The strategy was clear. Execution was the challenge.
As the global market leader in industrial adhesives, H.B. Fuller had a bold goal: reach the Fortune 500 with an EBITDA exceeding 20%. The strategy was well defined. Yet execution proved difficult. Decisions required multiple meetings. International teams worked alongside each other rather than together, costing valuable time and missed business opportunities.
The company’s top leadership team—28 leaders from five continents—shared the same strategic direction. What they lacked was a shared way of influencing, collaborating, and making decisions. The challenge wasn’t strategy. It was behaviour.
A deep dive in Amsterdam: confronting behaviour head-on
H.B. Fuller chose the Positive Power & Influence® Programme (PPIP) at the House of Influence in Amsterdam. All 28 senior leaders travelled to the Netherlands for an intensive programme. Through realistic business simulations and direct feedback, participants gained insight into how their behaviour influenced others—and where they were unintentionally limiting their own impact. Using the shared language of the Influence Model®, leaders broke through cultural barriers and developed a common approach to influencing and decision-making. Even long-standing business challenges were solved during the programme itself.
“The feedback loop throughout the programme was invaluable. You immediately see how your behaviour affects others and how small adjustments can make you much more effective.” — Boz Malik & Mark Conway
Faster decisions. Stronger leadership. Measurable results.
The results were immediate. Decision-making processes that previously required three meetings were completed in just one. Leaders took greater ownership, collaboration across international teams improved, and one team resolved a logistics issue during the programme that had caused delays for months. The investment paid for itself at least five times over.
“If a decision that normally takes three meetings can now be made in one, the time and cost savings are enormous.” — H.B. Fuller participant
Proven impact
The success of the programme led H.B. Fuller to expand the initiative. The following year, another 43 Market Segment Leaders and Plant Managers travelled to Amsterdam to take part in the same programme.
“A leader who cannot get others to take action is not a true leader.” — Boz Malik, SVP Global Construction Adhesives & Mark Conway, VP Advanced Building Solutions
