟re in good shape. But I don‟t

think that is necessarily the case…it depends on what else is going on in your life.”

(Diane)

Influence of Age/Life-stage on Programme Outcome at Time of Attendance of Programmes

From the group of 10 leaders interviewed, no pattern in terms of age or life-stage at

attendance stood out. The age range at time of attendance spanned 28 to 43 years. I had

hypothesised that the mid-life transition might play a role in reinforcing receptiveness to the

Energy for Performance ™ programme approach. In addition, I was aware of the openness to

mentor others documented among adults at this life-stage, which seemed relevant to their

readiness for the content of the Coaching MasterClass ™ programme (Levinson, 1978, 1996).

In fact, only one leader specifically referenced the mid-life transition and specifically the risk to

one‟s mental well-being at this point in one‟s life:

“Particularly when you are a man in your 40s, it is the… classic time when people kind of

go down. So even if it [Energy for Performance ™] … keeps you on a stable level, that‟s


actually probably an achievement because otherwise your mental health is likely to

deteriorate if you don‟t do anything about it. All the research does say that you are at

your least happy when you are in your 40s.” (Bill)

Importance of the Energy for Performance ™ Experience and Wake-up Call in Triggering

Empathy for Others

What did take prominence in all the interviews was the “wake-up call” and group

dynamic of Energy for Performance ™. This experience in itself seemed to translate into a

heightened awareness of others‟ situations in a majority of cases. These spontaneous expressions

of empathy for others were mainly attributed to the Energy for Performance ™ programme

experience (only two such expressions were related to the Coaching MasterClass ™

programme).

A few interviewees went beyond the impact of the experience and spoke about

integrating this “empathy awareness” into a new way of working: recognising the need to

develop the capacity to understand what others may be going through, and that others had

different priorities, beliefs and blockers. If Energy for Performance ™ helped them develop

empathy awareness, then the Coaching MasterClass ™ provided the skills to action it positively

in their daily jobs. For a few, this newly acquired or reinforced capacity translated into a new

way of working, which they expressed as a higher order of leadership, at once more holistic and

less self-centred:

“How it helps me as a leader to have that awareness of what people may be going

through and what is important to them.” (Tessa)


“Everybody has a different set of priorities, so from that perspective I am thinking more

of the management style: you really have to understand what the priorities are for the

people who work for you in terms of motivating them.” (Gina)

Case-by-Case Outcome Analysis and Classification

Having not found any overall effect of order of attendance or age/life-stage at time of

attendance, I returned to the individual stories in an attempt to develop a framework within

which to classify the outcomes. The one that emerged included 10 outcome levels, which I then

stacked in a pyramid, as in Figure 2.

The key discovery from this way of looking at the data was of a turning point between

the base outcome levels 1 through 6 and the higher outcome levels of 7 through 10. From the

higher outcome levels (7 onwards), the language and content of the stories changed. This was

where I grouped the stories from leaders who talked more holistically about “the programmes”

rather than the individual programme – not only this but the nature of the language used and the

stories told also differed. My interpretation of this was that a shift was taking place at level 7

upwards, akin to a shift from transactional to transformational leadership as evidenced by the

nature and content of the stories told (Bass, 1999). I compared this “outcome pyramid” with a

similar model of seven levels of consciousness developed by Richard Barrett in his book

Building a Values-Driven Organization, where at the highest level we find “service to humanity”

(Barrett, 2006, p. 26). My observations of the outcomes were as follows.

At level 7. The stories told were about the programmes having helped these leaders in

change or in resilience to change – five out of the 10 leaders offered stories around this outcome.


At level 9. Four women leaders told stories of the programmes having helped them reach

a new leadership level which had many commonalities with transformational leadership. I found

a number of studies showing that women are more transformational than their male peers (Bass,

Avolio, & Atwater, 1996).

At level 10. I reserved level 10 leadership for testimonies where the programmes had

resulted in leaders achieving a level of holistic leadership. Although one of the four women

leaders whose experiences grouped them at level 9 used the term “holistic”, I was not convinced

that this set her apart, although I nonetheless maintained level 10 as an aspirational optimum

outcome in the framework.

