CASE STUDY

From Leader-Led to Mutual Accountability

CORENTUS CLIENT CASES | EFFECTIVE TEAMING CASE STUDY | From Leader-Led to Mutual Accountability

Transforming team dynamics - one mindset at a time.

The Turning Point
The executive team of a 200+ person firm with a strong expert culture had long operated under a leader-led model. Decisions defaulted to the CEO, and, in difficult conversations, team members either checked out or doubled down, leading to unresolved tension, delays, and a growing sense of discouragement.

Recognizing this pattern, the CEO sought a different path: one where responsibility was shared and all voices were heard. Corentus introduced RAFT, a team coaching framework that catalyzes mindset shifts by mapping Results, Actions, Feelings, and Thoughts in the current and desired future states.

Mapping the Current State
At an executive offsite, the team worked together to visualize their current dynamic:

  • Thoughts: "My voice doesn’t count," or "I have to push my way through."

  • Feelings: Frustration, isolation, and distrust.

  • Actions: Avoiding tough topics, defaulting to the CEO, or revisiting decisions repeatedly.

  • Results: Slow decision-making and a fragmented team. Important issues left unresolved within the team and for the organization.

A New Vision for the Future
Using RAFT, the team then mapped a desired future state:

  • Thoughts: "My colleagues will hear me," and "We will follow a shared process."

  • Feelings: Trust, curiosity, and openness to differences.

  • Actions: Engaging fully in discussions, surfacing differing views early, and working toward shared decisions.

  • Results: Decisions with full buy-in, clear communication, and unified execution.

Making it Stick
The team created a set of desired behaviors and began measuring progress. By April, a check-in showed early signs of change: more voices in the room, more clarity in discussions, and greater speed in execution.

The shift wasn’t just structural, it was cultural. As one team member put it, “We’re finally having the conversations we used to avoid.” That openness translated into shared ownership: team members began holding themselves, and each other, accountable for showing up differently. Mutual accountability became both a mindset and a practice.

“We’re finally having the conversations we used to avoid.”