Industrial Service Company
The owner of an Industrial Service company that had been in business for over 35 years planned to transfer ownership and management of the company to his son. The father and son, however, had very different interests and management styles. In addition, the business — although successful — was too centrally organized around the father, and destabilized a bit by his interests in creating new product lines and searching out new strategic partnerships. The son, also, had not had a chance to prove himself as an independent business manager. So, …more
Design & Communications Firm
The owner of a design and communications firm wanted to grow her business by targeting clients with larger budgets. The owner felt that she needed to bring in a design executive experienced with higher-end clients to attract this audience. She impulsively hired a dynamic and charismatic person who was very appealing to staff and clients alike, to serve as the new creative director. Unfortunately, …more
Industry Association
The Executive Director for a large industry association (over 500 members) had been instrumental in its growth over six years and was seen by her Board as being a very capable administrator who got things done. As the organization grew, however, there was a clear need for her to transition from a strong “doer” into an effective leader. There were a lot more events to manage, new committees, a larger Board and a greater need to focus on legislative issues facing the industry. But the board members, …more
Architectural Firm
A well-established architectural firm experienced a rapid period of growth over five years (from 20 to 55 employees). It was impossible for the business owner to continue his hands-on personal style. There was a need to build a layer of management between him and the staff in order to allow the company to scale profitably and hold its people accountable to agreed-upon standards and procedures. The firm decided to promote from within even though there were few staff members who had even limited management experience. In order to provide the missing skills and create a more cohesive management team, the firm asked us… …more