Outcome Classification for the 10 interviewees

On the basis of the 10 outcome levels, three distinct groups emerged, as defined below:

1. The “one programme only” leaders. Only one of the two programmes had held

something for them. There were two leaders in this category: one was a big fan of

Coaching MasterClass ™ and her main outcomes spanned levels 1 to 3; the other was a

huge convert to Energy for Performance ™ and his main outcome levels spanned 4 to 6.

2. The “good students” took away basic skills and tips from both programmes and cruised

across levels 1 to 7. There were four individuals in this group.

3. The “holistic programme graduates”. There were four individuals in this group, all

women just over 40 years of age. Their outcomes not only spanned the base levels of

their peers of levels 1 through 7, but they were the only ones to testify to outcomes in the

area of levels 8, 9 and potentially 10. They had integrated the learning from the

programmes “as a whole” (holistically) into their leadership toolkit and repertoire of

behaviours and styles, and they related this in a more holistic way. I later dubbed this


group the “40-something four” and subsequently scanned the literature on remarkable

women leaders to better understand this phenomenon (Barsh & Cranston, 2011).


Figure 2: Model classifying outcomes of the programmes

Leaders No of Leaders

Tessa? 1?

Delphine

Gina

Tessa

Sue

4

Sue

1

Hannah

Diane

Sue

Bill

Brenda

5

Diane

Gina

Geoff

Hannah

4

Geoff

Gina

Brenda

Hannah

Sue

Diane

6

Geoff

Delphine

Gina

Diane

Bill

Tessa

Sue

7

Molly

Brenda

Delphine

Bill

Gina

Diane

Hannah

Sue

Tessa

9

Molly

Delphine

Sue

Diane

Gina

5

Molly

Delphine

Brenda

Hannah

Gina

Bill

Tessa

7


Impact of Individual Leader’s Engagement on the Learning Experience

In the field of immunology, a first dose of vaccine is given in order to prompt a higher

immune response to the antigen upon a second or third dose – known as “priming” the immune

system. Eight out of 10 of the leaders interviewed attended first Energy for Performance ™ and

then Coaching MasterClass ™, which may have had a priming effect on the leaders, helping

them to develop a state of “mindful engagement” and heightened receptivity to any subsequent

leadership programme or learning. DeRue and Ashford (2010) propose three dimensions in

which individuals engage in developmental experiences that may explain the learning of

leadership: how the leader approaches and frames the experience; the action and information

processing of the individual during the learning experience; and how the individual reflects on

the experience. Each of these dimensions is explored below in the context of the leadership

programmes.

Firstly, in terms of framing the experience, the emotional impact and personal investment

required by the Energy for Performance ™ programme played a role in the learning experience

of participants. A second key component was the setting of specific goals, which has been found

to help focus the people‟s attention and make them more accountable for their personal

development, and this was also central to the Energy for Performance ™ learning experience.

Thirdly, through the coaching approach and content participants were “mindfully engaged”.

They also sought feedback. These elements have been found to enhance learning.

Impact of the Interview Process on Participants: the Role of Reflection in Enhancing

Leadership Development

DeRue and Ashford point out that “You learn how to go forward by looking backwards”

(DeRue & Ashford, 2010, p. 26). Leaders‟ lives leave precious little time for reflection, which is


considered the third step in the process of mindful engagement. As I interviewed the participants,

a pattern emerged: at the start they sounded quite stressed and hurried, but as I progressed, the

pace slowed as the individuals told their stories, settling into a palpably reflective mode.

Repeatedly, they commented on the benefit of reflection, either in the moment (the interview), or

with the learning community they were in contact with after the programmes. I became aware

that the interviews had become, in a way, part of the leadership development process by creating

an opportunity for reflection and continuous learning (Heifetz, Grashow, & Linsky, 2009; DeRue

& Ashford, 2010). They reflected on what they had learned and how successfully they had

applied new skills and leadership behaviours, either by instigating change in their work/lives or

by becoming more resilient to changes imposed on them.

