Helping Leaders Build
High-Performing Organizations
Capable of Sustaining Success
The more consequential the responsibility, the fewer people a leader may have with whom to think openly, test assumptions, confront uncertainty, and work through the issues that matter most.
Worth Following™ Advisory is an ongoing relationship with a leader carrying consequential responsibility.
I work alongside the leader, developing a deep understanding of both the leader and the organization so I can provide candid, independent perspective and judgment when it matters.
A more capable leader. A more capable organization.
Leadership understood from inside the responsibility
There is a difference between studying leadership and carrying responsibility for an organization and the people in it.
For more than four decades, I have led in military command and general-officer positions, served on executive teams and Boards, and carried responsibility as a President and CEO.
I won't assume that your situation is the same as one I've faced. But I understand the weight of consequential leadership, and that experience shapes the perspective and judgment I bring as an advisor.
What It Means to Have an Advisor Alongside You
The relationship creates a confidential place to think out loud, test assumptions, and acknowledge uncertainty without judgment.
But advisory is more than listening. My responsibility is to develop an independent point of view, challenge assumptions when necessary, offer another way to see a problem, and provide recommendations when appropriate.
At times, that means working with members of the leadership team or spending time elsewhere in the organization to understand what is actually happening.
Independent enough to see what others may not.
Candid enough to say what needs to be said.
The leader owns the decision.
Understanding before advice
Every leader sees the organization from a particular vantage point. That perspective matters, but it is rarely the complete picture.
I begin by listening to the leader. Then I work to understand the organization more broadly: talking with people, observing the organization in action, and seeing how leadership decisions become organizational reality.
It is understanding.
Eventually, an advisor has to be willing to say:
Here's what I think is happening.
Some moments benefit from someone outside the system
An experienced, independent perspective can be particularly valuable at moments of consequence.
Understanding the organization, establishing relationships, setting direction, and determining what matters most.
When success begins testing structures, relationships, decision-making, and leadership practices.
When the organization appears to possess more capability than its performance reflects.
When consequential choices benefit from perspective beyond those already invested in a particular answer.
When relationships, governance, competing priorities, or organizational politics complicate the challenge.
When incomplete information and difficult circumstances make calm, independent perspective particularly valuable.
A thoughtful relationship, not a rigid methodology
Every leader, organization, and situation is different. There is, however, a natural rhythm to the work.
We begin with your perspective, then develop enough organizational understanding to distinguish symptoms from causes, challenge assumptions, examine alternatives, and determine what matters most.
Sometimes that work remains between the leader and me. Sometimes the leadership team should be part of it.
I provide perspective and judgment. You retain responsibility for the decision.
We work on what matters
The advisory relationship is not organized around a menu of services. Depending on the leader, organization, and moment, the work may include:
Judgment • priorities • transitions • difficult decisions
Trust • alignment • accountability • talent • succession
Direction • strategic choices • execution • competing priorities
Engagement • contribution • learning • organizational effectiveness
Boards • relationships • stakeholder expectations
Scaling • transformation • organizational evolution
How the relationship should work
The value of an enduring advisory relationship is not dependence. It is accumulated understanding.
Every advisory relationship begins with a candid conversation
No assumptions. No predetermined solutions.
We begin by understanding what you are responsible for, what you are trying to accomplish, and what may be getting in the way. Then we determine whether having an experienced, independent advisor alongside you could be useful.
A more capable organization.