The challenge
This certified BCorp coffee roaster in the heart of Yorkshire was set up with a clear goal: to make the coffee industry more sustainable and viable for everyone in the supply chain. Husband and wife owners Hols and Krag steered the business into significant growth, flexing to survive the pandemic, and bringing in fresh talent across the three areas of retail, roasting and online.
But there was more to their dreams. They wanted to create a cooperative, empowered and flat-structured ways of working. Keen to build a shared leadership approach, they wanted to shake up the power dynamic and allow innovation to happen where it was most needed. By bringing everyone together behind a shared vision for the future, Hols and Krag hoped they could delegate more, freeing them to work on the future of the business and develop their own coaching approach to leadership.
The approach
We designed our work with North Star around three key phases.
Phase one was aimed at uniting the leaders around a common purpose and team charter. We introduced skills development around delegation, decision-making, culture and wellbeing, as well as how to take a coaching approach to leadership. A series of off site days gave them time to think carefully about the business, in a fresh way.
In phase two, we delved into one-to-one coaching for all leaders, supporting their transition into the new, cohesive ways of working. This gave them all a safe space to chat about what the changes meant to each of them.
Phase three saw us bring in peer group coaching for the leader group, with one-to-one coaching continuing as needed. The peer groups used the action learning process, devoting a regular day every month to coming together and working on challenges as a group.
All of our work together was tied into North Star’s determination to do more good in the world.
The results
Examples of innovation and accountability started to pop up in all corners of the business. Small changes that made big differences happened swiftly, as individuals started to shift their thinking toward the bigger picture.
People started to think about what else they might be able to contribute to the wider organisation and began to turn problems into creative solutions. And the business continued to grow.
A surprise – but positive – benefit of the work was that Hols and Krag were able to welcome their new daughter Ella into the world. They immersed themselves in parental leave, knowing they’d built a strong team, with clear boundaries, which was capable of leading the business in the short to medium term.
It was heartwarming to see them enjoy more peace of mind as they navigated this major personal change.
Our work with North Star continues.
The verdict
"We decided to work with Jen to build upon work we had been doing to create our purpose and growth strategy. She was the missing piece to our puzzle and helped us to see a way forwards that did not mean myself or Hols simply giving more and more of ourselves to our business. Not only was this a huge relief in the immediate term given the imminent arrival of our daughter, but it also helped us envision a future in which we can enjoy the work we do knowing that our people are empowered and supported. It has been one of the best decisions we have made in the past decade and has liberated us from the day to day, allowing our team to reach their full potential."
Alex Kragioupolos, CoFounder, North Star