Case Studies
What you’ll find below is a selection of leadership situations I’ve worked on, from delegation and team dynamics to navigating pressure and complex relationships.
All case studies are presented anonymously to ensure full confidentiality.
Case Study 1: From Overloaded Manager to Delegating Leader
Client profile
Mid-level manager in a fast-growing technology company leading a team of eight specialists.
The Challenge
After being promoted from a technical role, the manager remained deeply involved in operational work.
His reasoning was: “If I delegate this, I’ll probably need to redo it later.”
Over time, this created several problems:
long working hours
decision bottlenecks
limited initiative from the team
The manager felt responsible for everything, yet increasingly overwhelmed.
Coaching Approach
The coaching focused on three areas:
Clarifying the leadership role - We explored the shift from individual contributor to leader of capability.
Mapping team strengths - Through structured reflection and observation, the manager identified where each team member could take greater ownership.
Delegation experiments - Instead of delegating entire projects, the manager practiced delegating specific components of work, with clear expectations and feedback loops.
The approach combined elements of:
Solution-Focused Coaching
Cognitive Behavioural Coaching
strength-based leadership development
Results
Within four months:
Delegated tasks increased from 2 to 8 per week
Working hours reduced by approximately 15 hours per week
Manager self-rated delegation confidence improved from 3/10 to 7/10
Team members also began taking greater initiative during meetings and project planning.
Estimated ROI
Recovered managerial time: 15 hours/week × 48 weeks ≈ 720 hours
At an estimated managerial value of €60/hour: ≈ €43,000 annual productivity regained
Key Insight
Although delegation might look like a technical problem, it is more of a shift in how leaders see their role: from doing the work to developing the people who do the work.
Case Study 2: Leading Former Peers After a Promotion
Client profile
Newly promoted manager in a professional services firm, leading a team of six former colleagues.
The Challenge
The promotion created subtle tension within the team: team members didn't engage during the meetings, and feedback was neither requested nor offered.
The new manager felt caught between two identities:
remaining approachable
being recognized as the leader
Avoiding tough but necessary conversations started to increase the distance between team members.
Coaching Approach
The coaching journey focused on three themes:
Leadership identity - Clarifying what leadership means in this new role.
Emotional awareness - Recognizing reactions inside the leader and the team, and responding intentionally rather than defensively.
Difficult conversation preparation - Using structured conversation frameworks and role-play to practice addressing tensions constructively.
The work integrated elements from:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) tools applied in coaching
Appreciative Inquiry
conflict competence frameworks
Results
Within the coaching engagement:
Manager leadership confidence increased from 4/10 to 8/10
Team meetings became more participative
Unresolved issues reported by the manager decreased significantly
The team began addressing tensions earlier and more openly.
ROI Signals
Improved clarity and earlier conflict resolution reduced repeated discussions and decision delays.
Estimated time saved in team alignment meetings: ≈ 3 hours per week
Key Insight
Leadership legitimacy grows when leaders create the conditions where honest conversations become possible. Authority alone is not enough.
Case Study 3: Navigating Pressure Between Leadership and Team
Client profile
Middle manager in the finance department of a large retail organization, responsible for a team of six specialists.
The Challenge
The manager found himself in a difficult position: senior leadership was pushing for faster reporting cycles and tighter financial controls, while his team was already working at full capacity. This created constant tension.
The manager often felt he had to explain the same limitations repeatedly to different stakeholders. Over time, the conversations became exhausting, and he began avoiding some of them altogether.
This avoidance increased stress and left expectations unclear on both sides.
The manager’s goal was to:
manage stress more effectively
communicate boundaries more clearly
navigate expectations from both directions without constant friction
Coaching Approach
The coaching focused on three key areas.
Clarifying responsibility vs. expectation - We explored which requests were truly within his control and which ones required negotiation or escalation. This helped separate responsibility from perceived obligation.
Structured communication: The manager clearly framed constraints while proposing alternative solutions, shifting the conversation from defensive explanations to constructive dialogue.
Energy and stress management - Through structured reflection and elements of Acceptance and Commitment Coaching, we explored how to remain present and composed in repetitive or challenging conversations.
The work integrateded:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) tools applied in coaching
Solution-Focused Coaching
systemic leadership thinking
Results
Within six months:
The manager reported significantly lower stress levels during stakeholder interactions
Conversations with senior leadership became more solution-focused rather than defensive
Expectations within the team became clearer
The manager also reported that recurring discussions with internal stakeholders became shorter and more productive because boundaries and constraints were communicated more directly.
ROI Signals
Clearer communication reduced repeated discussions and decision loops. Estimated time saved in recurring alignment conversations: ≈ 2–3 hours per week. This allowed the manager to spend more time supporting his team’s priorities and less time revisiting the same unresolved questions.
Key Insight
Many middle managers experience pressure from both directions. Leadership becomes far more sustainable when managers learn to communicate constraints clearly while remaining collaborative and solution-oriented.
