SERVICES
Experience
Our organizational knowledge is deep. We work exclusively with small to midsized organizations with budgets ranging from $100,000 to $30 million and staff complements of 1 to 200. We focus on leadership teams and Boards because this is where organizational health begins. We’ve worked with dozens of organizations in every sector – environmental, health promotion, sport, social services and more.
Services we provide
We are skilled facilitators, trainers and management consultants able to assist you to identify and overcome the barriers that keep you from the workplace you desire.
We are here to listen
Design Your 'Humans First' Workplace
“We need to create benchmarks against which we can measure progress around organizational health. Boards cannot measure the effectiveness of a CEO if they do not consider all aspects of organization health. It is a key performance indicator, just like revenue, fiscal management, brand awareness and impact.”
– Maryann Kerr
In partnership with an internally-identified Humans First Team, typically drawn from members of your leadership team, we conduct an appreciative inquiry of your organization’s health.
Our process applies principles of design thinking and qualitative action research. We pose questions that identify strengths, opportunities, aspirations and desired organizational health results.
The data is collected through a variety of agreed-upon means, including individual interviews, focus groups, surveys and full system participation.
The breadth and depth of the research varies for each organization and can include employees, volunteers, board members, program participants, and donors.
We listen, observe and seek to understand the experience of those closest to the problem. We are deeply curious about complex workplaces. Together we will create healthy, productive, happy workplaces.
Leadership Team Development
“More often than not, we spend more time with our work teams than our families. And like a family, however you define yours, team must continuously develop. Teams must reflect and consider and discuss where and how they can improve. They must take time away (at home we call them vacations) to re-connect without the distraction of the day to day getting in the way.”
– Maryann Kerr
The #1 indicator of a healthy organization is a strong, effective leadership team.
Healthy, successful teams recognize the need for trust, commitment and accountability, the capacity for healthy conflict, and have a shared orientation towards results. This the hallmark of a GREAT organization.
We provide the essentials for an effective leadership team in the form of one-to two day offsite team development events. We can provide a six-month follow-up program with further training, check-ins and wrap up.
We also work with full staff or departmental teams such as Philanthropy, Marketing & Communications, Program, etc. for those organizations that have completed the full Leadership Team Development work.
Executive Coaching
Individual coaching is a highly specialized field. While it is an important component we provide when developing leadership teams, we recommend options for individualized coaching and leadership learning.
Executive Coach Extraordinaire – Rose Spadafora
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosespadafora/
Leadership Coach and On line Leadership Program
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lianne-picot-55182823/
Whether you’re a business leader looking to improve your leadership skills and influence or an individual seeking guidance and support as you contemplate or navigate a significant transition, Alchemy Coaching and Michelle Bevan can help you find clarity and create powerful transformation.
Mentor Moments
At times you or your staff may need an objective advisor. Someone with “no skin in the game”. Someone with breadth of experience who can provide ideas and advice in a supportive and confidential manner.
We provide this service on retainer with a minimum six-month sign up. Your team members can access up to five hours per month on an as-needed basis with a guaranteed 24-hour turnaround for call backs. (A limited number of opportunities are available.)
Strategic Plan Facilitation
Strategic plans are a must and can be as simple or complex as required by your organization. Levels of stakeholder engagement and the process itself are customized for each client. Your plan will be a reflection and expression of your organizational culture. Using learning circles, focus groups, surveys, and full system in the room activities we work with you to create a unique approach to plan development and implementation. Our clients have fun, learn, and create plans that serve stakeholders to achieve mission focused success.
Change Management
Change is the only constant. In the social profit sector, we have recently witnessed mergers and collaborations on a scale not previously seen. With a partner consultant who is certified in the Prosci ADKAR change management program, we bring breadth and depth of experience from both the social and for-profit sector. The current funding environment has initiated unprecedented discussion around amalgamation and partnership. People, culture and communications drive the success or failure of those partnerships. We can help your organization at any stage in the process from merely considering options to assisting in the change management process.
Our Approach
We use design-thinking and action research methodologies to co-create the way forward. Results of our work are meant to be shared widely, debated, and adapted through system wide activities that allow the wisdom in your organization to emerge and flourish.
Inquiry & Design Process
- Our engagement with you is a co-creation and collaboration.
- We actively listen.
- We design a customized and flexible solution for your consideration.
- We believe there is more than one right answer.
- We know you are the experts in your business.
- If we are not right for you, we’ll be happy to refer you on.
- We believe that just as teams in organizations need to develop vulnerability-based trust, so must we with our clients.
- We admire the work of Patrick Lencioni and The Table Group who call this “naked service.”
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At its core, naked service boils down to the ability of a service provider to be vulnerable, to embrace uncommon levels of humility, selflessness, and transparency for the good of a client. Most of us live our lives trying to avoid awkward and painful situations, which is why it is no surprise that we are all susceptible to the three fears that sabotage client loyalty which include:
Fear of Losing the Business – Worrying about losing a client’s business may cause service providers and consultants to avoid the very things that ultimately engender trust and loyalty.
Fear of Being Embarrassed – Rooted in pride, this fear can lead service providers to withhold their best ideas from clients.
Fear of Feeling Inferior – To avoid feeling irrelevant or being overlooked, consultants try to achieve and preserve a high level of importance in clients’ minds. We find that clients are more interested in candor, modesty, and transparency than they are in confidence, authority, and perfection. That’s not to say that competence is irrelevant; clients need to know that we have the knowledge and experience to help them. But once we’ve reached that level, the best way to differentiate ourselves from competition – not to mention help a client implement the ideas we’re recommending to them – is to be vulnerable with them.
© Copyright 2014 The Table Group, Inc. www.tablegroup.com
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