How One Typical Facilitator (Mistakenly) Concluded the Client Wasn’t Doing Strategic Planning I got a call last week from a facilitator, asking for advice about an aspect of strategic planning. He kept asserting that his client, a manufacturer of outdoor recreational equipment, wasn’t doing strategic planning. I asked how he came to that conclusion. He …

Here’s an Example of a Disconnected Conversation A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine and I were talking about a particular consulting project. We just weren’t connecting in our conversation somehow — I kept repeating my points and he kept repeating his. It felt like we were disagreeing somehow, but neither of us …

One of the most vexed issues when talking to people who aspire to company directorship is the simple question, ‘What does it take to be a director?’ There are few satisfactory responses. There are courses (some of which are very good and comprehensive) but none of these are accepted as proof that an aspiring director …

Julie Garland-McLellan has been internationally acclaimed as a leading expert on board governance. She is the author of Dilemmas, Dilemmas; practical case studies for company directors and All Above Board: Great Governance for the Government Sector and a frequent contributor to governance conferences and publications. Julie has a degree in Civil Engineering, an executive MBA, …

This blog entry examines the specific behaviors associated with transformational leadership and the impact they have on organizational performance.

The last blog looked at why Public Relations should never be confused with “spin” and “hype.” Today’s edition serves up something more tasty and nutritious — one of the best resources enjoyed and highly appreciated by publicists, marketing communications folks, reporters, and others. I’m talking about Help a Reporter Out — fondly known as HARO …

Warning this may get winded… Thinking of the recent developments with British Petroleum and the current mess they have made out in the Gulf Coast I thought about how training and development / performance improvement might have been able to help prevent such a disaster from ever occurring in the first place. I realize that …

Typically no single source provides all of the information necessary for writing a good marketing plan for your business. This means gathering information from several sources. You may need to gather information on demographics, industry trends and competition, to name just a few.

When the question of major gift fundraising first arises, many unsophisticated board members, volunteers and staff immediately begin talking about the “rich and famous” — with Bill Gates being the name at the top of almost everyone’s list. The wrong assumption that many people make — and one that can become a major time waster …

Why It’s Important to Work On Ourselves, as Consultants The world as we experience it is the product of perception not the cause of it. As people we are not passive receptors of stimuli coming from an external world, but in a very concrete sense we create much of our reality. This is why it …