How I Help
Consulting for Leadership, People, and Execution Problems
Consulting focuses on a defined problem or improvement within the business. I work with owners and leadership teams to determine what is actually getting in the way, clarify what needs to improve, identify the most useful response, and support implementation until the change takes hold.
Problems this work addresses
- Unclear roles, responsibilities, or decision authority
- Owner bottlenecks
- Leadership conflict
- Difficult or underperforming employees
- Inconsistent accountability
- Communication breakdowns
- Employee retention problems
- Sales behavior and pipeline discipline
- Growth strain
- Weak follow-through after meetings
- Organizational transitions
- Leadership teams that understand the strategy but are not executing it
- Processes or structures that no longer fit the business
The approach
1. Clarify the objectives.
2. Establish how improvement will be recognized or measured.
3. Understand the value of achieving those improvements.
4. Determine what is actually causing the problem.
5. Identify the most useful response.
6. Support implementation.
7. Evaluate results and adjust as needed.
What the work can involve
Depending on the situation, the work can include leadership and organizational assessments, role clarification, accountability structures, decision rights, leadership-team work, sales-process improvement, communication practices, implementation support, management coaching, and workshops. These are tools used in service of an objective, not services sold by the hour.
Consulting case studies
Composite case studies drawn from real consulting engagements.
Roles and Structure
One Employee Was Actually Carrying Several Roles
Situation
Sometimes replacing an employee turns out to be a much larger question than filling a vacancy.
What changed
We separated the employee's formal role from the responsibilities that had accumulated around it.
Result
Leadership identified two additional formal positions instead of expecting one replacement to inherit the entire workload.
Owner Dependence
Responsibility Without Enough Authority
Situation
A recurring problem in growing companies is giving someone responsibility for an outcome without giving them enough authority to produce it.
What changed
We worked through what the leader was actually responsible for, the decisions required to carry that responsibility, and which of those decisions truly needed to remain with ownership.
Result
Reporting relationships were clarified so employees knew which leader they answered to and where their questions belonged.
Clients and Opportunities
Small Concessions Had Turned Into Scope Creep
Situation
A project can change substantially through requests that seem manageable one at a time.
What changed
We looked at what each new request would require and how it affected the larger engagement.
Result
Later agreements became clearer about revisions and client expectations.
How engagements are structured
Consulting engagements are shaped around the client's objectives, the value of achieving them, the scope of work, and the level of support required. After the initial conversation, I provide a proposal with clear options.