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Services we offer

Organization assessment

Do you know what’s really going on in your organization? Are people telling you what they think you want to hear? Do you want a sense of how things are really going? We work with clients to explore the reason for gathering the information, then we customize an approach to ensure that the data can be used as a foundation for improved organizational health.

Some examples of our work in this area are listed below:

  • The senior leadership team knew that they had issues related to culture in their organization but weren’t quite sure what those issues were. They needed candid feedback and an action plan.
     
  • A CEO wanted to conduct an employee survey but didn’t want an off-the-shelf product. He wanted to get information about issues relevant to his business, his leadership team, his personal track record. He also wanted suggestions from his employees about what improvements they thought could be made.
     
  • One technology firm purchased another. In anticipation of potential conflicts, they asked that an assessment be done to explore the differences in culture and expectations of the employees of both companies.
     

Strategic planning

Clients appreciate the fact that we do not take a cookie cutter approach to strategic planning or use an off-the-shelf product. Instead, we help our clients design a process that fits their specific needs and culture.

Some examples of our work in this area are listed below:

  • A start up company was experiencing exponential growth. They had the technical expertise but were not completely prepared for the speed at which they were growing — they needed a plan.
     
  • An organization merged with another of almost equal size. The two presidents wanted a process by which they could capitalize on the strengths of each organization, capture synergies and blend cultures.
     
  • The company had an overall strategic plan, but the group was struggling with taking it down to the next level and getting it successfully implemented.
     

Teambuilding

Establishing a team is easy—making it work sometimes isn't. Some teams get off to a great start then fizzle, some can’t get out of the starting gate, some are battlegrounds. There are a thousand things that can get in the way of a team being successful.

Some examples of our work in this area are listed below:

  • A new director of quality had been hired to take over an organization in transition. He knew he had a tough group and wanted to both ease and accelerate his on-boarding process. He wanted to get issues on the table early and begin building what had to be a high performing team if he was going to be successful.
     
  • A newly hired CEO of a rapidly growing early stage company was given a free hand to decide which members of the team he inherited he wanted to keep and which ones he would replace. He wanted some objective outside help in making those decisions and pulling his team together.
     
  •  A team had just been named to work on the company’s highest visibility product introduction. The team leader had been selected and he said, "ok, now what do I do?"
     
  • A new product development team was falling apart—meetings were ineffective, communication lines had been down for some time, deadlines were not going to be met and the team leader had thrown up his hands.
     

Organization development

Key to an organization’s success is the ability to link the internal people systems with organization strategy. This includes succession planning, leadership review, performance management, organization and functional competencies.

Some examples of our work in this area are listed below:

  • The Board Chair was concerned that there was not a clear succession plan for the CEO and key members of the organization’s top management. He wanted a comprehensive succession plan that would address who and what would be needed for the future leadership of the organization.
     
  • The VP of Operations was tired of buying talent from the outside. He wanted to build internal bench strength for Plant Manager positions. His dream was to have a program where he could recruit from top universities, conduct a comprehensive rotational program and provide key management training for a new group of high potential candidates every year.
     
  • The organization’s new strategic plan presented a significant departure from their prior direction and required some changes to the way the company was organized.
     

Meeting facilitation

This is an area where many groups struggle—planning and conducting a successful meeting. Often, it is necessary to allow participants to focus on content and bring in someone with strong facilitation skills. We help clients build a meaningful agenda and we facilitate the process for maximum effectiveness.

Some examples of our work in this area are listed below:

  • A senior leadership team found themselves faced with a change in their largest market. They knew they needed to refocus their strategy, do some teambuilding and go offsite to work on these things. They wanted someone who could facilitate this energetic, sometimes combative group.
     
  • A Division president wanted to conduct a two-day off-site meeting with his entire organization to communicate a major change. He wanted to make sure he got input from all employees and a clear go-forward plan by the end of the second day.
     
  • A member of the senior leadership team knew that if he didn't bring in a facilitator, tempers would flare, agendas would be railroaded through, there wouldn't be balanced participation and ultimately the meeting would be a waste of time for everyone.
     

Executive development

We've provided executive counsel to leaders at all levels—this is the process of working with the individual to develop and enhance personal effectiveness. In some cases we coach for specific issues relating to style and approach, and in other cases we are simply advisors, sounding boards and an unbiased external counsel.

Some examples of our work in this area are listed below:

  • The Board of Directors was uncertain as to whether the existing CEO of the organization was the right person for the job. Before making a decision, time was given for him to develop a new strategic plan, get individual leadership coaching, and engage his executive team more fully.
     
  • A CEO asked that a comprehensive executive assessment be completed for him using information from his board of directors, executive staff and other key constituents.
     
  • The Director of Marketing for a large division had identified his successor, a manager on one of his Product Teams. She was smart, had everything it would take to be successful in the role, but she was doing some things that would derail her career path if she didn’t change her behavior. She needed some feedback and some performance coaching.
     
  • A large organization wanted to design an internal executive development program for its high potential managers and directors and needed expertise in program design and delivery.
     

Counsel to boards of directors

  •  A not-for-profit organization had grown to the point where the old approach to Board governance wasn’t working. They needed a new structure, a new set of operating procedures, and some guidance on the most effective way to reach their new goals.
     
  • The Executive Director was having difficulty communicating with his board of directors. With a combination of executive coaching and process facilitation with the ED and the Board, their meetings and communications became much more substantive and relationships improved.
     
  • A new Board Chair was named. He was committed to doing the right thing for the organization and the Board but wanted counsel on how to deal with a very political Executive Committee and a dysfunctional group of well-meaning Board members.
     
  • The “founding father” of the organization had reached the point where his skills and interests no longer met the needs of a growing company. The Board faced an uncomfortable task.

 

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