A tectonic shift for organizational leaders is underway; they are tasked to lead in a world filled with endless opportunities yet riddled with uncertainties. While navigating a post-pandemic world with turbulent economic conditions and a volatile global political climate, they also have to hire and retain top talent amid a workforce that is setting new precedents in working models and work-life balance. The cumulative effect of these factors is causing ‘leadership burnout’, where they experience a loss of energy, creativity and, as importantly, poor accountability.

Linda Maul, president and founder of Accountability by Design Inc. (ABD) and Marguerite LeBlanc, president and founder of The Leaders’ Kitchen Inc. (LKI) co-developed a one-of-a-kind methodology to offer outstanding executive coaching services.

Driven by the belief that trust and accountability fuel the confidence to drive aligned action and results, they create the conditions for leaders to rebuild resilience and accountability through innovative practices that help organizations grow through change. The ABD/LK executive coaching approach helps leaders clearly communicate expectations and initiate vital conversations that lead to impactful decisions, accelerating team resilience and business growth.

“We put relationship building at the core of our services in our work with leaders. Mastering our proprietary models and processes to increase their accountability and build trustworthy relationships with their teams, results in organizational success,” says Linda Maul.

With over 60 years of business experience in various leadership roles and industries and a combined 5,000 hours of executive and team coaching experience, Maul and LeBlanc jointly developed the C3 System, a methodology focused on three factors: clarity, collaboration, and celebration. They partner with leadership teams to first identify the root cause of the issues they face and define clear, measurable results and expectations connected to purpose and values. Based on the desired results, ABD/LK work with the senior leadership to instill results-focused collaboration within the organization. Once the client starts achieving desired results, Maul and LeBlanc encourage them to celebrate their increased ability to face new challenges with reclaimed confidence and guide their organization towards growth.

A client success story further substantiates the proficiency of ABD/LK’s services. The chief administrative officer of a government organization approached Maul & LeBlanc. Their team was struggling to provide good customer service. The challenge was the absence of a possibility mindset when addressing customer concerns that led to even more customer complaints and decisions that proved unhealthy for stakeholders. Partnering with this client, Maul and LeBlanc customized an eight-month experiential program, introducing it to the senior executive team using their proprietary C3 System and other processes
ABD/LK then briefed the entire 30-member team on the methodology. The next step was to divide them into two teams, the executive leadership and senior leadership team, to practice their new learning in a safe environment. The teams participated in numerous zoom sessions ranging from two to three hours, resolving real-life scenarios through collaborative conversation, and learning to deal with emerging team dynamics along the way. Leaders also received 1:1 coaching to support implementation with their respective teams. The ultimate result was heightened confidence and excellent customer service in business-critical conversations with customers and other stakeholders while garnering increased accountability and deepened relationships based on mutual trust. “The program proved so effective that this client has now made it a part of their recruitment, onboarding and performance management process, using it every day,” says LeBlanc.

Having led numerous leadership development projects across seven countries and in indigenous communities, ABD/LK are determined to carry this relationship-based model for executive coaching to organizations around the world, to build a culture of trust and collaboration. ABD/LK advocates diversity and inclusivity and an embodied experience when partnering with an organization. Powered by the synergistic strength of all the communities, ABD/LK plans to build confident, adaptive and resilient leaders who can drive organizational success through changing times.