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Johanne Bouchard

"The Leadership Whisperer" : Fostering healthy individuals and healthy organizations.

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M&A Board Integration Session and Strategic Planning Session

Public Company in the Renewable Energy Market

One of my clients had just gone through a major merger transaction. The new chairman and CEO was highly impressed with the board of the acquired company and wanted to keep it intact. The first board meeting was critical for a couple of reasons:

  • Acknowledge that the board was in a transition phase with new board leadership under a new chair and CEO
    • The new board chair:
      • Cared to establish an environment of trust by enabling open dialogue and mutual bonding
      • Wanted to make sure that his leadership would be positive and constructive. He was aware that he was in a dual roles of chair and CEO while prior the M&A there were two individuals for both roles. He didn’t want to deny that there might be concerns and wanted everything aired out.
      • Wanted to get to know all board members better and give them an opportunity to know him
      • Cared to optimally sustain and increase the board’s unique momentum under a new leadership and desired to create effective board dynamics going forward.
  • Focus on the company’s strategy and success roadmap
    • The new chair wanted a strategic session, immediately, to ensure clarity and unanimity in the strategic direction of the new company. He felt that it was critical for all board members to be able to articulate the company’s strategic positioning succinctly and consistently as soon as possible.

Why Was I Introduced?

The new chair and CEO had been a participant as an external guest at a Board Strategic Planning meeting that I led for the company he ended up acquiring one year later.

Since I knew the board members and the prior chair, he felt that it was the right fit for me to help him plan and lead his first board meeting.

We agreed that there would be two major sessions for the first board meeting and that I would facilitate both. One session was to acknowledge the transition and the other to conduct an intense strategic dialogue.

In preparation for the first session, I spent approximately one hour on the phone with each of the board members. The inquiry I used for the phone exchange was designed to cover three important topics:

  • Board climate
  • Board effectiveness
  • New board leadership

I captured each board member’s input on these topics. My goal was to assist the board in maintaining its special flow and quality as it moved into the new phase. We had this dialogue around a “bonfire” enabling a comfortable conversation.

My planning and leading of their first strategic session post the M&A was very successful.

Results

  • All board members are aligned with the strategic direction of the company. Everyone had the opportunity to comment and significantly contribute.
  • This board is in transition and everyone is now fully conscious of it. Though the composition of this board has not been dramatically altered, the company has a new CEO, and the same person leads as CEO and chair. The spirit of entrepreneurship is brewing and undoubtedly present within the board as it defines its style and climate.
  • Both sessions activated new thoughts as well as new levels of communication and interaction. It is exciting and it has significant implications on how this board intends to operate in the future.

It is special for a chair who is the primary shareholder to truly care to preserve the deeper essence that has permeated throughout a board. It is unusual for a chair to seek input from board members as he begins exercising his leadership authority.

To my client who is the chair, it is integral to the success of his future leadership and to ensure that this board is effective. Many chairs would not be sensitive to that. In my opinion it is essential and instrumental to maximize the board effectiveness going forward.

 

Testimonials

From the Audit Chair:

“The meeting was wonderfully arranged and allowed us to concentrate on our company’s business as productively as possible. We accomplished a lot, I believe, yet we all left with so many good, beefy questions to think on in the next few weeks. All very encouraging.

The evening was beautifully orchestrated. I feel enriched by the dialogue.”

From the Chair and CEO:

“Thank you all for the board meeting the past 24 hours that was so successful. I am truly grateful to be surrounded with such quality folks… a wonderful board… and Johanne’s help to pull this together. Thanks for the hard work at this first board meeting.”

From the Lead Director:

“As I transition from previous chair to lead director I found the session honoring this transition to be both moving and extremely effective. It enabled us to move into the new board structure smoothly and to continue the sense of openness, candor and team that has permeated this group. Johanne did a superb job in creating the environment for the dialogue, seeking input from all, adding her own perspective and wisdom, and facilitating the session. With her energy and caring she established the tone for the meeting and insured that we participated in frank and constructive way.”

From a Board Member:

“Thanks for materials for the board conversation about the climate and future considerations as we transition. Very helpful and provides a wonderful platform to start the new company from.”