From this, I realised that aided or scheduled individual reflection could be a valuable part

of a coaching follow-up to an individual leadership development programme (or package of

programmes), particularly when it has a transformational nature such as with Energy for

Performance ™ . In their article on creating transformational executive education programmes,

Kets de Vries and Korotov (2007) refer to the effectiveness of tightly weaving coaching into the

programme itself, the follow-up with participants both by faculty or faculty coaches, and via the

creation of a learning community among participants.

Limitations of the Study

This study has a number of limitations. Firstly, the small sample size (n = 10) of leaders

who volunteered to participate clearly limits the value of the results to a descriptive/explorative

study rather than an inferential/conclusive one. Moreover, as the interviewees were self-

selected, those who volunteered may have been more satisfied with the programmes‟ impact on

their capacity to effect change in themselves or in others. Although the 10 volunteers had


attended the same two programmes as the subjects of the initial quantitative study (which had

revealed a significantly positive impact on three key elements of leadership behaviours measured

in 360-degree feedback in one division of GSK), they were recruited from a random list of 130

leaders across GSK worldwide who had attended both programmes. The study was based on a

semi-structured interview framework which provides no quantitative evidence for the reliability

of the interview findings, hence the causal relationships discussed below are purely descriptive

and explorative. It is a qualitative study that is not intended to evaluate the effectiveness (or lack

thereof) of either the Energy for Performance ™ or Coaching MasterClass ™ programmes, but

rather to investigate via the participants‟ stories a potential positive cumulative effect. Finally, it

is important to note that for the Coaching Master Class, many of the participants had previous or

parallel coaching training or experience.

Future research is needed to test the propositions explored here on a larger scale and with

a more rigorous research design. This could include a more systematic 360-degree feedback

follow-up of programme participants repeatedly over time to establish some quantitative measure

of outcomes at different time points. The effect of stage-of-career or the timing of these

programmes (compared to career thresholds or inflection points) would be interesting to explore

further in order to inform the practice of leadership development, particularly for organisations

where time and finite resources are key considerations. Subject to the permission of the 10

participants, it would be of interest to compare their 360-degree feedback reports at different

time points (such as pre- and post-programme attendance) and after enough time has elapsed to

test the validity of the intuitions developed here, as well as the value they have added to their

respective organisations compared to the self-reported accounts from the one-to-one interviews.


Conclusions

A Capacity for Holistic and Heightened Leadership: the Cumulative Effect of the

Programmes

Turning back to the outcome pyramid, I explored more closely the “40-something four”

and what they had in common (Delphine, Gina, Tessa and Sue). They were all women aged

between 41 and 44, and all were mothers. Quite apart from that, their accounts showed some

remarkable similarities beyond the type of language used, including:

1. Rising above a programme-by-programme commentary and vividly describing their

overall experience of and take-aways from the programmes as a whole rather than

separately.

2. Bringing alive how they integrated the learning into their challenging lives as senior

leaders, often in more challenging leadership roles than before.

3. Expressing their leadership in terms of service to others and to the organisation.

4. Experiencing heightened leadership fulfilment or flow.

5. Leading change in an increasingly challenging and complex external (economic) and

internal (matrix) environment.

6. Influencing and achieving through others: the impact of Energy for Performance ™

in helping them relate to others‟ beliefs, mission and purpose, and the Coaching

MasterClass ™ coaching approach in helping them work with and motivate others

more effectively.


All four women had attended Energy for Performance ™ followed by Coaching

MasterClass ™ within three years. All had experienced an inflection point in their careers

around the time they had attended the programmes – indeed, the stories of these four women

testified to the state of flux or change they found themselves in at the time. Their immediate

implementation of their newly developed skills may have helped to consolidate the effectiveness

of their learning through application, echoing the debate in the literature on “leadership traits

versus situations” (Sternberg & Vroom, 2002), as well as key leadership “passages” (Charan,

Drotter, & Noel, 2011). For example, the first woman found herself in a general manager role in

a country seriously impacted by the global economic crisis and described how she brought the

Energy for Performance ™ programme into her team to help them through it:

“I talked to people at our conference about the need for balance particularly in difficult

times.” (Tessa, vice president and general manager, 43, two children aged 12 and 8)

