Advice & Counsel - Introduction

I recently asked a CEO who knows me well how he'd describe what I do. He said: "Dan, you're a sought-after, impactful adviser to a select few CEOs and C-level leaders...a former CEO & Chairman of a successful organization that transformed hundreds of others and made them better...and you're an acclaimed author..."

Another said: "You operate at the intersection of strategy, culture, operations, and leadership. I've never run into anyone who is expert in all four...and who does it all so well."

It's a good thing, and humbling, to get feedback from customers...even better when it's positive. And, as is always the case, they can put it better than I can. I've always struggled to answer in a few words the question of what I do. Not because I don't know, but because, as one CEO put it, "the hardest part of describing you is that you do what few others like you do, have so many years of experience, and have a very unique background".

The pages that follow get into some detail about that what-do-you-do question as succinctly as possible. It describes when I'll become involved, what my advice is based on and what results, how I operate, and why I do what I do.

Advice & Counsel - When

I advise leaders who are

• In charge of large organizations facing complex strategic & operating challenges... CEOs, chairmen, senior executives
• At some stage of a leadership handoff...whether planning is in its early stages or the new leader has just taken over
• Implementing changes to the organization's strategy...whether a successful company getting back on track or one on a roll deciding how to remain successful, I become involved when changes to structure, systems, and processes alter how the organization operates so fundamentally that its culture must change.

Advice & Counsel - What

Because each culture is different and each leader is unique, lasting solutions require a tailored, personalized approach; generic ones only offer simplistic answers. But also required is a tested, well-thought through framework to adapt to each situation. What I do encompasses four areas.

• Implementation of New Strategies
• Continuous Operations Improvement
• Culture Change
• Transition at the Top

For more detail, go to the next page.

Advice & Counsel - What ... Detail

Because a leadership handoff and new strategy signal a new era, my work produces a Personal Era Management Plan. Geared for each leader's style & situation, it emphasizes quick wins and practical short-term steps while establishing the foundation for longer-term development.

• It starts with an analysis of the organization's capacity to achieve what the leader wants to do... and the gap between what should be happening operationally and what actually does happen day-to-day.
• That is matched with an objective interpretation of the CEO's &/or board's expectations and visions of success (something usually not made clear enough during either strategy formulation or selection of new leader)... then, recommendations on how to forge agreement so that all influential players are going in the same direction.
• As that is clarified, the nature of the organization's culture is determined: how decisions are made & problems solved, behavior that is encouraged, relationships that matter, ability to learn from experience, and tolerance for change... then, defining what the culture should be.
• Next, an analysis of the political structure of the organization: the nature of power, how it is used, relationships most important to the leader's agenda, influence styles that work best, and alliances & coalitions that effect success ... then, steps necessary for the political structure to work for and not against the leader's objectives.
• Throughout, the leader & I get to know each other and sort out her strengths & shortcomings in the context of capacity, expectations, culture, and political realities...any leader with a change agenda must work on herself before asking more from her people.
• What results is an informed perspective on what will best meet the challenges of the new era, and a practical way through which the operation & cultural changes necessary for the new strategy can be set... All tailored to particular situations & styles.
• In the case of a transition at the top, this personal Era Management Plan is accompanied by advice and counsel to the board, the sitting CEO, and for the new leader.

Advice & Counsel - How

• I work on retainer for a minimum of six months. This allows deep understanding of strategy, operations, culture, and the relationships that are most important to the person I am advising.
• Contact is usually weekly and most often face-to-face, supplemented by white papers (including background reading, research, and case studies). The combination provides the basis for Era Management Plans, often including introductions to other leaders who have faced similar challenges.
• Since my involvement is temporary, I commonly partner with & train someone on the leader's staff who can continue to help the leader implement the plan to introduce a new era.
• Because the demands of the new era increase the information and decision making load of the leader, often included is shaping an advice network made up of key insiders or outsiders, and improving the way information comes to and is used in the office of the leader (e.g., restructuring the leader's administrative system or creating a chief-of-staff role).
• To understand how I work, it is just as important to point out what I do not do.
  • Substitute for what a boss or a board should be doing.
  • Work on remedial/basic style problems.
  • While I am often asked to weigh in on the types of person needed, I am not part of the hiring decision.
  • Stay beyond the point that I can add something of value.

Advice & Counsel - Why

• The simplest response to why I do what I do is that I believe it is important.
  • The leaders I advise are often at the most risk than at any other time in their careers and the stakes are the highest for the organizations they lead. Failure will jeopardize the livelihood of employees, the trust of customers & investors, and the career of the leader.
  • Also, there are no second chances in a CEO transition. Much depends on getting it right the first time.
  • In these situations it is not wise to depend on theoretical approaches, simplistic answers, or advice not grounded in deep experience.
• The second answer to, "Why?" is that my experience lends itself to these situations where a new leader is taking hold and important, fundamental changes are necessary.
  • I've advised hundreds of leaders trying to take hold of new responsibilities and implement new strategies... and have seen firsthand what works and what leads to failure (and had many wins and losses myself).
  • I have been in all three positions involved in leadership transitions: chairman, CEO, designated successor...and on both ends of the handoff (#2 succeeding the CEO and 12 years later, the chairman passing my company to the person I chose).
  • Because I have always been in the midst of change, on the stage not in the audience, I have a unique appreciation for the difficulty of sustainable improvement on a company-wide scale, of the pressures and demands of the leader, and of the nuances & subtleties required to get it all right.

In the More Detail section is a description of how this brand of advice & counsel took shape.