Work Smart
Do More

Challenge   

The CEO knew they were not operating their business optimally, but they were unsure of where the opportunities were to improve. They engaged CTC to help identify the root cause of their issues and propose changes to streamline the way they work.  

Solution  

The CTC team started the discussion by understanding what the main business challenges were in the organization. They then proceeded to walk us through the Microsoft 365 suite of tools and explained how this technology (that we were already paying for by the way!) could help eliminate the issues. Also by sharing the capabilities of the entire suite of tools it allowed them to spot other business issues that could be solved that they would never have known were possible with the software.    

While their IT resources had kept them up to date with the latest software versions, they were lacking in expertise regarding both WHAT they had access to and HOW to leverage the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity apps to make the business more efficient and productive. 

Additionally, while coaching the COO to be a more effective leader and learn delegation strategies Jan realized he didn’t just need soft skill training. Microsoft 365 had some apps and features that would help him manage this area of his work more effectively. They helped him understand how to leverage the Task Management apps within 365 to make delegation and accountability easier for both him and his team members. Tools that helped everyone keep their tasks organized and visible so they could easily prioritize and track their work. 

 As Jan always says, you want to start with the business issues and then decide what technology to rollout. Don’t get distracted by bright shiny objects that don’t add a lot of value to the organization.  

Results  

As one would expect, the results from these items were immense.   

This resulted in at least 60% fewer emails as they gravitated toward more effective and efficient  applications that were available in native Office 365.  

They now use email mostly to exchange information with outside customers and vendors without cluttering their inboxes with basic internal questions and status updates.   

Like many leaders, the CEO used to have a tough time making it home for dinner in the evening and even spent part of his weekends catching up. Since meeting with Jan, the only reason he misses dinner is that he is at a happy hour or another work event. (Which is a different problem 😊 ). He also carved his work week down to where he is hardly ever working on Friday afternoons, which has been a HUGE upgrade for him and his family.  

The COO is now in control of his area and able to spend more time on customer relationships and personnel development versus task management.   

Ryan Lamb, Chief Executive Officer, GCATS Telecom & Critical Power Services 

Challenge:  

The CEO of the company knew one of his team leaders was a Rockstar. The problem was neither she nor others saw her in that same light. Her quieter, introverted personality was holding her back from being the leader he knew she could be. The goal was to change her approach and raise her confidence so she would show everyone her real talent.  

Solution:  

Through 1-1 coaching we worked on a few strategic areas. One was elevating her in her department so she would have more time to spend on companywide initiatives. We had her adopt the “Only Do What Only You Can Do” approach and delegate the rest. This allowed her to not only free up time for other strategic work, but it empowered her team, knowing that she trusted them to take on more responsibility.   

We also worked on her communication style to be more proactive and engaged. As an introvert, she seldom spoke up in meetings and often was not asked for her opinion. With this additional time from effectively delegating, she would read up on activities going on outside of her department so she could provide her important perspective in leadership meetings to show others her brilliance.  

She was also leading an important project and because her nature was to only share when she had something important to share, many misread her dedication and drive on the project. By changing her communication strategy and teaching her to proactively communicate, it calmed the concerns of those on the project and helped elevate her leadership in their eyes. For many, silence can be interpreted as no progress. She also learned to be more open and vocal about what she sees and wants for the organization, her department and equally important…for herself.  Thus, giving the CEO more confidence that she is indeed interested in advancement. 

 Results:  

With coaching, she improved her communication, management, and work style. She now better understands she is accountable, but not necessarily responsible, for the output of her department and has stopped being a “doer”.  She has more time to focus on important work like company-wide initiatives, proactive strategies to minimize challenges in the department and coaching her direct reports on their work and career paths. 

 “The biggest thing I learned from the coaching with Jan was to be more vocal – whether that be in meetings or one-on-ones with my supervisor.  What I say does matter!  Jan also encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone, which has been challenging at times but definitely worth it!”

• Time saved each month: 21% + 
• Job satisfaction increase: 81-100% 
• Stress reduction: 81-100% 

 Tammy Larson, Chief Risk Officer, Coulee Bank 

Situation:
After the firm’s Executive Administrator reached out to our team, the managing partner, Doug, hired us for coaching.
Doug is already a whiz at productivity, but he’s just one person.

Despite already being stressed for time, he does his best to help other members of the firm. He simply doesn’t have the time to do his job AND step up as a productivity coach for everyone.

What They Thought the Problem was:
Doug and the team knew that they were spending too much time on tedious tasks like emails. But their big issue was having their billable hours below their goal while everyone was still working long days.

What Had They Tried Already?

• Doug was providing guidance where he could to help with productivity
• Senior attorneys were coaching and training newer members
• They had implemented a new case management system to help with automation

How We Worked With Them
Step one was one-on-one coaching with a handful of the attorneys, including Doug. These were the results:

• We helped assess and address their personal productivity challenges
• We uncovered several issues that Brown and Carlson’s leadership were unaware of
• It became apparent that there was value in examining their entire workflow and handoff between team members

The Solution
Our ability to blend our services allowed for Brown and Carlson to get individualized coaching as well as a full evaluation, and streamlining, of their workflow.

Working with CTC allowed Brown and Carlson to:

• Develop the art of effective delegation, planning, and accountability
• Address individual productivity issues at their source
• Create a new onboarding process that helps the supervising attorneys better understand new hires’ current skill levels and where they needed development
• Accelerate the development of junior attorneys
• Play to each team members’ strengths
• Clarify roles and responsibilities through step-by-step processes and instructions
• Fully leverage all the features in their case management system

What Made This Solution Effective?
Doug fully embraced the concept of creating a culture of productivity. Instead of seeing small pockets of productivity, Brown and Carlson saw an entire overhaul of their inefficiencies.

Doug’s leadership enforced the need for change. Because of that, the entire organization’s processes were improved — permanently. They are still following the processes we put in place to this day.

Years later, during the pandemic, Doug again thanked us. All the work that went into leveraging automation and streamlining workflow allowed the firm to easily pivot to remote work when necessary.

What Were Their Biggest Successes?

• Doug now has 2.5 more hours in his day every day (he’s maintained this for the last seven years)
• The entire firm is now 30% more efficient (they know this because of the increase in their billable hours as a firm)
• Employees are much happier
• Employee engagement has peaked
• They continue to win Best Places to Work because of their drive to improve the lives of their employees

Testimonial from Doug (from early on in CTC’s relationship with him)

“We hired Jan Lehman to assess the workflow across our organization, as well as with each of our lawyers independently. Our ultimate goal was to reduce stress levels and increase productivity. The project is still in process, and I already see improvements in overall efficiencies and job satisfaction. I do not doubt that the changes we are making will directly impact our billable hours. Jan has provided us with practical, valuable advice. Having an outsider with a fresh perspective has helped us understand how we can better manage our time and tools (i.e., email, software). Her ideas will help us expedite the onboarding of new team members while also supporting the development and retention of high performing employees. I highly recommend Jan and CTC Productivity. Money and time well spent!”