Welcome to the
Consulting Matters Blog

If you have a new consulting client, it is likely that they are antsy. If they have gone to the trouble to find and hire you, then they are more than ready for you to start solving their challenges. However, as tempting as it is, it is in YOUR best interest and more importantly your client’s for you...

When your clients start complaining the right and left hands don't know that they are doing and they can't prioritize or focus - they are likely to have a strategy problem.

But the question is what kind?

Strategy is more than a game plan for winning. It ultimately is lived out in the tough daily d...

Like an architect’s blueprint, an organization design determines the nature and flow of work, as well as the ways in which employees interact with one another. When an organization design is working well, it creates alignment throughout the broader organization, facilitates effective workflow, enhan...

An effective organization design is a lot more than what you might find on an org chart. It is the way in which an organization coordinates activities towards product and service quality and delivery effectiveness and efficiency. 

FOUR INDICATORS OF EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATION DESIGN:

• Aligns with bro...

Wondering what are the steps involved in an organization redesign? Let me demystify this complex, high-value consulting solution. 

There are four phases of a redesign: determining design direction, developing the design, planning the implementation, and implementing and evaluating.

As you guide yo...

When I first joined Walt Disney World as an internal Organizational Development Consultant, I was assigned to Disney's Animal Kingdom. The park had just opened and while there were many things that were going well, one of their biggest challenges was to unravel some of the missteps that took place a...

I have two children. When they were small, they used to go to daycare. What this meant in practicality to me was: two kids + daycare = many fevers and visits to the doctor’s office. As the parent, I was able detect and even treat the fever. However, in order to get rid of the fever, I had to rely on...

and Other Truths about Leadership that No One Will Admit

I have heard the refrain "everyone is a leader" ever since I got into the performance improvement/organizational development business 20 years ago. 

The heartfelt sentiment behind this lie is good: everyone is equally important to an organiz...

The last role I held at Walt Disney World before I left to start my own consulting firm was as the senior manager for Operations Integration. My job was to ensure that the senior executives from the theme parks, resorts, lines of business and support organizations worked together effectively and wer...

A FAMILIAR CASE STUDY

Tim, a seasoned leader in his hospitality/entertainment company, finally made the leap from general manager to vice president of the flagship theme park of his company. As he assumed his duties, he realized there were several major challenges in front of him:

• How can he k...

It was time for my young daughters to learn how to ride a bike. My older daughter, Hannah, was clearly uncomfortable and afraid. She challenged me STRAIGHT ON. When I asked for her to get on the bike, she clearly and directly said no. She pitched a fit, engaged in a full one temper tantrum and ran b...

As consultants, we struggle with determining new ways we can add client value. We wrack our brains for breakthrough products and services or new content and resources to engage our clients. However, we are missing the one thing that we do that adds the most value which is when we serve our clients s...