Brewing a New Era: Costa Coffee’s Strategic Transformation for Global Growth
Costa Coffee, the world’s second-largest coffeehouse chain, faced significant challenges following multiple acquisitions and the impact of…
Having worked with MAG (Manchester Airport Group) and delivered a year of laser-focused Programmes, it was only a matter of time before we crossed paths with CAVU. As part of their efforts towards a full cultural turnaround, MAG had introduced us to Martin Jones, CEO of CAVU, who headed up their tech-driven breakaway organisation.
From our first call in January of 2023, we already knew that we were facing a very different company altogether that needed a completely new set of Programmes and Outcomes.
It was an incredibly challenging time for the people especially, moving from a large publicly trading company in MAG to a small start-up in CAVU, and with their success a further transition into a scale-up. We knew we had to work together to completely transform their culture, and we envisioned doing this by equipping CAVU’s new leadership with the right Breakthrough Tools to lead and manage their workloads and energy. This introduced a common language which aimed to improve communication across different business units.
Starting in the Spring of 2023, Breakthrough has worked with the top leadership in CAVU via Wave 1 Executive and Leadership Programmes. These Programmes came at a crucial time in CAVU, as despite the growth and success of the business, reports revealed that many felt exhausted, lost, or confused about their own future and CAVU’s future. What we had identified with Martin, was that what has gotten them to their present success, will not serve them for the next few years. Knowing this, we tailored our Programme including a hybrid mix of In-Person and Virtual Accelerators throughout the year, to focus on Mindsets, raising energy levels, and improving alignment throughout the team.
More than just the leadership, it was clear that we needed to work directly with the wider CAVU team to cascade this Breakthrough Culture and maintain the momentum. Regardless of whether someone joined from MAG or from one of 12 different product teams, they needed to speak one CAVU language. Till the present with more to come, we have been rolling out Wave 3 Breakthrough Tools Programmes to 300 CAVU associates, establishing a Common Language and instilling a Breakthrough Culture.
It is still too early to pinpoint the exact numerical improvements Breakthrough has brought CAVU over the last year of working together, but throughout all our surveys and reports, we have seen alignment, energy, and focus improve at all levels within CAVU. We are proud to be a part of laying the foundations for a one unified CAVU, whose high performance and united culture will persist for years to come, impacting all new joiners and new acquisitions alike.
As we enter 2024, we have plans to further equip CAVU to increase their resilience and the overall health of the organisation, through our Breakthrough Thriving Organisation Programme, and a Breakthrough Summit that will bring everyone across their leadership community closer together.