Leadership Development & Strategy Design for a National Corporation

Client Situation & Challenge

This healthcare organization traces its roots to the early 1900s, when timber workers in the Pacific Northwest pooled wages to support one another—establishing a legacy grounded in health equity and access to quality care. While the organization has evolved significantly, this founding purpose continues to shape its mission and values.

In January 2021, a new CEO succeeded a long-tenured predecessor of 18 years. Having spent nearly two decades within the organization—primarily in Sales—the CEO stepped into the role with a deep understanding of the business and a clear intention to define his leadership legacy. Amid shifting cultural expectations and industry dynamics, he identified an opportunity to elevate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) as both a cultural and strategic priority. To support this vision, the organization created its first enterprise-wide DEI leadership role, appointing Kimberly Frank to lead the effort.

Our approach was intentionally leadership-centered, grounded in the belief that sustainable organizational impact, whether it is DEI or another strategy, is driven from the top. We began with a comprehensive organizational assessment to evaluate DEI maturity and equip the CEO and senior leadership team with clear, actionable insights on where their leadership would be most critical. Findings confirmed a strong existing foundation—including DEI training and active ERGs—while highlighting opportunities for more visible and consistent executive leadership.

To ensure leaders had direct exposure to employee experience, we conducted town hall meetings, focus groups, and one-on-one interviews across levels and functions, complemented by engagement survey data. This provided leadership with a holistic, unfiltered view of the culture they were shaping.

From these insights, we developed a forward-looking DEI strategy that positioned the CEO and senior leadership team as primary drivers of change. DEI was embedded into core leadership expectations—integrated into decision-making, performance management, and business strategy—ensuring accountability at the highest levels.

We partnered with leadership to align policies and procedures with equitable practices and expanded training to focus on applied leadership capability. This included integrating ERG perspectives to ensure strategies reflected both employee experience and evolving customer demographics.

Given the organization’s sales-driven model, we worked closely with senior sales leaders to embed DEI into business development, client engagement, and market positioning—reinforcing it as a driver of growth. Each executive was supported in translating DEI into functional strategies aligned with business priorities.

Communication was anchored in leadership visibility. We developed both internal and external communication strategies that elevated the CEO and leadership voices, reinforcing transparency and organizational commitment.

To sustain momentum, we provided ongoing one-on-one coaching to the CEO and worked closely with the senior leadership team through executive training, alignment sessions, and tailored functional strategies. As a result, leadership became visibly engaged and aligned, embracing their role in driving DEI as a competitive business strategy.

Our strategies successfully embedded DEI into the fabric of the organization—across leadership, operations, communication, and revenue-generating functions. Most notably, the CEO and senior leadership team evolved into active, visible champions of DEI. The CEO strengthened his ability to lead inclusively and authentically, and leaders throughout the organization demonstrated increased accountability, collaboration, and ownership of DEI outcomes—accelerating enterprise-wide change.

This leadership alignment drove measurable business results. Internally, employee engagement improved, particularly in belonging, trust in leadership, and career advancement. Aligned communication and enhanced policies and practices increased transparency and reduced barriers across the employee lifecycle. ERGs evolved into strategic advisors, informing customer services, outreach, and community engagement. Within the Sales function, inclusive leadership translated directly to performance. Teams built stronger relationships with diverse customer populations, increasing market reach, client satisfaction, and conversion rates. And, DEI support was leveraged as another client benefit to member organizations with increasingly diverse employee populations. Externally, leadership’s visible commitment enhanced the organization’s reputation as an inclusive, customer-centered provider—strengthening partnerships and competitive differentiation.

As a result, DEI became a sustained driver of innovation and health equity—informing product delivery, customer engagement, and business strategy—while also improving retention, performance, and long-term competitive advantage.

• Strategic Planning – Developed a forward-looking, enterprise DEI strategy aligned with business priorities and leadership accountability.
• People Performance Development – Equipped CEO and senior leaders through coaching, training, and alignment sessions to lead inclusively and effectively.
• Systems & Culture Review – Assessed organizational culture and aligned policies, practices, and systems to reinforce equitable outcomes.
• Conference, Retreat & Meeting Facilitation – Designed and facilitated leadership engagements, town halls, and focus groups to surface employee experience and inform strategy.

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If your organization is navigating growth, transition, or complexity, we welcome a conversation about what alignment, clarity, and sustainable change could look like.