I'm often given a quizzical look when people learn about our business for the first time (unless you're a seasoned executive, in which case you usually 'get it'). It's that look that says "Hum, your company sounds impressive but I really have no clue what that means and what you do". 

I tell my clients that the executive function is akin to playing the game Twister (bear with me here). In Twister all you have to do is listen to instruction do what you are told and you will always win ... as long as you play alone!

That's the point. Executives never play the game of business alone. They have moved from being an individual player, measured by their own contributions, to the one who is now responsible for helping others play the game and win. Executive development is the process of filling the gaps that many executives discover in their role as a leader of others. In simple terms,

"Executive development equips those who are responsible for the execution of business activities through other people, to achieve success faster and with fewer headaches"

We specialize in developing three areas of competence every executive needs.

Emotional Intelligence

Think of that time that you lost it with an employee, vendor or even your boss or board. We've all been there, done that, but the successful executive has learned how to manage their emotions. Beyond just keeping them in check, they develop this area in their life and see it as a strategic advantage.

We work with executives and their teams to develop their Self Awareness - Self Management - Social Awareness and Relational Management skills. All are critical long-term success factors for senior executives.

Team Building

The competency of team building is either over looked or under developed in executives. Primary areas of development include: building and supporting a cohesive leadership team that has deep trust; the ability to 'fight' well (healthy conflict); a commitment to shared goals; peer accountability; and a drive towards results. We help develop all these competencies and more with the teams we engage. 

Effective communication

Life is a series of presentations! The problem is we rarely do life well in this area. I love the quote that states "The greatest problem with communication is the illusion that it's taken place" - George Bernard Shaw. The lack of effective communication is consistently a top three issue with our clients. Think of communication as the oil in a well functioning engine. You may have a great transmission (accounting), top of the line engine block (engineering) and lots of fuel (sales), but if your oil goes bad or runs low you can stop on a dime and never recover. 

Whether 1:1, in meetings, presentations or email; speaking internally to staff or to external stakeholders such as boards, partners or customers, we help executives master this all important skill. 

So, if you need help playing the game of Twister, er business, then drop us a line and let's get started!