How Do You Plan for Contingencies Post-Deal? Three Insights
Situation: A company is in the midst of due diligence for sale of the company. Chances of closing the deal are 50/50. The CEO, key staff and the Board must plan for both contingencies. How have you...
View ArticleHow Do You Shift from Craft to Lean? Four Steps
Situation: A company has an engineering structure which emphasizes function over cost. As a result, there is little collaboration between design and manufacturing, and little design for...
View ArticleHow Do You Shift Culturally from R&D to Production? Seven Steps
Situation: An early stage company needs to move from an engineering/R&D focus to a production focus. Cash availability and business plans dictate that this must happen very rapidly – within 4...
View ArticleHow Do You Manage Communications Post-Riff? Three Thoughts
Situation: A company missed production milestones and had to reduce top and line staff by 20% to keep salaries in line with expected revenue. An executive who was very angry about being let go has...
View ArticleHow Do You Align Expectations Across the Company? Five Suggestions
Situation: A company is doing well, but the CEO is concerned about emerging hurdles that may stall momentum. The key issue from a systems development perspective is changing a “one-off” project based...
View ArticleHow Do You Negotiate New Shares for the Founders? Five Suggestions
Situation: A company’s founders will be fully vested in their options by the end of the year. Also, the option pool for founders and employees has been exhausted. The CEO has spoken with the Board...
View ArticleHow Do You Build Strong Teams? Seven Suggestions
Situation: A company has lost the team spirit that they had when the company formed. The CEO has struggled to revitalize this spirit but encounters resistance from some employees. What techniques have...
View ArticleAre Your Folks Getting Offers from Others? Five Thoughts
Situation: A company’s employees are increasingly getting offers from other companies. They believe that they have a good team, a good work environment and offer a competitive pay and benefit package....
View ArticleHow Do You Communicate Benefits Changes Following an Acquisition? Four Thoughts
Situation: A company was recently acquired. The acquirer wants to merge benefit structures between the two entities. Both contribute a similar amount toward benefits; however the distribution of...
View ArticleHow Do You Handle Allegations of Employee Theft? Four Guidelines
Situation: A company’s leadership is wrestling with how to handle an accusation of employee theft. In the case presented, the accuser lacks credibility, but the charge is serious. The leadership team...
View ArticleWhat Will Happen to HSA Accounts Under the Affordable Care Act?
Situation: To maintain expense control as the Affordable Care Act is implemented, a company is looking at HSA options to replace their past insurance coverage. What do you think is the future of HSA...
View ArticleWould You Dedicate Staff to a Single Client? Five Considerations
Situation: A company has received an inquiry from a large client requesting that they dedicate a significant portion of their staff to that client. The company hasn’t done this in the past, and the CEO...
View ArticleHow Do You Improve Planning and Execution? Three Factors
Situation: A company wants to develop a better planning and execution process. Historically they have been poor at meeting goals and objectives. What are the most important factors that improve...
View ArticleHow Do You Manage Cash Flow and Growth? Five Thoughts
Situation: A company faces dual challenges – assuring that payments are collected for work done and developing a business model that facilitates growth. How do assure that payments are collected to...
View ArticleHow Do You Work With a Protector? Three Thoughts
Situation: The CEO of a company has a Director of Operations who aspires to more professional responsibility, but who is also hesitant to take on more work. This conflict in the mind of the Director...
View ArticleHow Do You Respond to Preaching at Work? Four Guidelines
Situation: A company has a long-term employee who recently joined a new church. Based upon the guidance this individual is receiving from their new minister, they have begun to evangelize at work,...
View ArticleHow Do You Select and Pay Board Members? Six Suggestions
Situation: A company has been advised to augment their Board of Directors. The principal objective is to access mentorship and advice, particularly in the areas of gaining critical mass and marketing....
View ArticleHow are You Planning for Baby Boomer Retirements? Six Considerations
Situation: A company has a number of key employees who are nearing retirement. These employees possess software skills and company knowledge which will be difficult to replace. How are you planning for...
View ArticleHow Do You Eliminate a Them-Us Cultural Divide? Six Thoughts
Situation: A company acquired an office in a new geography at no cost – just a commitment to keep the office going. The immediate challenge is transferring the previous owner’s client base to the new...
View ArticleHow Do You Boost Shareholder Value and Liquidity? Five Ideas
Situation: A company wants to create a liquidity event every 3-5 years. The objective is to increase shareholder value and also create opportunity for employees. How do you boost shareholder value and...
View Article