The second described how it helped her shift gears from being a doer to being more of a manager

or leader at a key point in her career:

“Those things I think were really crucial for where I was in my career…. I am at a point

of my career where I have come up through the ranks…a point in time where I am

stepping back to evaluate what is it that I really want for the rest of my career…and then

really making the transition from the doer to the manager.” (Gina)


Another attended the programmes in a year in which she had moved to a new job managing

different change initiatives:

“The two programmes probably triggered something that was inside of me and that

helped me to mature and really reach another level in my professional life, definitely. I

guess they came at the right moment. There was probably a synchronicity story of

effectiveness. It is not by chance I landed in these two programmes in 2010 [Energy for

Performance ™ in October/November followed by Coaching MasterClass ™ in

December] which has been a key year for me professionally.” (Delphine)

The fourth member of this sub-group attended the programmes around the time of her promotion

to vice-president level, when she faced increasing demands from the more senior role:

“When you move into that bigger job, there are more people who want you to be part of

things or things that you need to be involved in because your remit is larger, and you

can‟t be involved in everything. And how do you choose where to spend your time and

how prepared can you be for things, and how do you understand it fully? And before you

did it in an hour and now you have to do it in 15 minutes.” (Sue)

Although only one woman used the words “holistic leader”, all four testimonies pointed to a shift

from a transactional to a more transformational style of leadership:

“It‟s just about me being a more holistic leader. Coaching MasterClass ™ you

can…come out and practice that on people straightaway. I think Energy for Performance


™ is more about how people see me...the leadership shadow piece. How it helps me as a

leader to have that awareness of what people may be going through and what is important

to them. I need my direct reports to be the best that they can possibly be because…that is

how I will succeed. I think…both of these courses in their way help that to happen, either

through the individual, through the… shadow of what you do as a leader...maybe there is

something about that, I don‟t know…Maybe it is a bit of a fluke about the combination

[Energy for Performance ™ and Coaching MasterClass ™] because they are two of the

highest quality interventions offered at GSK.” (Tessa)

“As a manager, being able to motivate and teach the team that is around – whether that‟s

my direct staff or the extended teams, we are so cross-functional here. It‟s really

understanding the people and what drives them, and then again helping them come,

helping them grow, and bringing out solutions that they may have. Both of those things I

think were really crucial for me, for where I was in my career. Getting out of the doer to

being more of the manager, to getting the most out of the resources that you have around

you, which include the folks that work for you or your peers if you are doing cross-

functional teams. So I do think it was a good combination of thinking about the bigger

picture and how you play in that, and not just my actions but how I influence the actions

of others.” (Gina)

“I think it was all effective at helping me. Some of those things have continued and have

really stayed with me until now. And reflecting on it right now is quite surprising


actually because you don‟t necessarily expect a work course to have that type of impact

for that length of time.” (Sue)

What Triggered the Shift from Transactional to Transformational Leadership?

I propose that the key to the transformational journey triggered in some of the attendees

lies in two elements. The first is the emotional impact of the Energy for Performance ™

experience. One of the recognised challenges in designing such programmes is that of “using the

group dynamic to foster transformation and to arrive at internalisation of the change process”

(Kets de Vries & Korotov, 2007, p. 375). The participants‟ experience of others interviewed

during the Energy for Performance ™ programme took on great importance in the stories they

shared. The second element is the way the programmes take into consideration cognitive and

emotional processes in order to create behavioural change. Finally, when such programmes

coincide with natural transition points (as in the case of the expanded roles and responsibilities of

the “40-something four”), the impact on attendees is boosted and the combined effect of the

respective programmes translates into a truly transformational journey.

The six other interviewees clearly also benefited from the programmes, but judging from

their examples and stories, they did so on a more individual, transactional basis. They

experienced a positive impact of the Energy for Performance ™ programme in helping them

gain greater work-life balance, with potentially an indirect effect on their leadership

effectiveness, and their use of coaching skills among their direct reports or others in their

immediate sphere. This is not to say that the “40-something four” did not also benefit personally

in their work/life from the leadership programmes – their stories gave ample evidence of this –


but they were also able to give back to the organisation and those around them at a palpably

higher level than their peers.

