Leadership Development
We believe that the only way that organizations or families change is when individual people, usually the leaders change first. The organization cannot or will not go to frontiers where the leader has never been and therefore leadership is based in learning and growth. The character of a leader is found in the ability to tolerate uncertainty, ambiguity and loneliness while remaining in emotional connection to the people being lead. It is the leader’s uniqueness and character that the followers rely on to take them into the uncharted waters of the future.
Our approach to leadership development is based on the ancient dictum, “Know Thyself”. Helping our clients find their unique gifts and passions as well as to integrate those parts of self that have been, over the course of a lifetime set aside, is our goal in working with leaders who want to grow. Life is a spiral of development that continually presents our core challenges in more complex forms as we develop. The more one is able to live and to lead from our authentic, intuitive and natural self, the more one is able to hold open the space for growth of our people and organizations.
One of the central tenants of all life is the paradox of the need to differentiate or claim our uniqueness as individuals while at the same time remaining connected either physically or emotionally to the whole or group. The most effective leaders are able to make decisions knowing that those decisions will generate resistance or even sabotage and remain emotionally open and connected with even the most oppositional of followers.
Services Offered:
Identifying and Developing
Next Generation Leaders:
Getting family members in the right position based on skills, personality and competence rather than age, birth order and emotion can one of the most difficult transition challenges. Ollum Consulting has worked with many families and shareholder groups to identify and develop the next generation of leaders. We use objective assessments, coaching and personalized development plans to identify and prepare the next leaders and insure they are prepared for the role that best suits their gifts and talents.
Developing the Leadership Pipeline:
Succession is more than simply deciding who will be the next CEO. Growing companies require leadership bench strength and that requires planning, training and development from first line supervisors through the executive level. Sustainability, innovation and competitiveness in this rapidly changing environment depends on a cadre of management and leadership talent. Ollum Consulting has the experience to help you design a leadership pipeline that is aligned with your strategy and that will evolve as your business grows into the future.
Succession Planning:
Succession is not an event but a process that helps a company balance the need for continuity with the need to constantly adapt. Ensuring that each leader has identified and groomed their successor is critical to long term success. This is especially critical at the executive level. We have helped countless firms design and execute succession plans in both the family and closely-held environment. We work with you to design a plan that fits both your culture and your people while preparing the organization for the future.
Shift from Ambition to Purpose:
One of the most difficult challenges faced by leaders planning for their own succession is facing the looming question “Who will I be when I am no longer the owner/leader of this organization?” This is an especially poignant dilemma for baby boomers who can easily look forward to another 20 to 30 years of productive life. How can I contribute? What will be my purpose and give meaning to the next phase of life? Letting go and letting come requires an opening to seeing yourself in new ways and at a new place in the cycle of life. Is it time to use your gifts to move into an entirely new purpose for your life? At Ollum Consulting we know how to help individuals find their way through this very challenging renewal process.
Executive Team Development:
Great leaders surround themselves with great leaders and this does not occur by accident. It requires identifying and developing the individual executive as well as the teams ability to think, work and decide together. We can help you and your team learn to have the difficult discussions so you can move from simply solving problems to creating new value for the organization.
Taking Your Leadership to the next level:
Every leader, in fact every human being, eventually reaches the point in their career in which the skills and competencies that got us where we are no longer sufficient to maintain our position let alone advance it. We have helped numerous leaders become aware of the behaviors, beliefs and values that were once strengths but have now become liabilities. When faced with problems that require a new level of complexity in one’s thinking and emotional responses, doing more of the same is futile. Let us help you identify the blocks you are creating and design a program that begins to move you beyond your habitual ways of responding and reacting.