Problem

Solution

Impact

Delta Air Lines, a U.S. global airline leader in safety, innovation, reliability, and customer experience, was faced with a toxic team situation occurring in one of its major divisions. Head of supply diversity and new to her role, Karmetria Burton quickly realized that her team was struggling and not working well together, and she herself was struggling to find the leadership center to pull it all together. This newly-created department was crucial to Delta’s efforts to demonstrate commitment to its supplier diversity initiative, so team success was imperative for company success in this arena, as well as helping ensure that Delta remain a leader in its industry.

After an employee from the supply diversity division heard Rico speak at an event, Pena Global was invited to help Karmetria and her team assess and address their challenges. Rico began by conducting initial behavioral assessments, first with Karmetria and then with each of her team members, and also closely examining their current operations and standards. The assessments and one-to-one coaching helped Karmetria realize that her leadership style sets the tone for how the team will function as a whole. But it didn’t stop there – Rico also leveraged training tools and behavioral assessments – like the DISC Analysis – to help bring awareness to Karmetria’s team members and their individual behavioral styles. The team ended up being eager to learn, and eager to learn how to be high performing, so the various learning and development training techniques and tools that Rico brought to the table were well-received.

The supply diversity team at Delta Air Lines saw improved team performance and cohesion resulting from better communication, understanding individual and teammate behavioral tendencies, and recognizing valuable behavioral triggers. The first successful annual strategy session was held. The supply diversity team later went on to be recognized for its initiatives with the company’s top minority-owned, women-owned and small business suppliers. But perhaps the most effective outcome was the new era of emerging leaders born during this process at Delta Air Lines.