Using the Literature to Understand “Heightened, Holistic Leadership”

Four interesting leadership concepts stood out as a potential explanation of what I was

seeing with the “40-something four”:

1. Self-transcendence and leadership

2. Flow and leadership

3. Leadership and the concept of positive psychology

4. Emotional intelligence and leadership (as it relates to this study)

Self-transcendence and leadership. This heightened or altruistic notion of leadership

can be likened to the self-transcendence described later in the life of Maslow, and goes beyond

self-actualisation (where the individual works to actualise their own potential). A person at a

self-transcendent motivational level puts aside their own needs to a great extent and “seeks to

further a cause beyond the self and to experience a communion beyond the boundaries of the self

through peak experience” (Koltko-Rivera, 2006, p. 303). Like the “self-transcendent” people

identified by Maslow through their use of specific language, the “40-something four” shared a

distinct type of language in describing their experience of the programmes. How they translated

this into their own brand of leadership differed from that of their peers and was reminiscent of

the psychological optimal experiences (flow) described by Csikszentmihalyi, as well as what

Maslow described as “religious peak” experiences (Primeaux & Vega, 2002).

Flow and leadership. Participants‟ stories (Energy for Performance ™ ) about their

reduction of multitasking and attainment of greater focus, engagement and satisfaction may also


link to the concept of “flow” described by Csikszentmihalyi (2002) as “the state in which people

are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter” (p. 4). He proposes seven factors

common to optimal experience or flow, including the fact it occurs when we confront tasks we

are likely to be able to complete and on which we can concentrate or focus. This focus is

possible because clear goals are set and timely feedback is forthcoming. In such cases people

find themselves working effortlessly, removed from worldly concerns. When they exercise

control over their actions in this way, their concern for self momentarily disappears. Clearly

there were elements of self-transcendence and flow in the accounts related by each of the four

female leaders in their early forties.

Although satisfied with the plausibility of these first two explanations, I felt the evidence

from those interviewed was more anecdotal, so I turned to a potential third explanation building

from Csikszentmihalyi‟s work on flow towards Seligman‟s work on positive psychology.

(Seligman, & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000).

Leadership and the concept of positive psychology. In Learned Optimism, Seligman

(2006) discusses “the optimistic organisation”, positing three ways it can use optimism

effectively: the first relates to selecting optimistic individuals; the second has to do with placing

these optimistic individuals in jobs most requiring this outlook, such as highly competitive and

high-burnout jobs; and the third relates to helping leaders learn optimism at work. I would

suggest that the two leadership programmes explored here build on positive psychology and that

both contributed to the leaders‟ learning or developing optimism in the workplace. The

responses of the “40-something four” were certainly all optimistic in tone. In addition the

coaching approach taught in the Coaching MasterClass ™ programme approach is firmly based

on positive psychology. (Seligman, 2007). The Energy for Performance ™ programme


promotes healthy leadership based on the premise that healthy leaders will perform optimally.

The link between positive affect and human flourishing bears this out further. (Fredrickson &

Losada, 2005).

Regarding the fourth potential explanation, related to emotional intelligence and

leadership, the study data provided more concrete support.

Emotional Intelligence and Leadership. Starting from the insights discussed related to

the wake-up call triggered by the Energy for Performance ™ experience and the triggering of a

heightened awareness and empathy among participants, I felt that a closer look at emotional

intelligence could provide an interesting perspective. In The EQ Edge: Emotional Intelligence

and Your Success by Steven J. Stein and Howard E. Book (2006), reference is made to one of the

widest, most well-designed studies of emotional intelligence and leadership, by Dr Marian

Ruderman and colleagues at the Center for Creative Leadership (Ruderman, Hannum, Leslie, &

Steed, 2001), which found that emotional intelligence accounted for approximately 28% of

leadership performance (a proportion confirmed by Stein and Book as in line with what they had

observed elsewhere). The study went on to identify four pillars or competencies that are

important for successful leadership: (1) being centred and grounded, (2) having the ability to

take action, (3) having a participative management style, and (4) being tough-minded.

