BAT Modern Oral formed a brand new global team to deliver a high priority category under significant commercial pressure.
Inner Leader partnered with BAT to support the team to build trust, clarity and psychological safety as the foundations for strong performance.
Company Name
British American Tobacco (BAT) Modern Oral
Industry
Global FMCG
Services
Leadership and Team Development, Team Effectiveness Programmes, & One to One Coaching
The Challenge
In 2022, operations moved from the United States to Southampton and an entirely new team was built. Thirty four people from seventeen nationalities came together, many of whom had never worked together before.
While technical capability was strong, differences in communication styles and cultural norms made collaboration challenging. In some cultures, challenging ideas or pushing back was not encouraged. In others, directness was expected.
With high commercial pressure and no shared ways of working, the risk was not a lack of effort, but a lack of openness. Without psychological safety, leaders could quickly become decision bottlenecks and valuable ideas could remain unspoken.
What Was Delivered
The work was designed as a bespoke programme, shaped around the needs of the Modern Oral team. Using DISC behavioural profiling as a shared language, Inner Leader created a practical framework that supported leaders, teams, and individuals in understanding how they work best together and applying that insight in real-time.
Leadership Development
The leadership group focused on psychological safety, communication and empowerment. Leaders learned how to step back, remove themselves as decision bottlenecks and enable the team to take ownership.
Team Development
Whole team sessions helped people understand different working styles, build trust quickly and challenge ideas constructively. Hierarchy was removed, allowing every voice to be heard.
One-to-One Coaching
Individual coaching supported people to build confidence, clarity and presence. This unlocked stronger communication, greater contribution and peer leadership across the team.
Impact at a Glance
A Culture That Sustains Itself
Perhaps the most powerful outcome was sustainability. The team continues to perform at a high level without constant leadership involvement, even as roles change and leaders relocate internationally.
People step in to support one another, challenge ideas openly and take responsibility without being asked. New joiners quickly sense the culture and adapt to it.
Why This Worked
The success of the programme came from treating leadership development as a performance strategy, not a one off intervention. By combining leadership development, team learning and individual coaching, BAT created a culture where people could think clearly, challenge constructively and take ownership.
The result was not just improved performance in the moment, but a team that continues to deliver independently, even as roles evolve and leadership changes.
