We received a call from a former client from Motorola who was interested in having a team-building program for their senior management team at this aerospace company.
After our initial call, we soon realized that the actual goal was generational succession. Results were going to require a process and a significant culture change: the ultimate goal was for the son to ascend to the CEO role. We designed a process which would take place over a period of eight months, using a series of intensive off-site sessions to create a vision for the future, enhance commitment and alignment, and build credibility for him as a leader. As his style differed greatly from the previous generation’s, we knew we would have to create a plan of action far different from the one his parents had used.
From our initial assessment we determined that, to succeed, he would need much more support than he had previously received. Organizational antigens were at work, and he would need to confront them head on to enact much-needed shifts in the business equation.
We at Operation Explore are firm believers in metaphors and the power of unifying people around stories. We crafted a story inspired by Mt. Everest’s famed “Basecamp”. The company was exceptional at climbing “Fourteeners” (14,000’ mountains), which is not a simple feat; however, the company was being called to summit Everest (Basecamp there is at 17,000’). Everest is an entirely different animal, and necessitates a much different approach.
We guide organizations as they manage change, transitions, alignment, mergers, generational succession and culture shift.
Believing that actions speak louder than words, we offer an array of approaches for enhancing the human potential.