I posit that the unique combination of the Energy for Performance ™ and Coaching

MasterClass ™ helps leaders to develop a more centred and grounded form of leadership – and a

more participative leadership style. The “being centred and grounded” competency measured in

the above-mentioned study described high-performing leaders as being in control of themselves,

straightforward and self-aware – and importantly, as it relates to the Energy for Performance ™

programme – able to balance their work life and personal life, being composed under pressure,


and stress tolerant. Similarly, the “participative management style” competency measured in the

study found that successful leaders focused on winning hearts and minds, and getting buy-in

through good listening and communication skills. This competency seemed to relate specifically

to the empathy and social responsibility described by one of the “40-something four”:

“Really making the transition from the doer to the manager role, again between the two

of those how to interact with the people around questions and the way that you interface

with them and the way that their personalities, the questions, you know and that type of

stuff. To the fact that there are so many different ways people are motivated or so many

different things. You have got to get to know your people.” (Gina)

The fourth pillar of successful leadership – being tough-minded – did not at first glance

seem to be related to the GSK leadership programmes, but after reading Stein and Book‟s

analysis of the CCL study, I found it was indeed closely related to the Energy for Performance

™ programme design and objective. Tough-minded leaders are those who show resilience in

difficult situations and who persevere in handling pressure well, drawing on the emotional

intelligence skills of self-regard, stress tolerance and impulse control, which clearly resonated

from the following statement:

“Personally I would say I entered the journey of standing up for my convictions, and

sometimes it‟s pleasing and sometimes it‟s not. And…I am probably now more ready

than ever to live with the consequences. And, yes, there are some consequences…some

probably less desirable but others extremely positive. So all in all a positive

consequence, I would say.” (Delphine)


In their book based on research from the Centered Leadership Project of McKinsey &

Company Inc., How Remarkable Women Lead, Joanna Barsh and Susie Cranston (2011)

developed a model of “centered leadership” (originally from their study of female leadership but

ultimately not only for women but also for men). They describe certain preconditions for centred

leadership – the desire to lead, talent and knowledge, and a capacity for change – and certain

outcomes, including leadership effectiveness, sustainable performance and fulfilment. The

model recognised five ingredients essential to successful women‟s leadership, which, to my

astonishment and delight, were not dissimilar to my conclusions from the “40-something four” in

my research: (1) meaning, including happiness, core strengths and purpose; (2) framing,

including self-awareness, pausing and adaptability; (3) connecting, including reciprocity,

sponsorship, network and community; (4) engaging, including presence, ownership, fears and

action; and finally (5) energising, including energy balance, recovery and sustainable practices,

which brought me back to the Energy for Performance programme, where my research question

started.

Barsh and McKinsey worked to turn the model derived from this research into learning

programmes dubbed “Centered Leadership”, based on the conviction that “All other things being

equal…it is the centered woman or man who sustains a successful leadership journey. These

leaders thrive when things go well and adapt to significant change without losing their way,

because they are centered – not just emotionally, but also intellectually, socially, and physically”

(Barsh & Cranston, 2011, p. 13).

Contribution to Practice


The definition of transformational leadership is “a leader who inspires, intellectually

stimulates followers and is individually considerate of them” (Bass, 1999, p. 9). A

transformational leadership programme “presupposes a change in behavior of the attending

executive so that the latter becomes more effective in personal or organizational change” (Kets

de Vries & Korotov, 2007, p. 375). Taken separately, the Energy for Performance and Coaching

MasterClass ™ programmes have both been found by GSK to be valuable in strengthening

leadership behaviours that develop others, as well as the type of leadership capability that drives

organisational empowerment (Brandon, 2012). However, when attended consecutively and

relatively closely, the programmes seem capable of creating a spark that can set certain leaders

on a journey of transformational leadership. The more transformational leaders we can help

develop in organisations, the more “authentizotic” organisations there will be, “where people feel

alive, at their best and prepared to make an extraordinary effort”, but at the same time, “feel a

sense of balance and completeness” (Kets de Vries, 2007, p. 345).

