Case Study

DeltaAssociates

Personality assessments become an essential part of the executive coaching curriculum at leadership consulting firm

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Challenge

Helping executives recognise the link between personal awareness and professional success.

Delta Associates is a consultancy that works with high-level executives and management teams to improve leadership effectiveness and organisational performance. Founder Carol Kallendorf, PhD, often coaches individuals who are time-poor, results-driven, and hesitant to explore personal development.

These executives are unlikely to seek therapy or mentorship, but they face complex challenges that are often both business-related and personal. Kallendorf needed an approach that quickly built trust, identified underlying issues, and connected personal insights to professional development—all while aligning with a busy executive’s mindset and expectations.

One particular client—a fast-growing call centre—tasked Delta with helping its management team reduce high turnover. With limited time and high stakes, the challenge was to quickly diagnose team issues, deliver meaningful development, and demonstrate clear business value.

Solution

Combining MBTI®, CPI 260®, and FIRO-B® assessments with personalised coaching and team training.

Kallendorf uses research-based assessments to efficiently start coaching conversations and address both personal and business concerns. Her approach typically begins with clients taking one or two assessments online, followed by a structured debrief that explores both self-awareness and leadership effectiveness.

At the call centre, 13 managers completed multiple assessments. The CPI 260 instrument revealed low resilience in four individuals—offering immediate clarity on the source of stress and burnout. The MBTI® tool also revealed blind spots in the senior manager's awareness of her team's needs. With this new insight, the organisation was able to reassign roles and restructure certain responsibilities to better suit individual strengths.

Kallendorf also provides one-to-one coaching to presidents of geographically dispersed business units. Here, assessments help uncover interpersonal blind spots, identify stressors, and even reconnect individuals with personal passions—like rediscovering horseback riding as a form of stress relief. Every insight becomes an opportunity to connect personal well-being with leadership success.

Key Programme Elements:

  • MBTI®, CPI 260®, and FIRO-B® assessments for comprehensive insight
  • Online assessment completion followed by structured debrief sessions
  • Role reassignment and responsibility restructuring based on assessment results
  • One-to-one coaching for senior leaders across dispersed locations
  • Integration of personal well-being with leadership effectiveness

Results

Stronger retention, faster insight, and leadership development rooted in self-awareness.

Delta Associates’ work led to significant improvements in leadership performance and retention. At the call centre, turnover dropped at both management and customer service levels after team roles were reshaped. The senior manager gained new confidence and credibility within the company.

Across clients, assessments enabled faster onboarding into coaching conversations and more targeted development. Leaders began to see the clear connection between their personal growth and professional effectiveness. In one case, a president realised his interpersonal behaviour—previously unexamined—had cost him a job. In another, an executive learned to manage competing demands from work and home.

Clients also expanded assessment use beyond self-awareness. A sales organisation trained its team in MBTI® type to tailor pitches to different buyers. A law firm used type to support jury selection. Delta even developed a 360-degree feedback tool for venture capital firms and now supports clients with pre-employment testing.

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