Vision Alignment and Cultural Transformation at a Financial Services Firm
A financial services firm undergoing significant internal transformation—including leadership changes and organizational restructuring—recognized the need for a clear, shared vision and a culturally aligned workforce to support future growth.
Client Overview
Following a recent reorganization, the firm faced:
+ Leadership transitions that created uncertainty.
+ A need to unify diverse perspectives under a single, forward-looking vision.
+ The challenge of ensuring every team member felt heard, valued, and engaged in the change process.
Leadership sought a trusted third-party facilitator to guide the organization through this pivotal moment—someone who could help surface honest insights, foster alignment, and co-create a roadmap for sustainable growth.
Challenge
To address these challenges, I led a multi-phase engagement designed to uncover the organization’s current state, align internal perceptions, and co-develop a compelling vision for the future.
Approach
Phase 1: Discovery & Assessment
+ Conducted an external audit of the firm’s public presence (website, marketing materials, online reputation).
+ Designed and administered surveys and interviews with internal team members and external clients to gather diverse perspectives.
+ Facilitated a collaborative team event focused on cultural reflection and future visioning.
+ Led an interactive timeline exercise where team members mapped organizational highs and lows, attaching emotions and personal reflections to key moments—creating a shared narrative and honoring the organization’s journey.
+ Introduced a dynamic, participatory SWOT analysis to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats from multiple vantage points.
Phase 2: Cultural Exploration & Visioning
+ Analyzed qualitative data from surveys and interviews to identify misalignments and validate perceptions.
+ Conducted one-on-one and group sessions to address misunderstandings and build consensus.
+ Facilitated a half-day strategic planning session to solidify a unified vision and define cultural aspirations, growth opportunities, and strategic priorities.
Phase 3: Alignment & Strategy Development
+ Unified Vision: The firm emerged with a clear, co-created vision master plan that reflected the voices of all team members.
+ Cultural Alignment: The organization transitioned from fragmented perspectives to a shared understanding of its identity and future direction.
+ Strategic Readiness: With alignment achieved, the firm is now positioned for:
+ Team Growth: Stronger internal cohesion and morale.
+ Geographic Expansion: A clear roadmap for scaling operations.
+ Customer-Centric Innovation: Renewed focus on client needs and service excellence.
+ Performance Growth: A strategic framework to guide measurable progress.
Results
“Vicki served our team in the familiar endeavor of strategic planning (business planning/vision mapping). The tools she used aided our team in 'seeing' our organization, helping us take inventory and dream, and aligning in the most meaningful way. But we had work to do to get to that place. Throughout the process, various cultural dynamics exposed themselves through the healthy and safe environment Vicki helped create. Some of these dynamics were encouraging and familiar to all of us as team members. Some of them were admittedly very hard things to hear, but critical truths to be acknowledged and engaged and worked through, nonetheless. Having Vicki alongside our team during this time in our organization’s story was such a gift, and we’re undeniably a better organization because of it today.”
Principal, Financial Services Firm