Situation and Objectives:

• John is 61 years old, the President and majority shareholder of regional plumbing and heating company with $55 million in sales.
• He receives weekly unsolicited calls from business brokers and investment bankers with offers to buy or sell the company.
• He knows that he needs to plan for his eventual exit from the business and the calls are a constant reminder that he hasn't done anything yet.
• John is concerned that the callers' best interests may not be his.

Solution:

• Company owners, directors and key employees now think like a buyer...
• With a clear understanding of the company's value and the key drivers of the valuation, John and the other shareholders and Board of Directors concluded that although today was not the right time to take the company to market, it would be ready to go to market in the next 12-24 months.
• Restructuring the company saved significant taxes upon sale and facilitated a less complicated sale transaction.
• A "Stay Bonus Plan" was implemented to entice the company's key employees to stay through closing and add employment restrictions to prevent value dilution from a buyer's perspective.
• John was now armed with the tools to choose the right investment banker to sell the company on his schedule and on his terms.

Discover how the way we communicate energizes the work climate

Our interpersonal communication skills make the work climate more productive (or less so.) This Model discusses an overview of a model of interpersonal communication, and the analysis of one's own individual communication practices and how they might influence the total organizational climate.

This module delivers the following benefits:

• Provide an opportunity to analyze and identify both personal and organizational factors that influence - either in a facilitative or inhibitory way - the use of basic interpersonal communication processes
• Build stronger relationships
• Create more productive organizational climates

Discover how to transform teams 

Teams are a reality of organizational life. How people relate to one another in the integration of task/social and emotional activities is the core issue if teams are to be effective. This Model is designed to explore the basic dynamics of group problem solving and to examine some of the common pitfalls characterizing groups that perform poorly. More important, a fail-safe alternative to such pitfalls is presented in the form of an in-depth blueprint for managing Commitment, Conflict, Creativity, and Consensus - the "Four Cs" of creative group problem solving.

This module delivers the following benefits:

• Experience the power of consensus decision-making
• Discover the "best" way to lead for creativity
• To provide an opportunity for the assessment and critique of individual contributions to team action.
• To explore the efficacy of individual as compared to group productivity in the making of decisions
• To experiment with the consensus technique of group functioning

Leadership succession planning is a process to create and manage the organization’s talent pipeline. A key (and often overlooked) part of leadership is developing the next generation of leaders.  This can address the looming retirement of key people or support rapid organizational growth.  Succession planning includes:

• Identifying the key positions in an organization, as well as the competencies and experience required for these positions.
• Cultivating a pipeline of high-potential talent from which to select new leadership.
• Conducting a talent inventory to understand the competencies and skills currently available within the organization.

This is a crucial process in every organization, but it is becoming increasing important as 72 million baby-boomer aged workers begin retiring over the next 10 years (U.S Census Bureau, 2009).  In addition, estimates show the potential shortfall of replacement workers may be as high as 30 million people.

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Discover how the way we use power can help organizational performance.

Nothing has a greater impact on managers themselves, their direct reports, and their organization, than how they manage and share their power. Research confirms that a manager's power style differentiates the truly productive manager from their less productive colleagues.

This module delivers the following benefits:

• Discover the effects of power dynamics
• Identify why individuals want power
• Understand the benefits of power sharing

Discover how well your leadership style works - and what to do if it doesn't

This module provides a structure for systematically examining personal behavior from multiple vantage points...

• Facilitate better understanding of personal style preferences
• Provide a framework for making more informed choices regarding a program of personal change

This module delivers the following benefits:

• Identify an individual's predominant style of managing people - as seen by the individual and co-workers.
• Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of various styles, and their appropriateness.
• Forge a framework for making the leadership style choices
• Discover management style aspects within the classic models of human dynamics.
• Develop a research proven "best" style
• Compare individual leadership styles against other high achieving leaders and discuss how to close the gaps.

Succession planning is a process to create and manage the organization’s talent pipeline. A key (and often overlooked) part of leadership is developing the next generation of leaders.  Succession planning often includes:

• Identifying the key positions in an organization, as well as the competencies and experience required for these positions.
• Cultivating a pipeline of high-potential talent from which to select new leadership.
• Conducting a talent inventory to understand the competencies and skills currently available within the organization.

This is a crucial process in every organization, but it is becoming increasing important as 72 million baby-boomer aged workers begin retiring over the next 10 years (U.S Census Bureau, 2009).  In addition, estimates show the potential shortfall of replacement workers may be as high as 30 million people.

As a result, most businesses have key people with many years of knowledge and experience preparing to retire.  Unfortunately, qualified replacement employees will become increasingly hard to find. 

Planning for succession involves the selection and development of new leaders, as well as the transfer of crucial knowledge and experience.  Organizations must also develop a culture of leadership that encourages leadership everywhere and gets the best from every employee.

Our leadership succession process is backed by over 40 years of field experience and the latest leadership psychology research. 

The figure shown here depicts our family leadership succession process. U.S Census Bureau. (2009). US Census Bureau Press Releases. Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/population/age/publications/files/2006babyboomers.pdf

Discover how to boost performance by harnessing the motivation powerhouse

Researchers agree that the personal motivations of employees are directly related to nearly every facet of the workplace. Therefore, it is widely, but mistakenly, assumed that leaders/managers bear the responsibility of motivating their employees toward organizational goals. However, our research demonstrates that, since motivation is an internal process, leaders/managers are responsible for providing the proper work environment in order to prompt employee self-motivation. Using validated survey instruments the participant can both evaluate his/her own personal theory of motivation, and discover what really is important to their co-workers.

This module delivers the following benefits:

• Learn the impact of personal beliefs on motivation
• Discover what motivates employees
• Understand the motivation process and the role of the leader/manager in it