IESE Coaching Symposium 2026

Case Study:

Performance on the Edge

You are coaching the business leader of a medium sized software company. They are doing well, but operating in a highly competitive market niche. 150 people – all in one office. Facing a difficult people decision, your client arranged a session with you.

All you know so far is that Alex is a senior member of the team – if not the best salesperson in the organisation. Alex’s work has been consistently excellent, and several critical milestones rely heavily on delivery of revenue paying customers.

Recently, however, team morale has begun to drop noticeably. You have heard that people feel irritated by Alex. Several colleagues have quietly reported that Alex’s behaviour is dismissive, impatient, and at times openly undermining. No formal complaints have been filed, but two team members have hinted they may look for other roles if “things don’t change.”

Your client must decide how to act and wants to make a decision with your support, balancing performance, culture, risk, fairness and whatever else they deem relevant.