Every organization is unique but they all share a common thread. That is, the people who make up the organization are responsible for its success or failure. In challenging times this is only more true. It is the collective efforts of the workforce that determine whether the organization will collapse, survive or thrive. In these post-recession times however, many organizations are left with employees who are disillusioned, near exhaustion and ready to jump ship when the economy makes a total recovery. Left unattended this will be a major problem for any organization.

An organization where employees are motivated, engaged and contributing to success has the following characteristics:

• The organization has a clear and compelling direction.
• The leadership has a clear understanding of the vision, strategy and objectives.
• If the leadership is not clear and does not have a succinct message, then the confusion will only be magnified for employees
• They communicate this clearly, consistently and often.
• Major breakdowns often occur here. The "I already told them" attitude creates the false impression that employees heard it, internalized it and are committed to it.
• Especially in difficult times, the communications are open and honest.
• Deeply embedded in the strategy is a focus on the overall well being of employees, more than just psychological and physical health
• Employees at all levels understand their role and how what they do contributes to the success of the organization
• Particularly in difficult times, employees shift roles without much clarity on their new responsibilities and are still expected to do their old responsibilities
• Employees have the tools they need to do the job (training, technology, support, etc.)
• The right systems (e.g., compensation and benefits, performance management, career development) are in place (and are aligned) to motivate high performance.
• Companies with a continued focus on career growth and development, even if tough times,fare better
• Employees are respected and treated well by their direct supervisor(s)
• The quickest way to determine employee morale is to ask people about their relationship with their direct boss.
• Many employees in today's environment are given the message that they are simply lucky to have a job.
• The organization's culture and values are supportive of and in alignment with its strategic direction.

We focus our services in the following key areas to assist organizations in achieving the above characteristics:

Leadership and Team Development

Leading people has always been challenging. And it's only more so today in times of economic uncertainty, global competition, shrinking margins and profits, layoffs, and increasing distrust. Finding and choosing the right people to lead your organization and providing them with the tools and developmental opportunities to be successful is absolutely critical. Services we offer in this area include:

Leadership assessment and selection

Executive Coaching

Team development

Talent Management

This involves the holistic set of processes and systems that the individual experiences throughout their time with the organization. For example, before individuals are even employees they have some perception of the company. If they apply they experience the recruitment and selection process. If they are hired they will go through an orientation process. During their work tenure they will experience the learning and development opportunities and the performance management and compensation system. Even when they exit and become alumni they will still experience the organization. Every aspect will influence his/her perception of, outlook on, and ability to perform in (or help in the case of alumni) the organization. In order to have maximum impact all systems and processes must work well independently, must be in alignment with each other and must be in alignment with the organization's values, strategies and objectives. Services that we offer in this area include:

Overall system evaluation

Recruitment

Assessment and Selection

Program development and facilitation

Culture

Loosely defined culture refers to "the way things are done" in an organization. An organization that needs innovation to survive would do well to have a culture that supports this. An environment that encourages risk taking, allows learning from mistakes and provides freedom to make decisions will be much more supportive than an organization that punishes risk taking or controls all decision-making. The culture is set by the leadership (whether they know it or not) and influenced by the organizational systems and processes. A company's stated value of "we respect our people" is not in alignment with a compensation system that rewards results regardless of how people are treated. The greater the degree of alignment, the greater the chance of achieving organizational objectives. Specific services we offer in this area include:

Culture assessment

Culture alignment/change

Employee engagement/Morale

An engaged employee can be defined as one who happily gives additional discretionary effort towards something that matters to the company. Much focus has been given to this concept lately as organizations are trying to address morale problems that have emerged from the recession and its associated economic struggles. But engagement is much more than just making people feel good. A study by Watson Wyatt found that companies with highly engaged employees experienced 26% higher employee productivity, lower turnover risk, greater ability to attract top talent, and 13% higher total returns to shareholders over the last five years. In addition, several studies have shown that morale is a driver of individual and organizational performance, customer satisfaction and employee health. Specific services we offer in this area include:

Assessment of employee engagement (e.g., custom engagement/satisfaction survey)

Recommendations and/or implementation of engagement programs