Case Study: Building a High-Performing Post-Merger Leadership Team

Graham Company, an insurance brokerage firm, engaged with AIIR Consulting to help it navigate its recent merger with Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA) that included a significant transition on its leadership team. The company leveraged AIIR’s Team Effectiveness solution and expertise in navigating change to help it evolve its leadership team and position the company for continued success in this new chapter.

About Graham Company

Graham Company, a dedicated insurance brokerage and consulting firm, is steadfast in its mission to elevate employee safety and bolster business sustainability through a proactive approach to risk management. With almost six decades of industry experience, Graham Company specializes in tailoring client-specific programs for property and casualty, surety, and employee benefits, ensuring a personalized and effective solution for every business.

The Challenge: Strengthening Culture and Performance on a Senior Leadership Team After a Merger

Graham Company’s senior leadership team faced a series of challenges as it navigated its post-merger transformation. In addition to personnel changes, the company recognized the need for a candid assessment of areas requiring improvement, including clarifying non-negotiables and managing an increasingly overwhelming workload. Issues around maintaining core values, staying present and engaged, and addressing cynicism and trust also surfaced. Furthermore, the leadership team was functioning more as a “team of leaders” than as a cohesive unit, highlighting the need for clearer roles, better prioritization, and more effective productivity measures. By tackling these challenges head-on, Graham wanted to set the stage for future success.

“This is a solid team that generally trusts and respects each other. We are growing together as a team and these and other related efforts are supporting that growth. We know we aren’t perfect but are willing to work together to get better.”

Priming for Transformation

AIIR Consulting collaborated with the Graham team to enhance their performance using a variety of methods, including tried-and-true AIIR® Team Effectiveness staples and new innovations for moving the needle on team performance. After taking the AIIR® Team Effectiveness Survey (TES), the leadership team at Graham met for a tailored session meant to prime the team for the transformative journey ahead. During this session, the team spent time reflecting on their current configuration and ways of working through a grounding exercise. Once the team understood the perspectives, hopes, and concerns each member was bringing with them, they engaged in meaningful discussions around their TES results, focusing especially on the challenges that exist for the team and what strengths could carry them forward. To end the session, the Graham team worked together to identify behaviors and mindsets that needed to be left behind and those that were essential to bring on the journey ahead, including trust, realistic expectations, and an open mind.

“I feel like the world is new, and we can do whatever we want. We just have to go out and get it. The team is energized and ready to go. It’s not anxiety anymore; it’s all opportunity.”

Establishing a Practice of Teaming

After the Graham Company team launched their journey with the Priming for Transformation session, they were ready to begin the work of establishing a practice of teaming. To guide the team in owning the skills and behaviors required for high performance, AIIR coaches assigned several Team Missions to the team at Graham. These Missions provided short, self-guided activities that allowed the team to practice applying what they learned in their Priming for Transformation session and prepare for upcoming sessions where the team engaged in focused discussions about assessment results and practice new behaviors and ways of working. From onboarding new team members to identifying team operating principles, the Graham team immersed themselves in the journey and quickly began seeing results.

A Facilitated Executive Team Offsite

AIIR® Team Effectiveness facilitated an offsite for Graham Company’s executive leadership team in the serene Poconos, offering a refreshing environment in which they could do the hard work of building trust, cohesion, and alignment.

There, AIIR coaches guided the team through a series of exercises, discussions, and activities designed to strengthen their collaboration and strategic focus.

Day one began with a review of the team’s operating principles and the updated results of their Team Effectiveness Survey (TES). After identifying their strengths and areas for growth, the team delved into their Hogan personality assessments, exploring the unique perspectives and capabilities each leader brought to the table. These insights sparked meaningful discussions about the team’s strengths and gaps, and how they could collectively grow and improve.

Following a break from the more serious discussions, where the team participated in a fun team-building activity that benefitted both the group and a local charity, the day concluded around a campfire, where a facilitated exercise encouraged vulnerability and deepened their connections. This experience left the team feeling closer than ever, setting the stage for the next day’s work.

On day two, the team continued to build on their progress, engaging in activities and discussions focused on clarifying their team purpose and setting key priorities. The offsite culminated in tackling a significant challenge the team had previously identified. With expert guidance and the opportunity to experiment, they created and tested a new set of decision-making criteria. This framework became a cornerstone of their approach in the months that followed, enabling them to make quick, strategic decisions and effectively address critical issues.

Results

The Graham team used the momentum they had built from the offsite to continue to make progress in their team effectiveness journey. The executive leadership team has strengthened their culture, productivity, and performance and have begun to plan how they will cascade these results throughout the organization.

Additionally, Graham’s program was recognized by the Brandon Hall Group Human Capitol Management Awards as among the Best Team Development Programs in the industry.

Armed with a high level of commitment and the continued support of the experts at AIIR, the executive leadership team at Graham is poised to see their groundbreaking results ripple throughout their organization.

“What I was really impressed with the team was that we can disagree, but realign very quickly. We can be open and honest with each other and realize we are rowing in the same direction.”