Organization & Leadership Consulting

Ten Culture-Embedding Mechanisms (Part 1 of 4)

culture-embedding

Repeat after me: “My organization’s culture is an outcome of what we collectively believe about the organization and how we behave alongside each other as a result of those beliefs.”  So, what do you believe about your organization? Over the course of this blog and three to follow, brief introductions to ten culture-embedding mechanisms will […]

Claymation Culture

claymation culture

The way your organization runs is a lot like the artform of clay animation, or claymation. As a leader, this makes you an animator. Other terms for this art form are “stop-motion” or “stop-action” animation. Either term may seem counterintuitive to what is expected of a leader…to keep things moving…ideally in the most helpful direction, […]

Intentional Narrative During Leadership Transition

leadership transition

A story is a gap-filler.  A leadership transition (succession) is nothing more than a dynamic set of gaps. Until a gap can be strategically filled with either a concrete action step or a tangible person, your most effective means of filling it is with an intentional narrative…a purposeful story, well told.  Even decisions within the […]

The Right Type of Leader(ship) at the Right Time

the right leader

When it comes to leadership transitions, succession planning is, in part, about preparing an organization for future success. There are several key factors to consider. Let’s look at three. Character Whether your organization is healthy and growing well, struggling toward health and growth, or in a state of significant dysfunction or decline, the personal character […]

Succession Planning and the Organizational Life Cycle

organizational life cycle

The motion of a swinging pendulum can be fascinating to watch. If designed to do so, a swinging pendulum can create beautiful, symmetrical designs of calm and order. However, a swinging pendulum can also result in disarray and destruction. It depends on the degrees of awareness and intentionality in those who put the pendulum in […]

Succession Planning and Knowing What You Mean

succession planning

Welcome to the first in a series of blogs on successful succession planning. This one starts it off with some thoughts on the language of succession planning and how it shapes our mindsets around the purpose and process. All of which significantly influences the success of a succession plan. (This is not an exhaustive approach, […]

Are You Haunted by a Leadership ‘Ghost’?

October is the season for ghosts and goblins. While the manifestations inhabited by children in costume is cute and quite fun, there is nothing enjoyable about struggling with a leadership “ghost.” Chances are you know what I mean, even if you have never heard my term before. In the Goodwin leadership lexicon, a “leadership ghost” […]

Great Managers Do Things Differently

Companies often fall into the “promotion” trap—promoting an employee because they excel at their job. What they often fail to detect is if that individual has management skills or the company fails to provide management training.

The Dangers of Leading a Turnaround

Acceptance There is an old Samurai tradition that admonishes warriors that, before battle, they must “accept their own death.” Only in this acceptance can they be fully present for the battle. Accepting the reality that one might die makes that warrior fearless and thus more likely to survive. The same is true for the would-be […]