How can we ensure a smooth CEO transition in 3 years time?   We helped the board answer this question by doing a comprehensive review that looked at the issue of CEO succession holistically.  What is the governance model and practices to support succession planning for the CEO?  Who plays a key role in planning for and executing CEO succession?  What human resources systems and processes are in place that ensure the organization is identifying and developing potential successors?  What aspects of the strategy, structure and culture might facilitate or inhibit succession?  What is the motivation and capability of  key leaders to support candidate development?  What helps and what hinders the ability of potential candidates to get ready?  We provided the board with succinct, candid insights into what is facilitating, and what is inhibiting, CEO succession planning and what they can do to help increase the likelihood of a smooth transition.    

How do we help our newly promoted executive be successful?   We helped a newly promoted senior executive plan and execute his transition by gathering candid feedback from key stakeholders.  We gave him insight into the perceptions others held around his strengths and weaknesses, what different stakeholder groups were expecting from him, what relationships he needed to build or re-contract, and the areas of his business where he needed to focus on first in order to deliver early wins.  We helped him identify things he could do in the short term to successfully manage his transition, areas of growth he needs to tackle in the medium-term to operate at his new level, and long-term areas of development that will set him up for success in the future.  

How can we ensure we are selecting the best person for the job?  We helped an organization upgrade its selection process to ensure their system is fair, transparent and maximizes their ability to put the best candidate in a job.  By reviewing their existing process and tools and developing an understanding of their unique context, we were able to provide them with concrete, practical and cost-effective recommendations on what they could tweak to build on their strong foundation, and what they could add to raise their game.     

How can we shift from being a group of strong individual performers to acting as a cohesive team?  We helped a dynamic and diverse group of people map out a path toward operating as a more cohesive team.  We did this by facilitating work that had them sharing, discovering and aligning around common objectives, recognizing the strengths and challenges of diversity, wrestling with perceptions and mis-perceptions they have of each other, and establishing shared expectations around team actions and partnerships.   

How do I get my board's support around the structure and people changes I want to make?  We helped a new CEO craft her key messages and supporting rationale in order to get support for the significant changes she wanted to make.  We helped her get clarity on  the why, the who, the how, and the when.  We helped her think through what each board member needed in order to feel comfortable with the new direction.  Together we anticipated potential questions and areas of resistance and helped her prepare to address those so she was able to present her position clearly and confidently.

How do we get everyone aligned and engaged in our new strategic plan?  We designed a day-long employee offsite  for a large not-for-profit around three key objectives: a) share the strategy with all employees, b) help each person see where they fit in fulfilling the organization's mission, and c) gain insight and understanding into how we all need to work together to make our dreams a reality.  A fast-paced, highly interactive day helped team members connect to each other and the strategy.  Everyone left energized and grateful to be working together in service to others.
 
How can we transfer and retain business-critical expertise before our baby boomers retire?   We were contracted by The Asia Pacific Gateway Skills Table to dig in and deeply understand how firms can effectively engage in critical knowledge transfer.  The result of this year-long project is a critical knowledge transfer Resource Guide that provides Human Resource Practioners with a knowledge transfer model, guidelines and recommendations they can apply in their organization.  You can download a copy of the resource guide here.  

How can we advance the ability of our leaders to be more effective influencers?  Being able to influence those around us without the formal authority to direct is one of the most critical leadership skills, whether you are a middle manager or the Chair of a board of directors.  To help one organization raise its collective game, we designed a half-day workshop that incorporated the Myers-Briggs and a formal model of influence that can be applied in any situation.  Participants gained new insights into themselves and their preferred approach to influence and being influenced, and insight into how people with different styles want to be influenced.  The result, a more strategic approach to persuading others and less head-banging.  

Where do I go from here?  Whether you are in career launch stage, at a pivot point or somewhere in between, decisions about what you want to do start with a deep understanding of yourself.  Who are you?  What are you really good at?  What is important to you?  What do you need in your environment to thrive?  Through a combination of assessment and deep discussion and guided exercises, we arm individuals with the critical insights they need to make good decisions about their future.
 
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See what is there, not what you hope is there.