Executive leadership development with BeTalent

Through a powerful blend of strengths-based coaching, resilience training and decision-making diagnostics, AtkinsRéalis partnered with BeTalent by Zircon to elevate the performance and cohesion of its executive leadership team.

“Further exploration of our decision styles enabled us to capitalise on individual capabilities and skill sets, optimising our decision-making processes. By delineating decision-making responsibilities based on strategic importance, consensus or delegation, we were able to streamline our workflow and promote accountability at all levels, helping us make decisions more quickly and effectively.”

— Jilly Calder, Senior Vice President Human Resources UK & Europe, AtkinsRéalis

Global infrastructure, engineering, and project management solutions provider

37,000+ employees and $8.6 billion revenue
Sector: infrastructure and industry
Focus: Coaching, Strengths, Resilience and Decision Styles

Enhancing leadership performance at AtkinsRéalis

This case study shows how AtkinsRéalis, a global leader in infrastructure and engineering, partnered with BeTalent by Zircon to strengthen executive cohesion, support wellbeing and improve strategic decision-making in a fast-moving, high-pressure environment.

Using BeTalent Strengths, Decision Styles and Resilience, the programme helped leaders understand what they brought to the team, how they responded under pressure and how they could make decisions more effectively together.

Challenge

BeTalent by Zircon designed an integrated executive development programme using three diagnostics: Strengths, Decision Styles and Resilience.

Through personalised coaching and facilitated team sessions, leaders explored their individual profiles and the patterns across the wider team. This created a shared language for discussing contribution, pressure, collaboration and accountability.

Our Approach

BeTalent by Zircon delivered an integrated programme using three diagnostics — Strengths, Decision Styles and Resilience — to enhance both individual and collective leadership performance. Through personalised coaching and facilitated team sessions, leaders explored their unique strengths, pressure points and decision-making preferences, building a shared understanding of how to operate more effectively together.

Strengths: Leaders gained a clearer understanding of their individual and collective strengths, helping them make more deliberate use of the capabilities available across the executive team.

Decision Styles: The team explored how preferences around pace, evidence, consultation and responsibility influenced the way decisions were made.

This helped leaders consider when decisions required wider consultation or consensus, and when clearer delegation and ownership would be more effective.

Resilience: The Resilience assessment helped leaders identify personal triggers, stressors and pressure responses.

Team discussions then enabled colleagues to recognise signs of overload more readily and consider how they could support one another during demanding periods.

Deployment and Impact

More effective use of leadership strengths

A clearer view of individual and collective strengths helped the team understand where each leader could add the greatest value.

It also gave the president a more structured understanding of how to align responsibilities, manage expectations and support leaders in using their strengths effectively.

Clearer and more accountable decisions

Understanding Decision Styles helped the team make decision-making processes more explicit.

Responsibilities could be assigned more intentionally according to strategic importance, the level of consultation required and the potential for delegation. This supported clearer ownership and more efficient decision-making.

Stronger resilience and mutual support

The Resilience assessment and subsequent discussions gave the team a shared vocabulary for recognising pressure and discussing wellbeing.

Leaders became better able to identify personal stress patterns, notice early signs of overload and support colleagues more proactively.

Why it worked

Deep, evidence-based understanding: BeTalent diagnostics revealed each leader’s strengths, decision preferences and resilience patterns, creating a clear foundation for targeted development.

Strengths-led leadership: Leaders learned how to draw more deliberately on their individual and collective strengths, supporting strategic thinking, collaboration and innovation.

Clearer, more accountable decisions: Decision Styles helped the team allocate responsibility more intentionally and streamline decision processes according to strategic importance, consultation and delegation.

Greater resilience under pressure: Coaching and team discussions gave leaders practical ways to recognise pressure, support one another and sustain effectiveness through demanding periods.

“Our collaboration with BeTalent by Zircon has not only enhanced our understanding of our individual and collective strengths but also equipped us with practical strategies. This holistic approach to personal and professional development has strengthened our team dynamic and resilience in the face of challenges.”