How a multi-cultural team in a leading global pharmaceutical company co-created common goals and embraced interpersonal excellence to achieve ongoing success
In a leading pharmaceutical client, the early commercial team, comprising around 20 subject matter experts from various countries, play a critical role in developing the pipeline of new innovative assets.
Working in numerous globally significant disease areas, this team must maintain a laser-focussed approach, to help drive forward the development of innovative, differented molecules for patients benefit that can be commercial successful. This requires the team to be smart with their time, and meet the complex needs of multiple stakeholders.
This all necessitates regular reviews of the ‘Bold Ambition’ or ‘North Star’ that guides their actions; including how best to work together and with their stakeholders to make sound budget and resource investments. Their recommendations can positively impact millions of lives, so their work isn’t only complex – it really matters.
Selected to collaborate with this team for the third time since 2017, Axiom was proud to shape and facilitate a series of online and in-person workshops, together with some one-to-one coaching, to help the team deliver success.
Co-creating the new ‘North Star’
The client nominated a sub-team to work with Axiom, over three sessions, to draft an evolved and unifying ‘North Star’, that then could be delivered to their wider team for full alignment. In this regard, Axiom helped the working group harness the power of the Collective Ambition model, primarily focusing on three factors:
- Purpose: ‘Our reason for being’.
- Vision: ‘The position or status we aspire to achieve within a reasonable timeframe’.
- Brand Promise: ‘The experience we want our stakeholders to enjoy and benefit from, including our own team members’.
The team then reviewed their Strategic and Operational priorities against these factors and delivered everything in line with their corporate Values and Behaviours to complete their Collective Ambition.
The sub-team then presented their draft Collective Ambition to the wider team at an in-person event in London. And, after a healthy debate and discussion co-facilitated by Axiom, the Collective Ambition became their new ‘North Star’.
Getting Straight ‘A’s in Interpersonal Excellence – Awareness of Self, Astuteness & Agility
Alongside developing their new North Star, Axiom focused on enhancing team dynamics to effectively deliver their Collective Ambition – something that required getting Straight A’s in Interpersonal Excellence.
Chris Carey, Axiom’s Managing Director explains. “Regardless of the sector you work in, key to delivering outstanding performance is the ability to build outstanding relationships, with teammates and with stakeholders. This begins by understanding your own preferences and strengths; when they serve you well and when they are less helpful. Then understanding the extent to which other people are different to you, and indeed each other. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, how to adapt your ways of working to achieve the best possible results for both parties, whilst still being true to yourself.”
That’s why Axiom developed a formula for success, using the psychometric tool DISC (which stands for Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness) or Insights Discovery (where participants lead with colour energies: Red, Yellow, Green and Blue).
Whichever psychometric tool is adopted, participants are required to get three straight A’s:
- The first ‘A’ is for Awareness of self. What are your strengths, preferences, blind spots and Achilles heels?
- The second ‘A’ is for Astuteness. How can you quickly and accurately ‘profile’ another person? What are their strengths, preferences, blind spots and Achilles heels? How different are they to yours?
- The third ‘A’ is for Agility. Being intentional about how you can adjust your ways of working, so that you create win/win outcomes for all concerned.
Chris Carey, together with Axiom Consultant, Cami Joerin, facilitated a series of highly interactive sessions, delving into how to apply these learnings in real-world scenarios. This included how to:
- Approach a meeting with stakeholders of varying personal styles.
- Negotiate with people with differing styles, and
- Defuse potential conflict.
Team members then explored how their own behaviour deviated from their ‘natural’ self under pressure. They did so by openly sharing the graphs from their individual DISC psychometric reports.
These individual reports then became the focal point for subsequent coaching with Axiom’s DISC expert and highly sought after Coach, Miles Henson. Miles, who has experience of working with Olympic coaches, guided participants in private and confidential one-to-one sessions. He helped them better understand their own DISC profile and use this knowledge to enable them to personally deliver interpersonal excellence.
Stakeholder mapping and action planning
The final part of the programme began with an interactive exercise, mapping the team’s key relationships. This three-part exercise saw them explore:
- Who they already had great working relationships with,
- Who they’d need to build strong relationships with going forwards, and
- Who was best placed to build those interpersonal relationships.
The results
Having co-created the ‘Bold Ambition’, their new ‘North Star’, this team is now working towards delivering it. Self-awareness has improved, as has the team’s appreciation of how they could work even more effectively together and with their stakeholders. There were several ‘ah ha’ moments, particularly when previously unexplained interpersonal ‘challenges’ began to make more sense. Most importantly there are now clear action plans in place to help deliver business and interpersonal excellence, which, ultimately, will contribute to improving the lives of millions worldwide.
What our client says
“Through our ongoing partnership with Axiom our actions now align with our new co-created Collective Ambition, we understand how to work even more effectively with each other and our stakeholders, and we’ve got a clear plan to take those relationships forward. Throughout the process Axiom were responsive to our evolving needs and, as always, inspiring and fun to work with.”
This team is one of many from world-leading brands, across various sectors, who have chosen to partner with Axiom for practical solutions to real-world business challenges. Our tailored approaches create lasting behavioural and cultural shifts, ultimately boosting productivity and driving tangible results. Are you ready to elevate your team and business to the next level? Connect with Chris Carey today +44 (0)33 3088 3088 or info@axiomcommunications.com and discover how Axiom can support your journey towards success.
