Following the Royal Commission, ANZ Banking Group faced a period of intense transformation and regulatory scrutiny. Beyond compliance, leaders needed clarity and confidence to guide teams through uncertainty. There was a pressing need to galvanise teams around common goals, reinforce clarity in communication, and build resilience. Coaching was identified as a critical lever to strengthen leadership capability alongside broader cultural and behavioural alignment during this pivotal time for the financial services sector.
To meet these challenges, ANZ partnered with Lysander to implement a multifaceted culture, leadership, and coaching program. Coaching was designed to supplement a broader cultural change agenda, enabling leaders to deepen self-awareness, challenge entrenched behaviours, and practise constructive dialogue.
The program also incorporated leadership workshops and frameworks to foster team cohesion, improve behavioural consistency, and embed a speak-up culture across all levels of the organisation. Together, these elements aimed to influence mindsets and behaviours, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and regulatory expectations.
The program was delivered through a combination of leadership workshops, targeted coaching sessions, and ongoing engagement across state teams and head office. Workshops provided practical tools for managing mindset, encouraging curiosity, and promoting clarity in communication. Coaching complemented these efforts by creating safe spaces for reflection and authentic dialogue, helping leaders apply concepts in real-world scenarios.
Regular reinforcement of key behaviours such as above-the-line thinking and accountability ensured consistency across the organisation. Importantly, this was a sustained program, not a one-off intervention, with cultural principles embedded at every level.
The initiative delivered significant cultural and operational benefits. Team cohesion improved markedly, with leaders and employees demonstrating greater openness and confidence in their interactions. Conversations became more constructive, supported by skills developed through coaching and workshops.
A speak-up culture emerged, empowering employees to share feedback and feel valued. Externally, business partners reported noticeable improvements in professionalism and consistency, even during challenging market conditions. Internally, a cultural risk audit returned the strongest results ever recorded, validating the program’s effectiveness.
Coaching helped leaders hone their ability to role model behaviours, lead the required transformation, build out strengths, and absorb and address areas for development. Ultimately, ANZ strengthened leadership capability, enhanced organisational resilience, and reinforced a culture that supports better customer outcomes.
In this video Simone Tilley, then General Manager for Retail Broker Distribution at ANZ, highlights Lysander’s extensive expertise in understanding and addressing the specific challenges faced at ANZ and the impact on the organisation through our partnership.
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