Situation
Our client needed help to out-counsel an executive as a result of a re-organization. This brilliant executive had accepted to relocate from Europe to China to lead the company's Asia-Pacific operations strategy on an interim basis. After two years of strong performance on this challenging assignment, this executive was nonetheless left with no viable option for re-assignment and further career development following the company's re-organization, and agreed to the company's severance plan that included out placement services.
Solution
Considering the high intellect and strong professional ambition of this executive, we developed a coaching strategy that started with a thorough review of past performance and personality assessment. This initial phase included thematic brainstorming and meta-planning work sessions that leveraged the executive acute logical and critical thinking towards career objectives and personal improvement priorities that had his full buy-in. The second phase was devoted to a targeted job search action plan with extensive coaching on self-positioning and interviewing skills. The third and last phase consisted in supporting the executive through job opportunity selection, communication, and negotiations.
Results
Thanks to the extensive "soul-searching" initial phase and the thorough preparation of his job search with clear and specific targets, this executive rapidly selected two career opportunities with similar characteristics in terms of industry sector, seniority level, and scope of responsibility. Both were a step up from his previous role, the main difference between the two consisting in company size and job location. After consulting with his family on location, this executive chose the position where he sensed a stronger fit with the company's culture and its people. This position also offered a higher level of challenge and personal growth potential, which this executive valued more than the marginal financial upside that came with the offer for the other position. Three years into his new job, this executive was still thriving and enthusiastic about having made the right choice.