We do strategic development and execution work. Part of this work involves planning or the creation and definition of a set of actions that will deliver the enduring and prosperous growth our clients seek.

We go beyond the traditional strategic planning process to deliver strategy execution. We deliver everything you need to drive your organization forward on just 4 pages. We use our diverse backgrounds and experiences to help our clients see their businesses and their opportunities differently. We then work with them to drive action so their teams can immediately move down the path to a better future.

* The traditional approach to strategic planning is to gather a team of the organization’s leaders and, sometimes, outside experts for a couple of days to create a plan that defines how the organization will grow moving forward. The output of this session is typically a binder or a large digital presentation that gets “filed” and rarely referenced. We don’t do this type of strategic planning work. We only work with leaders who want to move their company forward in significant ways.

We have developed and refined a strong set of proven tools and approaches over the years. Many come from academia and have been proven in the real world by us and many others. Our diverse team of experts uses these proven tools to help leaders define what actions need to be taken and, then, to take them.

We also, in many cases, validate a leader’s “gut-feelings” – giving them the confidence to act. As the leader of an organization, most of our clients have some idea of what needs to be done, yet they hesitate to do it because the actions are very tough and they are not 100% confident. We help them overcome this confidence gap and do what needs to be done, no matter how challenging.

It’s not only something we can help with, it’s one of the things we are great at. In fact, there aren’t many other groups who can help you with this. Strategy execution is hard. It requires a diverse set of skills, a lot of trust, and a massive amount of dedication to make it happen.

Traditional strategic planning, and the approach most other firms take, is more hands-off since it’s typically run as a one or two day retreat that’s not tied to results or outcomes.

Teamwork, collaboration, working together, unity – no matter what label you give it, the problems its absence causes are big. Poor alignment shows itself in a number of ways. Passive-aggressive behavior, undercutting, and delayed decision-making are just a few of the symptoms you might be dealing with if your executive team is truly out of alignment.

Having a vision for the future that’s exciting, motivating, and clear is critical when it comes to gaining alignment amongst your executive team. Think about the clarity that comes when a company like Zappos defines a future built around a purpose of delivering happiness. Now everything can be measured against this standard. It can be used to guide and empower decision-making, provide feedback for improvement, and to prioritize future actions.

An alignment problem is a strategy execution problem. No one does strategy execution better than us.

A culture problem is almost always a strategy execution problem. When daily actions are not tied to a greater purpose or vision, when your teams don’t have something uniting and motivating them, then work activities are just that, work activities.

Many people we talk to know culture is important, and they want theirs to be great. Sometimes they want to make culture improvements to attract or retain top talent. Other times they want to make changes so their performance improves or simply to make things more pleasant at the place where they spend most of their time.

No matter the reason behind the change, many leaders struggle when it comes to leading culture change. They feel it’s some sort of mysterious dimension they simply can’t get a handle on.

Culture is nothing more than a set of beliefs and behaviors exhibited by a group – it’s “how work gets done around here.” A strong culture rallies around a shared mission/purpose/vision – a unifying cause. A strategy defines this element. A strategic plan communicates this element. Strategy execution makes sure all team members understand this element and their parts in making it happen.

Accountability, like culture, depends on a strong strategy that is clearly communicated. If all workers know how their daily actions support the overall goals and purpose of the organization, you have more than workers, you have empowered decision-makers who are always looking for ways to solve problems and perform better. If they don’t know how their daily actions support the overall goals and purpose of the company, you simply have workers doing work.

Struggling with conflict management is yet another symptom of not having a clear, unifying, and well-communicated strategy. You might have a strategy, but if you are not executing against that strategy, it’s the same as having no strategy at all. That’s why we focus on making sure you have both a strong strategy for delivering growth AND the ability to turn your actions into results.

Absolutely. Again, this a symptom of poor strategy execution and few consulting firms can help you do this better than Pathway. The best performers don’t want to simply go to work every day. They want to make a difference in the world. They want to do something meaningful and impactful. They sign up for causes, not companies. They want to see that you’re strong today and that you’re going somewhere amazing tomorrow. Do this and you will have more talent than you need!

We are talent management experts. No one is better at helping you solve your people challenges than we are. We have deep expertise in this area and no other consulting firm has leaders with more experience than Pathway.

Much of what we do in this space is groundbreaking – how we assess people to determine fit, how we help you motivate and compensate, and how we help you be an overall more effective leader is unmatched. We leverage tools like the Devine Inventory and the Enneagram to help you achieve your goals.

A large part of getting the best from your people is defining roles, setting expectations, and then managing these expectations. Our team loves helping you connect your people resources to your overall business goals.

We frequently work with clients to define roles and responsibilities for key and non-key positions. We also help you think through the positions you really need to achieve your goals. Are you big enough for a COO? We can help you know for sure. Is it time to hire a controller? We can help you discover the right answer for you. What should we be doing internally and what should we be outsourcing? We can help you understand the overall impact of these dimensions so you can make the best possible decision for your business.

Yes. We work with both individuals and teams to help them achieve optimal performance.

We go well beyond coaching, however. We educate and empower – so skills and confidence are built to last! We teach from a combination of our leadership experiences plus a proven academic base. We cover 12 areas proven to increase leadership effectiveness. Half of these areas are leadership skills areas like communication and conflict. The other half are business process areas like managing change or driving for results. It’s a powerful combination that’s proven to create leaders that get get results.

Yes. We take a lot of the stress and hassle out of the hiring process. We help you use best-in-class standards and give you access to world-class experts and tools – all to make finding the right people almost effortless.

Yes. Engineers and other technically-skilled people might not have the most “natural” leadership skills but they do have something many others don’t – an ability to learn quickly. We can teach them the technical pieces of effective leadership and then coach them on the softer skills that will help them improve even more.

This is something we are uniquely qualified to do. The tools and approaches we use help you know for sure the future leaders you are counting on can deliver. We look at the complete picture to assess their leadership abilities and potential. We know it’s important for you to find the right leaders for today and tomorrow. We have the best experts and tools for making that happen.

Poor teamwork is caused by 1) lack of clear strategy execution, 2) lack of alignment, and 3) lack of clear roles and expectations. Because we work on strategy elements AND the execution elements, we are an outstanding resource when it comes to building stronger, higher-performing teams.

Yes. Again, because we address the main reasons behind this behavior (lack of clear strategy, alignment, clarity of roles, etc.), we are an ideal solution for helping you drive action throughout your organization.

First let’s cover what the Enneagram is in a very broad and basic sense. “The Enneagram describes nine ways of seeing the world that are very different from one another, each with unique strengths and blind spots. Learning to recognize these different points of view enables us to understand co-workers’ motivations, needs, concerns and style of working and relating.” [Learn more about the Enneagram at www.theenneagraminbusiness.com.]

Now let’s talk about how we use it at Pathway to build stronger individuals and teams…
We believe you must first change your mind before you can change your behavior. Each person must change to improve either their personal performance or the performance of their team.

The Enneagram is a valuable discovery tool that helps you learn about yourself and those around you. When you have a better understanding of a person’s needs and motivations, it’s easier to build a connection with them. These connections eventually deepen into trust, and trust is the foundation of all high-performing teams.

The Enneagram, combined with our expert coaching and mentoring, is one of the most effective ways we’ve found to help people become more aware and effective. It is a proven tool that delivers results for individuals and teams alike.