Joanne Mills, Chief Merchant Officer at 365 Emporium, wondered to herself whether Ma Kena Lane had really changed: Makena Lane Case Study, HBS, Ireland

Joanne Mills, Chief Merchant Officer at 365 Emporium, wondered to herself whether Ma Kena Lane had really changed. It had been a year since Lane had started working with an executive coach after being passed up for a promotion. Despite earning high praise from senior leaders for her refreshing ability to drive results, complaints from peers and other teams about her “concerning” interpersonal style had made it impossible to promote Lane a year earlier.

Lane, who had been hired four years earlier by 365’s Vice President of Health & Beauty Alec Fernandez, was one of several external hires brought in to catalyze much-needed strategic transformation. 365 had spent a decade relying almost exclusively on acquisitions to grow, and senior leaders believed 365 required major internal changes to fuel organic growth. The sense of urgency Lane brought to the job and the changes she initiated had yielded a dramatic turnaround in financial results to the delight of Fernandez, Mills, and other executives.

But to say that she “ruffled some feathers” in the process was an understatement. Since Lane had started, numerous long-term employees on her team had left. Mills knew that some departed because they lacked the skill set necessary to execute lane’s new approach, but Lane’s “abrasive” style and determination to “break rules” contributed too. After hearing negative feedback on Lane’s relational skills, Mills had decided against promoting her last time, but together with Fernandez had offered her the option of working one-on-one with a coach, because they believed strongly in her leadership potential.

Mills glanced down at the document Lane had emailed her at the end of her year of coaching —a list of her key takeaways and lessons. Each point was well thought out and showed sincere effort. Yesterday, Lane’s progress had become a priority after Fernandez had announced to Mills that he would be leaving 365 in two weeks for an online retailer. Had it not been for the history of complaints about her, Lane more clearly would have been the top contender for his position.

Mills feared that if she were passed up for promotion again, Lane would also depart, just when her strategy had begun to work. And yet, while there had been changes in Lane’s external behavior, she continued to have dissenters as well as advocates. Mills wondered if Lane’s changes were a result of authentic transformation or if they were temporary superficial steps taken merely to check off boxes on the path to promotion.