Organizational Assessment Part I

Creating a relationship with a new client is a highly confidential and selective process. To avoid any potential conflicts of interest, we do not work with companies that compete directly with one another.

We begin with a mini-assessment— a highly confidential exploratory interview with a CEO to get to know the company. Every potential client must commit to spend a day putting all assumptions aside and digging deep, both objectively and personally: Who is this CEO? What is working, what’s not at your company? If you fix those problems, how much money do you stand to gain? (And if you don’t fix them, how much will you lose?) What are your upsides and downsides as the leader of this company? Ultimately, how could you do more of what you enjoy, less of what you don’t, and run a more successful, more profitable company?

Our strategy is simple: assess, train, and develop— start, learn, follow up. But it is not cookie-cutter; we analyze what is right and wrong for you, and then proceed according to those needs. We also discuss our concerns about whether a consulting relationship will really work for both parties. Most importantly, the CEO must be willing and able to truly commit to taking the company through this intensive assessment, training, and development process.

Organizational Assessment Part II

Problems are like icebergs— from his perspective at the helm of the ship, a CEO may believe he can see 100% of any trouble ahead. But typically, about 90% of an iceberg is concealed underwater. One person’s perspective alone cannot detect problems that lie below the surface, and the business could be heading for disaster! The organizational assessment allows us to understand the critical issues throughout the company, rather than continuing a navigation course based on “gut” instinct.

To create a more complete picture of the business, we begin with a company meeting of the company’s managers, as well as key finance and administrative staff. Everyone in the room has the opportunity to provide confidential and anonymous feedback about their experiences with the company. We survey individual behavior, attitudes, team strengths and weaknesses, job descriptions, and much more. And we commit to sharing the results with everyone who contributes to the assessment.

After gathering all of this data, we carefully analyze it and then present it at a subsequent meeting. Before the group presentation, we sit down with the CEO and share directly what people think about working at the company— the whole picture. At the meeting, we present an agreed-upon plan to fix the problems identified in the assessment, and move the company forward!

The Training Begins

The assessment process is complete— everyone understands the company’s key strengths as well as what needs to be fixed. Now the real action starts! As soon as possible, we teach every manager at the company how to recruit, select, train, manage, and motivate people. The learning that takes place allows you to match the right person with the right job.