Johanne Bouchard

Johanne Bouchard, a serial entrepreneur and former high-tech marketing executive, is a governance and leadership advisor to boards, CEOs, executives and entrepreneurs, as well as an expert in board composition and dynamics. An accomplished author and blogger, Johanne has published a number of eBooks, and her articles have been published in Ethical Boardroom and NACD's Directorship. She is an advocate for STEM, increased diversity in the boardroom and patients' rights.

More Posts

Related

Filed Under: Boards, Featured Case Studies Tagged With: Board Integration Session, johanne bouchard, Strategic Planning Session

Client Success Stories

  • Board of Directors Alignment Session: A Case Study
  • Board and CEO Leadership Effectiveness Assessment
  • Board Leadership Effectiveness Assessment
  • Strategic Planning Session for the Board and the Executive Team (Case 1)
  • Strategic Planning Session for the Board and the Executive Team (Case 2)
  • M&A Board Integration Session and Strategic Planning Session
  • M&A Board Integration Session
  • Executive Leadership Coaching
  • Executive Boot Camp
  • Executive Leadership Effectiveness Assessment
  • Partial Client List

Explore the BonneFire Community

BonneFire is a yearly subscription with 12 monthly offerings inspiring self-mastery and transparent leadership in service of both the individual and the collective, for healthier individuals and healthier organizations.

Members also receive two half-hours of one-on-one coaching with Johanne. 

Each month has a unique theme that guides the focus of each month’s inspiring guidance and teaching. Members receive one email the first week of each month consisting of:

bonnefire iconPulse Check

 

bonnefire iconReflection

 

bonnefire iconPractice

 

Each month, Johanne chooses a theme and determines the focus for that month’s inspiring guidance and teaching pulse check, reflection and practice.

Click here to learn more!

What I Write About…

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Sign up to receive emails from Johanne:

The meeting was fantastic. It was an undisputable success. The interaction was superior and beyond what anyone could have thought was possible. Everyone embraced you and your skills in ways that I have never seen before. I learned a lot about the process and it has been very meaningful. It illuminated me into focused actions. It galvanized the entire executive team across the five business units. Really exciting…

- Audit Chair

Johanne, the offsite was terrific and you did a fabulous job leading us through some very challenging tasks. I have great faith in our leadership team. I’m glad the learning and collaboration will continue.

Excellent meeting.

Amazing meeting. Loved it.

- GMs of Business Units

You did a very good job. I like the process, like the rigor, like the completeness and the sensitivity with which you presented tough issues. I like the individual profiles and how they lead to both learning for me as well as opportunity for team building.

- Independent Director

I recommended you for this task because I felt that the depth of inquiry and the thoroughness of your approach are important to bring the Board to a new level of quality and interaction. I found your work very complete and am glad that you brought to the surface a number of issues that have to be addressed to improve our effectiveness as a Board. Your observations and recommendations go to the heart of what makes a Board a team (and what gets in the way).

- Governance Chair

Johanne has an innate ability to bring out the best in all whom she touches. She practices what she preaches – patience, courage, generosity, wisdom and humility. Her contributions have positively impacted our Company and working environment and will result in increased profitability and shareholder value.

- CEO

Johanne is truly exceptional at what she does. I've worked with many consultants over the years, and what sets her apart is the combination of her right- and left-brain skills. She knows how to listen, catch unspoken cues, instill trust and openness, while also being focused on the substance of the issues, the complexities of the situation and challenges, and the business issues that have to get solved. She is direct and candid while also unusually sensitive. By applying these skills, she helped us analyze what was going on in our business, shed light on the core management and governance issues, and facilitated our discussions among the decision makers about the next steps to take. I would work with her again in a heartbeat.

- Independent Director, Governance Committee

I have seen Johanne's skilled handling of important executive interfaces and her ability to quickly get to the heart of the issues and lead to results. That certainly happened here. I found that even in cases where the participants thought they had good communication we reached new levels of connection and candor, all helping us be most efficient at a time when that is most important in our company.

- Senior Vice President

Johanne has provided a mirror into myself. Helping me to step back and view my actions and true feelings. By her perceptive and insightful questioning she enabled me to look within. Just being able to speak openly about myself was most helpful. Without question this awareness is leading to positive change both personally and professionally. I find myself a more effective participant with both my direct reports, peers and my Board.

