Creating lasting organizational impact through executive leadership development
The Martin Agency, advertising & marketing agency, part of the global Omnicom group
Industry:
Advertising & Marketing
Role:
Executive and senior leaders
Focus:
Executive leadership development and coaching
Engagement length:
Ongoing partnership since 2020
Impact & lasting value:
- Stronger individual and collective leadership
- Deeper self-awareness and behavioral change
- Stronger leadership connections
- Learning sustained beyond the program
- Wider impact across the organization
“They take time to get to know you, your business, your purpose, and what matters most in your world, which not only makes learning meaningful, but creates immediate and sustainable impact. Their passion, focus, commitment and big picture thinking also ensures that there is a ripple effect across the organization. ”
Tasha Dean, Chief Innovation Officer, Martin AgencyChallenging established leadership behaviors to support ambitious growth
The Martin Agency partnered with CEC Global across leadership, talent and coaching initiatives after one of its executives experienced CEC’s work through a leadership program delivered for Interpublic Group.
In 2022, the agency wanted to create a meaningful development experience for its executive leadership team that would go beyond conventional leadership training.
The program challenged senior leaders to think more deeply about who they were as leaders, how they showed up, the influence they had on others, and the wider organizational systems shaping their own leadership.
This meant examining ingrained styles, behaviors and thinking at both an individual and collective level – while creating an environment where leaders felt supported enough to move beyond familiar ways of working.
Creating space for deeper reflection, connection and practical leadership learning
CEC designed and delivered a leadership development program specifically for The Martin Agency’s executive leadership team.
The program combined deep personal reflection with collective learning, encouraging leaders to examine their own behaviors, assumptions and influence while exploring the challenges facing the leadership team and business more broadly.
CEC created a supportive environment in which participants could step outside their comfort zones, challenge established thinking and build stronger connections with one another in service of the agency’s ambitions.
Practical exercises, case studies and group sessions helped bring complex ideas — including leadership within complex systems — to life. Leaders applied these ideas directly to real business and leadership challenges, stepping back from immediate issues and considering them from multiple perspectives.
The wider partnership also included executive coaching assignments with senior leaders, providing individualized support alongside the collective leadership development work.
Key areas of focus
- Increasing leadership self-awareness
- Challenging established behaviors and ways of thinking
- Understanding leadership within complex systems
- Strengthening individual and collective leadership
- Building high-quality connections within the leadership team
- Applying learning to real business challenges
- Supporting executive and senior leaders through coaching
Why the approach worked
- Development was tailored to the agency’s business, purpose and ambitions
- Complex leadership concepts were made practical and accessible
- Real organizational challenges formed part of the learning
- Individual reflection was combined with collective leadership development
- A supportive environment enabled leaders to challenge ingrained behaviors
- Executive coaching reinforced development at an individual level
- The long-term partnership enabled CEC to understand the organization in depth
Leadership development created enduring value for leaders, the team and the wider organization
The engagement challenged established leadership behaviors and strengthened how leaders thought, learned and worked together, with concepts and experiences continuing to influence the team beyond the formal program.
Leader
Leaders developed deeper insight into their own behaviors, influence and impact, creating opportunities for meaningful personal and professional growth.
- Greater leadership self-awareness
- Established behaviors and assumptions challenged
- Broader perspectives on leadership challenges
- Increased capacity for behavioral change
- Individual development reinforced through executive coaching
Teams
The executive leadership team strengthened its collective learning and connection while developing new ways of approaching shared challenges.
- Stronger high-quality connections
- Greater collective reflection
- Leadership challenges explored from multiple perspectives
- Increased ability to work with complexity
- Shared learning that continued beyond the program
Organization
Development was closely connected to the agency’s ambitions, creating impact that extended beyond individual participants.
- Leadership development aligned with business priorities
- Greater capacity to navigate complex organizational challenges
- Learning applied directly to real business issues
- Sustainable impact beyond the formal intervention
- Wider ripple effect across the organization
Quality assured
- Partner-led from planning through to completion
- Regular stakeholder review and alignment
- Award-winning coaching supervision
- Ethical coaching practice and professional governance
- Continuous quality and effectiveness improvement
- Confidentiality and risk management