Strategy, Leadership & Organizational Consulting

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. once said, “Greatness is not where we stand, but in what direction we are moving.” An organization’s vision and mission aspires to great things. But to accomplish them, they need a compass and a map. That map – a strategic plan – shows the path they can chart to get where they hope to go. The compass guides them and tell them the direction they are headed on their journey, let’s call our compass the goals and objectives set forth in your plan. And now, a few thoughts on strategic thinking and planning.

Join Kelly Gagan, Vice President of Advancement at Nazareth College in Rochester, NY to learn more about her leadership philosophy including the critical importance of communication, empathy, listening and leading from behind.

by Cynthia Woolbright While incremental changes on boards are occurring at our colleges and universities, we are still woefully short from true diversity on our boards. The Association of Governing Board, in its Report on Consequential Boards (2014), recommended that “boards must improve their own capacity and functionality through increased attention to the qualifications and recruitment of…

Kelly Gagan Vice President for Institutional Advancement Nazareth College, Rochester, NY Hundreds of books have been written on leadership. Some of them have even become best sellers with familiar titles: “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” “Superbosses,” and “Lean In” to name a few. Filled with wisdom and powerful advice, books on…

Cynthia Woolbright discusses five key leadership qualities as defined by Adam Bryant, the author of The Corner Office.

Cynthia Woolbright discusses five key leadership qualities as defined by best selling author Adam Bryant, New York Times weekly columnist and author of The Corner Office, in which he reveals the keys to success in the business world.

Cynthia addresses the challenge faced by virtually every institution who must learn how to best transition a generation of “Millennials” into positions of leadership.

Cynthia addresses the challenge faced by virtually every institution who must learn how to best transition a generation of “Millennials” into positions of leadership.

  New York Times “Corner Office” columnist and best-selling author Adam Bryant has interviewed hundreds of CEOs for his books on leadership.  His first book, The Corner Office; Indispensable and Unexpected Lessons from CEOs on How to Lead and Succeed, explores the essential qualities shared by many CEOs that ultimately landed them in the corner office.  Here, my take on three of those…

  Picking up where we left off with Adam Bryant’s interviews with CEOs and the qualities he identified in some 70 leaders, here are the D.  Simple Mind-Set: Be concise, get to the point and make it simple. Be practical. Be succinct. Drop the power point or keep it so very, very short. Give information ahead for others to read and then be prepared to enter the meeting and ready to answer key…

A Conversation with Patricia (Trish) Jackson Vice President for Development, Brown University In early May, we reached out to longtime colleague Trish Jackson to talk about leadership. We started the conversation by asking her to describe any special attributes an aspiring leader in advancement should cultivate. As we talked, a theme that emerged was the concept of “fluency” and how that…

Shanna Hocking, Associate Vice President, Individual Giving, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Intrigued by a review of the recently published “Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent” by Sidney Finkelstein, author and Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College, Shanna Hocking was “compelled” to read the book. The book has been…

This article was first published January 3, 2015. Thoughts from Sarah McMaster, Director of Marketing & New Media and Brett Moulton, Web & New Media Specialist, Mount Wachusett Community College about incorporating successful social medial strategies into your communications toolbox. Social media is no longer the buzz word du jour. It has successfully transitioned from the shiny new thing into a…

A conversation with Brenda Ricard, Associate Vice President, Advancement Operations and Planning, Boston College; Christine Tempesta, Director, Strategic Initiatives, MIT Alumni Association, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Interview Transcript Cynthia Woolbright: Okay. today, we’re going to be talking about strategic planning in advancement John Bryson, author of a book on strategic…