In embarking on this study, my hope was to develop an understanding of the dynamic

triggered by this programme combination in order to better inform the practice of leadership

development in organisations. Today‟s leaders have limited time to spend away from the

business, and the current presentation of corporate leadership development offerings rarely helps

them make an informed decision about which programme(s) would help them develop to the

next level of leadership. Programmes tend to be evaluated individually rather than from the

perspective of the leader who has attended a combination of programmes. Yet it was the

integrated evaluation of two programmes by GSK that unearthed the apparent “booster” effect of

the combination. Both Energy for Performance ™ and Coaching MasterClass ™ were designed

to help enable change – in self or others – but further research is warranted to determine whether


the fact that programme attendance coincided with a key leadership transition could be

responsible for a significant step change in the leadership effectiveness and style of the

participants (Charan, Drotter, & Noel, 2011, p. 15–36).

Should leadership development be approached at a deeper, more holistic level (Senge,

2005)? In the quest to develop more holistic leaders, the key may lie in a more holistic approach

to leadership development, requiring not only greater effectiveness but also more efficient use of

the time and resources invested. Based on this research study, I propose the following four-step

approach to leadership development and its assessment:

1. Start by identifying leaders at the threshold of a key leadership passage and/or life/career

stage when most hungry for learning and keen to perform in new role.

2. Package proven leadership development programmes in an order which first gets leaders

to focus on change in self (self-awareness, emotional intelligence including empathy) and

only then on how to support others in change.

3. Prolong the reflection and reinforce continuous learning via the provision of one-to-one

follow-up coaching and a learning community of peers.

4. Measure programme combination effectiveness by quantitatively assessing individual

behaviour change over time, where possible via a mix of pre- and post-360 degree

feedback surveys combined with careful monitoring of the qualitative insights emerging

through the accompanying coaching sessions of participants.

As in the evolution of personalised medicine, my hope is that in the future leadership

development in organisations will increasingly start with a careful diagnosis of the individual‟s

needs at that specific point in their career/life, and proceed to offer (instead of a list of individual

programmes) a well-designed package of development programmes including coaching. By


continually assessing leadership outcomes on both a quantitative and a qualitative basis, we may

see more corporate leaders crossing the elusive boundary towards transformational leadership in

the future, thereby creating happier, higher performing organisations and leaders in times of

increasing change and challenge.


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Appendix

Interview Guidelines

Experience of programmes?

Which of these programmes did you attend first? When? And second? When?

What age were you at the time of your attendance of these programmes? Coaching

MasterClass ™? Energy for Performance ™ ? And now?

Have you followed any similar programmes to these, either with GSK or externally,

e.g., coaching training externally, GSK‟s Job Plus Coaching, or Coaching in the

Workplace programmes? When?

What changes have occurred?

Is there an important take-away of the Coaching MasterClass ™ programme you

would like to share?

Is there an important take-away of the Energy for Performance programme you

would like to share?

After your participation in both programmes, would you say that your effectiveness

in your professional life has improved significantly, moderately, somewhat, or not

at all?

Can you share stories or examples of this?


After your participation in both programmes, would you say that your effectiveness

in your personal life has improved significantly, moderately, somewhat, or not at

all?

Can you share stories or examples of this?

In which specific areas of your work or life do you feel you have most benefited

from the attendance of these programmes?

Can you describe the effectiveness of these programmes in helping you to change?

How would you rate the effectiveness of having attended these programmes in

helping you to identify key areas of desired change in your professional life, on a

scale of 1 to 5? Can you tell me more about this?


helping you make the desired changes to yourself in your professional life, on a



helping you to identify key areas of desired change in your personal life, on a scale

of 1 to 5? Can you tell me more about this?


helping you make the desired changes to yourself in your personal life, on a scale of

1 to 5? Can you tell me more about this?



helping you to support others in your professional life to effect positive change, on

a scale of 1 to 5? Can you tell me more about this?

How would you rate the effectiveness of having attended these programmes on

helping you to support others in your personal life to effect positive change, on a


Regarding the timing of these programmes, at what stage of one‟s career or life do

you think they are most valuable? Could you explain why?

Would you recommend attending these two programmes in a particular order?

Could you explain why?

Is there anything else you would like to share about your experiences in these

programmes?

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