Capacity, a word you’ll hear often if you hang around the Clarus office or work with us on a project. We use it so frequently that we’ve just added our own definition for it to the Our Language section of our website. Here’s our version:
Capacity- The skills, resources, knowledge, manpower, and time required to implement and sustain both new and ongoing organizational initiatives; capacity is more than increasing headcount as it can be developed among current employees through effective training, communication, and planning. Clarus brings capacity that builds capacity.
I recently concluded a fascinating project for a large regional company where I was tasked with bringing capacity, process oversight, and project management to a complicated and urgent organizational initiative. On this project, I worked side-by-side company employees to determine and document a workflow process, measure progress, and meet aggressive deadlines. Continue reading →
If you’ve spent any time in our office since last summer, you’ve probably heard us mention the Freshwater Land Trust’s Our One Mile project. Part of Jefferson County’s Health Action Partnership and funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services, Our One Mile is developing a greenway master plan for all of Jefferson County, and here at Clarus, we’ve been handling the stakeholder engagement process.
What’s stakeholder engagement? At its core, it’s about actively listening. Through over 25 meetings, an online “virtual meeting,” Facebook, and Twitter, we have talked to over 1,000 people. We’ve asked them, “What is your one mile, and what does it connect you to?” Continue reading →
What’s going to happen? How does this affect me? What should I do? These are the questions I remember asking the week I learned the regional company I had recently joined had been acquired by an international organization. Though mergers are neither rare nor entirely unpredictable, I immediately felt isolated. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, what I was expected to do, or if and when I should expect to see changes. The brief email announcement I received left all too many questions. More than anything else I craved information. Continue reading →
Over the next three months, more than 100 managers will graduate from our Clear Management™ Training program. Through our delivery of Clear Management™ Training and other leadership development and management training programs, we have the opportunity to work with incredibly talented and intelligent senior executives and managers. These individuals are often the ‘top of the class’ performers who, following years of learning and excelling in the operations of the business, earn well-deserved promotions to managerial and senior leadership positions. The benefits of having key employees that possess a firm understanding of the company’s core business are obvious; it’s the need to ensure these key employees possess the skill set and knowledge necessary to effectively lead that’s often overlooked.
An article in March’s Harvard Business Review, The New Path to the C-Suite, does a great job of reflecting and expanding upon our observation. For each of the seven C-level positions, authors Boris Groysberg, L. Kevin Kelly, and Bryan MacDonald, breakdown the leadership skills and business knowledge that are equally, and often more, important than technical and operational expertise to achieve and be successful in these roles. Ultimately, their research leads them to conclude that C-Suite success will rely in part on strong abilities to communicate, collaborate, and think strategically. Continue reading →
Much more than a New Year’s resolution—because this one will last longer than 2 weeks—but not quite a revolution.
I feel a good plan in the works. For some years now, we have quietly been making changes within our office to be more aware about the resources we use, our responsibility to the community, and the ways we view our role in the conversation around sustainability. We believe that these intermittent and sometimes spontaneous changes must add up to something more significant than its parts. Not unlike the work we do with clients, when a discussion begins and planning takes place, only then do you begin to understand how far you’ve come and where opportunities for improvement remain.
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With 2010 winding down and 2011 just around the corner, Clarus Consulting Group is pleased to launch its new website, a product of collaboration between the Clarus team, Scout Branding, Miller Mobley Photography, and writer Mark Kelly.
As the anchor of our revamped web presence, the website allows visitors to learn more about the results we deliver to clients through Our Approach to strategy and planning, change management, communication and stakeholder engagement, and leadership development and management training. Through the website you can not only learn more about Our Services, you can join us in a conversation. The Our Thoughts section is an opportunity to join our discussion around the work we do, the best practices in the field, and the trends we see on the horizon. Finally, don’t miss Our Language, a pocket dictionary for Clarus-speak that provides insight into our values and project approach.
Our new website showcases Clarus’ greatest asset, Our Team. We take great pride in our diverse strengths, educations, and experiences. This pride was furthered bolstered in 2010 by the addition of two outstanding Clarus associates, Caroline Downing and Dina Glass.
We look forward to the new year ahead!
