Joseph Logan
Global Advisors
You're fast, but are you strong? I work with growing firms to prepare them for funding, sales, and growth--from the inside.
There are no strategy jobs in start-ups
A respected entrepreneur observed that "there are no strategy jobs in start-ups; there is only building and selling." That isn't to say that strategy and business acumen aren't important. The reality is that few early-stage start-ups have the cash to spend on building the business right from the beginning. That's where I come in.
The stakes are higher for entrepreneurs
Second chances don't come along very often in a start-up. Entrepreneurs need to build the business right the first time. In a small company, clarity, focus, and speed are paramount. Founders must be absolutely certain that all partners understand the strategy, customers, funding, revenue, and business model--and can execute with razor-sharp clarity.
A trusted partner can make the difference
I bring 20 years of experience as a business executive, consultant, professor, and writer to prepare my clients to win. My experience in strategy, project management, and business development give me a unique perspective for partnering with the entrepreneur. Additionally, I have been a senior decision-maker. I know what works.
News
The economy stinks, but entrepreneurship is thriving. I have recently had the pleasure of working with the founders of Ondeego and Napkin Labs, two companies that are certain to go places. See their sites for a description of their business models.
People
New friend and client Seth Haber will change the way you think about hammocks. Based in Boulder CO, his company Trek Light Gear makes ultralight hammocks for camping, tailgating, or just lying around. Check 'em out.
Events
The Boulder-Denver New Tech meeting is one of the best recurring events in CO. 5 companies this month take the stage for 10 minutes each, 5 minutes to demo and 5 minutes to answer questions. Check the site for dates.
My Partners
I work with a network of exceptional leaders, advisors, and scholars who share my philosophy of organizational excellence. These professionals are accomplished in their respective fields and embody unique approaches to building great organizations. They are located throughout the world and have mastered specialties as diverse as action learning, executive retreats, executive coaching, visual thinking, and strategic management and measurement. My partners are committed to putting the outcome before the technique.
My Background
I am an experienced business advisor who believes in tangible results. I have helped organizations succeed in business-critical change on five continents. Over the past twenty years, I have worked with organizations in health care, management consulting, government, hospitality, non-profit and non-governmental endeavors, and academic institutions. I have taught strategy, information technology management, and project management at American University and Boston University and am the author of the forthcoming book Seven Simple Steps to Finding Your First Job.
My Approach
I have worked with two kinds of clients: large organizations facing a crisis, and start-ups that need to become a functioning business. In my two decades working with organizations in all sectors, I have met smart, motivated people who expect more of their leaders, their peers, and themselves. I believe people are fundamentally constructive and want to do good work. Leaders have a right to expect performance, accountability, and engagement from their employees. Employees have a right to expect integrity, transparency, and honesty from their leaders. My approach is to clarify the need, agree the outcomes, and get to work.
Every organization is unique. "One size fits all" rarely does. Driving results means putting outcomes before techniques. These are three options for getting there:
Package: Getting to Know You
For the organization exploring the possibilities of change and effectiveness, I offer a one-day meeting facilitation and basic assessment. This meeting can be a regularly scheduled session or one prepared specifically for assessing team performance and clarity about outcomes. One day is a brief window into the dynamics of the organization, one that gives us a chance to get to know each other and what your team can become.
Package: All Hands to the Pump
For organizations with an immediate, discrete deliverable as part of a larger initiative, this multi-day working session begins with a basic assessment and moves quickly to defining present outcomes. Examples might include defining strategy, creating a Balanced Scorecard, strategizing for investor presentations, or building buy-in to new approaches.
Package: Driving Real Results
All organizations face defining crises. When your organization has to change to survive and thrive, I work in partnership with you to assess the situation, properly diagnose what has to happen, and make the changes that produce tangible outcomes for the organization as a whole. Reality: if you are going to divert time and money from your mission, you better make it count. I work with you to make the change real, and to prove it worked.
Outcome: Lasting Performance
This engagement produces measurable performance improvements. Leaders and teams learn skills for repeating change processes as part of their own work, ensuring that performance and team effectiveness continue to improve. This is the program for leaders who want to elevate their game and are committed to backing their words up with action.
Outcome: Options for Becoming Better
At the end of the day, your team will have an overview of how it sees goals and priorities, roles and responsibilities, key processes, and working relationships--how all the parts fit together. The outcome is a shared view of your shared strengths and your opportunities for development. This session often produces insights that improve performance immediately.
Outcome: Tangible Work Products
This session is about getting things done. The deliverables from this session are "right now" products you need to advance your work. You will also get a clearer view of how your team works together, what its strengths are, and how to develop those strengths to become more effective. More than simply a "feel-good" meeting, this session is for leaders and teams that produce.