- CEO

I thank Johanne for her clarity and quick ability to cut through the clutter. She made a huge difference. I have grown a lot. Johanne’s exceptional wisdom for defining and supporting the needs of clients were a real asset to us. Johanne is exceptionally gifted at understanding how to balance and focus for success. I highly recommend her to any company looking to grow.

- CEO

Thank you so very much for the day of focus for our team. We really needed it and I do not believe we could have done it without you. You are such a wonderful friend of ours. I personally left feeling inspired and clear. You are a beautiful person to facilitate those connections.

- CEO

Thank you for such a productive session. It was wonderful to have your support and focus in connecting the team. Your constant guidance in finding clarity is a true gift for our organization.

- CEO

The time spent was of tremendous help to me personally as it gave me a chance to review all aspects of our operations. Johanne's attentiveness and level of support was remarkable. Her sense for the big picture will keep us all focused on the right priorities.

I can't thank Johanne enough.

- CEO

Johanne Bouchard is a pioneer and a leader who brings to the process of executive coaching and strategic planning a focused, high-energy and highly- effective approach. In a short time and in a seemingly effortless manner, she leads an individual or a team to a crystal-clear understanding of their core values, their goals and a path to achieving them.

- CEO

Johanne has a remarkable ability to inspire others to share with perfect honesty, overcome their own barriers, and find greater clarity for their purpose. Her dedication to her work comes from a sincere passion for guiding others in their quest for successful leadership and life skills. Johanne's encouraging style supports rather than leads, promotes as opposed to advises.

- REMIA participant

Thank you very much for your kindness, warmth and thoughtfulness for our team. Your team building session was beautifully on point, and done very constructively.

- CEO

Johanne is an outstanding professional with exceptional coaching skills. She is insightful and a very effective communicator.

- Ken Coleman- Board Chairman, Saama Technologies and special advisor to Andreessen Horowitz Venture Capital firm

Johanne worked with our board at Accelrys to enhance our effectiveness. She provided tremendous value and insight in a very collegial manner.

- Jeff Rodek - Former Chair and CEO of Hyperion, Former President and COO Ingram Micro 

Johanne Bouchard is a unique consultant and advisor who brings clarity to high urgency situations in short order. She has served several of the companies I am involved with as a Board member in various assignments including Board 360, Executive Team assessment, leading and facilitating strategic planning sessions, and CEO coaching. In all these assignments she has displayed dedication, creativity, depth, and an unerring focus on reflecting the reality of the situation and presenting it as such to the client, with concrete suggestions for improvement and increased efficiency. I highly recommend Johanne.

- Ricardo Levy  - Lecturer at Stanford, former Chair, former Chairman and CEO of Catalytica  

If you have an organizational leadership problem to solve (the bigger the better) and need a tireless, objective collaborator to assist, challenge and drive you (and she WILL drive you), work with Johanne. And if you welcome the friendship that will grow from that experience, you couldn't do better.

- Steve Snyder - Former EVP/GM CBS Interactive Games, Music and Sports

Johanne's work is, in a word, spectacular. She digs in on a project like no one I know, she is thorough, thoughtful, and does superb "inquiry" work early in a project. She brings a wealth of experience to her projects, including marketing expertise, consumer research, management and leadership insights, and insightful summaries of the issues. Her work is honest, clear, clean, and useful. She is a truth-finder and a truth-teller. Johanne is an intense, yet calm and measured expert - she knows where to look, what to ask, and how to propose key points and plans of action. Her logistics and organizational skills are world class, and her follow up is superb. As you can read, my professional opinion of Johanne is of the highest level. I believe she can excel at virtually any assignment or challenge presented.

- John Hamm - Strategy and Leadership Advisor, Former VC, Former TCG - The Chasm Group Advisors and Former CEO

I have known Johanne since the times she was building BOSS when helping high-tech executives and companies with globalization and International market development. She was a pioneer in her field helping American companies not treating International as an afterthought. She was an invaluable trusted advisor to senior executives and CEOs in need to succeed in Europe and in need to adjust their leadership style to grow their organizations overseas. I recommend Johanne to CEOs and Executives as a partner when significantly challenged to take their organizations to new levels. She has broad operating, marketing and leadership experience and a proven track record to continually deliver results. Her dynamism is infectious/inspirational.

- Philippe D’Argent - Former Senior VP Dell Europe, Former Senior VP Toshiba Europe

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