Outside-Force Business Development Firm

Loss of the leader does not have to be a CRISIS! Shawn Wolf, DSL | Outside-Force BDF The burgeoning field of interim leader has emerged to fill the gap created by the loss of the key leader in organizations. The loss of a key leader can be devastating, especially if the leader is the founder or has been an inspirational leader for a significant length of time. A planned succession is, of course, preferable but not always the way things go; utilizing an Intentional Interim Leader may be an effective solution even within a planned succession. The most vulnerable organizations are small to mid-size businesses and non-profits. These organizations may not have the depth to have a solid succession plan, or personnel in place (enough people or the right skills) to successfully manage the void left when the primary leader departs. For many years there have been CFO’s for hire, Marketing specialists for hire, and other roles, which could temporarily fill gaps but the President or CEO...

Purposeful Hiring   Andrea Vaughan | Outside-Force BDF As an HR professional, I have to admit hiring is not my favorite sport. Yet, I believe it is the single most important decision a company makes when building a team, or at least ranks right up there. If you’re going to go through the process of hiring, ROI should be a key factor. A great hire adds to the company and team; conversely, a poor hire yields a poor ROI as I wind up going through the hiring process all over again. So, over my decades in HR, I’ve become quite good at screening and reading people before they become employees. Because, once they’re on board….it’s a different ball game if the wrong person was hired. Recruiting and hiring is one of the numerous responsibilities I have, so obviously the more time I spend here the less time I have to focus elsewhere. Hiring well means the company gains a valuable employee and I can check it off my list. No need to revisit; however, if I hire poorly I can promise t...

Bring on the Tension! Dr. Shawn Wolf | Outside-Force BDF  Leaders actively create tension for and with their team by consistently holding before them a new/better future. Good leaders accomplish this by creating and sharing a compelling vision. It’s not enough to simply share the vision of the organization with the team; the leader also creates the vision of a change initiative that paves the way towards the overall vision. People have to become comfortable in discomfort. For many of a leader’s followers their own internal IOS (Internal Operating System), or mental models desire to set in stone how things are done now and they find comfort in sustaining the current state. Yet, all organizations must continue to improve to meet the needs of their customers and stay ahead of the competition. To improve something calls for some kind of change, which means people have to figure out how to be comfortable in discomfort, or creative tension. To effectively initiate and sust...