Aligning a Senior Leadership Team for Growth
Following a successful management buyout, The Dryad Education Group entered a new era of growth. A senior leadership team (SLT) had been recruited, bringing together a wealth of talent and experience. However, despite the potential, the team wasn’t yet working as one.
David Edwards, Chief Executive Officer explained:
“I knew I had the makings of a great team, but I was struggling to get them aligned. Individuals didn’t always recognise that we all wanted the same thing – we just approached it differently.”
Attempts to define vision and values internally had faltered, with some team members failing to see the benefit. The result was a lack of cohesion within the senior team, which filtered down into the wider organisation.
The Culturev8te Approach
We worked closely with the leadership team to design a programme that would not only align them, but also communicate the cultural shifts across the business. The tailored package included:
- People Surveys to gather insight.
- Senior Leadership Vision, Values & Strategy Mapping to create shared direction.
- Grow Together Leadership Development Programme to build collaboration and skills.
- Recruitment Candidate Profiling to aid recruitment decisions and ensure new hires complemented the team.
- Individual Leadership Coaching to support leader’s growth.
The process was highly engaging, challenging, and people-centred. As David put it:
“Andy engaged everyone, recognised individuals’ personalities, and challenged each person to get onboard. He understood what we needed to achieve and devised a programme that communicated that clearly.”
Results
Within 3–6 months, the impact was clear:
- The SLT became more open, aligned, and collaborative.
- Team members felt comfortable contributing and constructively challenging one another.
- A more consistent leadership voice emerged across the business.
- Employee engagement scores continued to rise.
One of the biggest breakthroughs was seeing sceptical leaders become advocates for the programme. The shift wasn’t just functional – it was cultural.
The working relationship with Dryad Education was central to the results achieved.
“It was a hugely positive experience which has led to transformational change in our business. Andy is both engaging and challenging, and you can’t fail to feel energised when spending time with him.”
The Impact
Today, the leadership team is confident, aligned, and focused on the right priorities to drive sustainable growth. The client summed it up simply:
“Do it. Don’t hesitate – you won’t regret it.”