Working with The Art of Work
We work closely with our clients to customize each experience.
In each case, we're focused on the lasting impact of both getting your work done, and getting better at getting your work done.
All of our consulting offerings are focused on creating shared vision and driving strategy and execution in line with that vision.
If there's a lack of shared vision - we hit that first.
If there's a lack of clear strategy - we get it clear.
If the team doesn't believe in the strategy, we get the team to fix that.
If there's a lack of operational planning and clear milestones, we'll make it happen.
This is true no matter what the level of the team is. Shared vision, clear strategy, tangible plans, great teamwork. Simple, but by no means easy.
All of our work is 100% money back guaranteed. You define the terms of success, and we partner with you to deliver.
Our consulting offerings are listed below.
TEAM ACCELERATION
Step back to run forward. Bring your work. For three days, we’ll watch you work, and whenever your team gets stuck, slow, silent, or stupid, we step in and change the pattern. Drawing on the Framework for Execution developed at Microsoft (back when Microsoft was on its way up), we’ll guide, drive and lead your team towards dramatic progress on critical issues, and a lasting state of hyper performance.
Spend 3 days with your team “in lockdown” resolving issues that are current and possibly historically difficult with the aid of skilled consultants. We start from vision and strategy, then drive all the way through the Framework for Execution, getting incredible progress, from a newly clear and aligned team.
Most teams are made up of individuals who are skilled in their own domain, but not skilled at working in a team. This is especially true of technical teams. Most “teambuilding” workshops concentrate on delivering seminars of previously created generic material, without factoring in the realities of your team’s issues, domain, and skill level. Our acceleration process allows your team to work in a focused way on real operative issues, while steadily increasing the quality of your teamwork and increasing your team’s ability to increase it’s own teamwork after the workshop. Instead of taking three days away from productive work, you spend three days getting work done while becoming more effective.
We will
Point out and address patterns of ineffective team behavior.
Drive progress in discussions and decision making.
Keep your team in line with your stated values and vision.
Coach individuals in wielding effective leadership within your team.
Customize team-building exercises to address specific current team issues.
Help establish new team norms based on mutual commitment.
Blast through wasted time on sideshows, drama and politics.
The result is a significant increase in productivity and synergy within the team, 3 days of hyper-productive work, and a set of teamwork tools to continue to use on your own.
STRATEGY & LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
The true work of leadership is to design the frameworks within which the rest of the organization can succeed. Lack of clarity about this design, and how it will be executed, is the number one cause of most organizational ills. Our goal is to help large groups of people make great decisions, and take great action - together.
Any lack of coherence in the exec team ends up fractally magnified throughout the organization, often with disastrous results. We’ll work with you to achieve clear coherent, winning strategy, and a deeply integrated alignment of the exec team to communicate and enact that strategy.
During your Strategy and Leadership Summit, The Art of Work will..
facilitate your leadership team through a proven strategy development process which forces you to answer the really tough fundamental questions of strategy
work with you to develop and evaluate multiple future scenarios and alternative strategies which address those scenarios
develop among your leadership team a shared clarity and commitment to the new strategy as well as clear consistent messages to take to the larger organization
Whether you are in the initial startup phases, or simply reinvigorating an existing business, getting crystal clear on your purpose, vision, values, strategy and execution framework is always a great step.
We've worked with Fortune 500, National NGOs, Startup teams, and companies in their growth phases to blast through long term blockage and embark on lasting change.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERSHIP COACHING
Learning to learn faster is the number one factor in being successful. Often it is difficult to see alternatives to a difficult situation, or how your actions are creating such situations for yourself and others. Our coaching is focused on your specific situation.
We concentrate on increasing self-awareness, team awareness and environmental awareness. Use this awareness to learn at an ever-increasing rate. Get challenged, receive useful insight and learn the tools that will lead you to be a better manager, a better person and a coach for others. (4-5 times a month on an ongoing basis).