Services

I offer distinct consulting and coaching services, but the greatest value often lies in making connections between them.

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To ensure we are focused on the most impactful intervention, every engagement starts with an exploration of your specific goals and challenges as well as your current circumstances.

I then work with you to design a targeted scope and process with real value for you, often combining aspects of multiple services, including:

Strategy Development

A strategic plan is, at its most basic, the answer to two questions: “What is success?” and “How will we get there?”

I partner with leaders to identify the critical choices you face, clarify and articulate your strategy so that it provides meaningful guidance to team members who are responsible for execution.

Organizational Design

Complex academic and service organizations often grant considerable autonomy to individuals and groups within the organization. At the same time, they have to guide, monitor and coordinate activities across multiple functions and sometimes large distances.

I work with leaders to design and enact horizontal and vertical leadership structures that balance effective control and coordination with respect for traditions and commitments related to professional independence, clinical judgment and academic freedom.

Change Management

Getting the most from your teams and colleagues in a rapidly changing environment is hard, particularly when teams are challenged just to keep up with daily demands.

I work with leaders to explore what changes you really need from your people, and to craft an effective approach to influence behavior so you can create sustainable momentum.

Executive Coaching

Leadership roles can open up exciting possibilities for growth, while pushing us to the edges of our capacity and sometimes beyond our comfort zones.

I work to establish a trusting and collaborative relationship with leaders so that together we can identify and explore new and more effective ways of working as we address business issues of your greatest concern.

Team Development

Effective teamwork can amplify the impact of talented individual leaders and team members.

I work with leaders to explore ways to get the most from the time your team spends together, and to facilitate communication and coordination when you need to work asynchronously.

A customized approach

Whatever challenges or opportunities you may be experiencing in your organization, I work with you to explore what might be in the way of getting where you want to go and to develop an effective approach.

Sometimes this might involve starting with a different type of service than what seems, at first, to be needed. For example:

Before starting a strategic planning effort, it’s helpful to ensure that the leadership team is sufficiently stable and ready to make hard decisions and lead a coordinated change effort.

Before taking on a team development effort, the organizational structure should be clear so that team membership is well defined, and the leader needs to be prepared to take up his or her role a bit differently.

A new strategic plan often calls for different capabilities and skill sets in the organization and leadership team, and may lead to rethinking organizational structure.

In complex organizations, the passions and commitments of leaders have outsized influence on organizational direction. It’s worth taking time to think about who the key leaders are who will be in a position to influence strategy before you start the strategy process.

"I enjoyed the intellectual brilliance with which she framed complex political and dynamic situations attentive to longer-range benefit and consequences."

Client

How can I help you meet your goals?

Working with me

Drawing on extensive experience in healthcare, higher education and non-profit organizations, I work in partnership with clients, taking a thoughtful, pragmatic, and customized approach to help you meet your most important goals.

These are a few foundational principles which describe my orientation to this work together:

True partnership

I prioritize building strong working relationships with clients so that we can together craft an approach that works in your unique environment.

  • I don’t know your job and organization the way you do
  • My expertise complements your own, while serving your goals

More than method

I use a wide variety of frameworks, tools and methods, but deploy and adapt them selectively, based on your circumstances.

  • Frameworks can be powerful, but don’t describe everything that matters
  • The most powerful insights often emerge from paying attention to what is happening in the here and now

Focus on what matters most

I pay attention to what really matters to you now, so we can focus on actions that will make a difference.

  • Set an aspiration and name the issues
  • Start where you are, with what is needed and doable today
  • Change takes energy, so pacing matters

"See the water"

The most powerful insights often come from noticing the things we take for granted.

  • We have different ways of making meaning from our experiences
  • An outside eye often notices what insiders can’t see. 
  • Distinguishing assumptions from reality can open up possibility

Process and content

I am always aware that I am a visitor in your organization for a relatively short period of time. I work to support you not only to successfully address your business issues, but to build capacity to continue your over time.

Doing this well includes:

  • Using real work that you have to do anyway as a way to build capacity.
  • Being conscious of evolution in personal and organizational practices as we work on business issues

Change is not linear and not easy

Often the shortest or most effective path to your end goal is not a straight line.

  • Real change usually requires some discomfort
  • Things don’t stop while you are figuring out a different way to work
  • Detours to establish a foundation for lasting change are part of the process
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