FOUNDATION SESSION:
Values-Led Leadership Transition
A successful sustainable events company with 25 years of history faced a critical moment in their organizational journey. The founding team needed to transition leadership while preserving their unique company culture and values. They sought to:
- Codify their working culture and values for the next generation
- Design an employee ownership transition
- Maintain their commitment to sustainability and social impact
- Create clear principles to guide future decision-making
Our work focused on three key pillars:
1. Clarity
- Documented the existing culture and values through stakeholder interviews
- Gathered and analysed feedback from a selection of employees / freelancers and all board members
- Reviewed historical mission/vision documentation
- Tested current articulation of values for relevance, robustness and alignment
2. Alignment
- Facilitated board working sessions to explore key principles
- Mapped current practices to future aspirations
- Built consensus around core values
3. Action
Created "The Flag" - a comprehensive, living document capturing company principles, serving as the foundation for implementing the values and preserving the culture during the leadership transition.
- Articulates the company's vision and mission
- Clear articulation of company values and practices
- Defines core values and practical applications for maintaining culture through growth
- Provides shared language for decision-making and accountability mechanisms
- Supports recruitment and development
Delivered over two working sessions and approximately three weeks total, this framework was designed to be:
- Flexible enough for future adaptation
- Practical for daily use
- True to founding principles
- Supportive of employee ownership transition