Experience matters. Everyone says that, but why? Theory is great--vital, in fact--but it takes a practiced hand to recognize what works. These are some examples of my experience:
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals
As Regional Engagement Director for Area 1 Europe, I worked in an internal role to define a regional Information Services organization from nine previously autonomous country subsidiaries. This work included defining strategy, governance, portfolio, talent management, and reporting processes. A large part of the work was aligning performance to the company's Balanced Scorecard. The organization is now functional and performing with clarity, consistency, and harmony.
Harrah's Entertainment
When Harrah's began an initiative to recognize preferred guests through its Total Rewards program and a private concierge service, I designed and implemented train-the-trainer for the company's elite service staff. The training consisted of exceptional customer service skills, technical aptitude, and clear performance metrics. This program has consistently and substantially outperformed all other providers. It is the premiere loyalty program in the hospitality industry.
Pre-Financial Close Energy Start-Up
When a European energy start-up realized that it would take more than a good idea to reach financial close, I engaged with the team to define simple structures and consistent ways of operating. The team had individual expertise but no view of the whole and differing ideas about priorities and roles. As a result of implementing consistent but light structure in the team, it now has shorter meetings, less repetition, and a strong shot at nailing down a quarter of a billion Euros in funding.
World Bank
In engagements with the World Bank, I have worked to develop commitment to stronger oversight and to help internal teams target multimillion dollar cost reductions. In addition to facilitating sessions to win stakeholder support and agree cost-containment strategies, I worked with senior executives to develop and deliver against a Balanced Scorecard with aggressive performance targets.
Ford Motor Company
With a team of colleagues, I worked with Ford to address a crisis in diversity awareness and practice. Our team worked with a cross-section of workers throughout the company to train new trainers in diversity awareness and facilitation skills. These new trainers then worked throughout the company to deliver diversity engagements with their peers to reduce legal risk and improve team effectiveness.
Cabinet-Level Government Agencies
I have worked with numerous government organizations in top-level engagements focusing on reducing waste, clarifying strategy, and implementing broad change in constituent services. These programs have implemented e-government, improved core processes, and produced billions of dollars in savings. In a time of fundamental change in most aspects of public service, I have been honored to work with these leaders.
Every organization has a story. Some are just setting out on their journey, while others are ready to break through to new levels of performance. One thread common to all of those stories is a drive to build great organizations with tangible results. Those are the best stories.
These are some of the organizations with whom I have worked:
Private Sector
Chevy Chase Bank
Harrahs Entertainment
Hilton Hotels
Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC)
W. L. Gore
Ondeego
Napkin Labs
Trek Light Gear
Public Sector
District of Columbia City Government
Federal Aviation Administration
Georgia Department of Transportation
Kentucky Department of Education
Library of Congress
Tennessee Department of Childrens Services
US Department of Housing & Urban Development
US Department of Labor
US Department of the Interior
US Environmental Protection Agency
US Postal Service
Consulting
Accenture
IBM Business Services
KPMG
Booz-Allen Hamilton
InForte
PA Consulting
Scendis
Academic
American University
Boston University
Georgetown University
Wilmington College
Non-Profit
ProJOVEN
Success is more than just talk. Yet, change always starts with straight talk. Maybe it's a timely tale told well. Maybe it's a talk to motivate and engage. Maybe it's a talk about hard facts. Sometimes hearing the right stories or challenging ideas is the first step toward something unique. Something powerful.
Through speaking engagements with companies like W.L. Gore, NGOs like the World Bank, and conferences of executives around the world, I try to present business fundamentals in a new light--and new ideas with a discerning eye. These are some of my recent speaking engagements:
Core Speaking Topics
Past Speaking Engagements
Academy of Management
Organization Development Network
Pharma IT Summit
Electronic Laboratory Notebooks Conferences
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Foundation for Enterprise Development
Learn More
Interested? I would welcome the opportunity to talk with you about what your organization needs to hear.
You can contact me at josephlogan [at] airpost.net or by phone at 202.905.0475.
Let's talk. Is it time to start working more consistently? Does your team need to focus? Are you ready to climb the next peak? I'd like to hear from you.
Contact Me
Address
7931 S. Webster Way
Littleton CO 80128
Tel.: +1.202.905.0475
E-mail: josephlogan [at] airpost.net
Connect with me on LinkedIn.
Follow me on Twitter.
Schedule a meeting with me on Tungle.
© Joseph Logan | Global Advisors (2009) | 7931 S. Webster Way, Denver CO 80128 | +1.202.905.0475
