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Change and Transformation
“The Beacon Group’s program proved to be a transformational experience for our staff, and has created a new, more open culture of creativity and collaboration that has given The Globe and Mail a marked and measurable competitive advantage.” — Phillip Crawley
“The Beacon Group’s thought provoking curriculum utilizes best practice tools and interactive media for evaluation, assessment and overall learning. It has helped us raise the bar on our calibre of talent.” — Ernst Lieb
“The Beacon Group was able to handle our 360 reviews across 9 offices in a manner that brought significant value to our partners, the firm and ultimately our clients.” — Judson Whiteside
“The human capital programs provided by The Beacon Group are best in class.” — Tye Burt
“The Beacon Group acted as a strategic partner and was instrumental in helping us raise the bar on candid dialogue and team performance.” — Robert Courteau
“The Beacon Group approaches very serious and difficult topics in an accessible and insightful way.” — Eric Siegel
“We engaged The Beacon Group when we needed to bring two cultures together after our first major international acquisition: the evidence of their success lies in both the subsequent growth in our business and our presence in more than twelve countries on five continents.” — Rupert Duchesne
“The Beacon Group excels in facilitating open & candid dialogue that has fostered superior team performance.” — Mary Ellen Carlyle
“Top-level thought leadership, combined with practical, cost-effective solutions—that’s the real value the Beacon Group team brings to bear on Foresters talent challenges.” — Suanne Nielsen
“The Beacon Group delivered cutting edge perspectives on many human capital topics that were tailored and customized to our company in a way that we could not have obtained at more generic, cookie-cutter advising shops.” — Doug Lord
“Doug Williamson and his team were of invaluable assistance in helping our organization navigate through a completely new strategic planning process and emerge with a three year plan resoundingly endorsed by our Board. Doug’s global perspectives and ability to drive consensus was an integral part of our success.” — Don Forgeron
“The Global HR & Communications senior team engaged the Beacon Group in shepherding us through a unique strategic planning process that involved an outside-in view of our current and future workforce and how this aligns to our business strategy. Thanks to Doug and his team it was a thought provoking process that sharpened our strategic thinking and, in the end, made our strategy stronger.” — Sylvia Chrominska
“The Beacon Group’s customized and personalized approach fit our needs perfectly. From the initial self-discovery phase all the way to recommending solutions, the work they have done has been consistently world-class. They combine strong analytics with a wealth of real world experience. They are focused, targeted and are experts at taking theoretic concepts and making them real. We look forward to working with Doug and his team as we continue to elevate our business and improve our internal performance.” — Don Romano
“I have had the pleasure of working with The Beacon Group and Doug Williamson for several years across several organizations and have always been impressed with their professionalism, work ethic and customer orientation. Doug's own highly energetic and highly customized approach to the specific needs of our business and our leadership team sets him apart from other strategic facilitators and objective "thought provokers" I have experienced. I am always grateful and impressed by the tangible results his interventions tend to produce.” — Lloyd A. Perlmutter
“The big contribution was The Beacon Group challenged our culture and our comfort level. We then arrived at a clear plan of concise deliverables that we needed to execute to move forward on our vision.” — Tony Ambler
“SKF approached The Beacon Group to develop our Talent Management program. The process implemented by Doug Williamson and his team was extremely important for us in determining how to execute the program on a clear, organized and systematic way. This was one of our most important projects that will enable us to ensure our sustainable growth.” — João Ricciarelli
“Through its sound and strategically practical business knowledge and experience The Beacon Group has and continues to assist SCI in better understanding and enabling our organization to build engaged teams and leadership capability to help make our supply chain clients more competitive.” —John Ferguson |
Provocative PropositionsIn the hyperactive and challenging world in which we all live, it is becoming harder and harder for business leaders to find time to read, reflect and gain insight from the many valuable sources at our disposal. In "Provocative Propositions", The Beacon Group attempts to fill that void by offering our opinion, often rather pointed, on a wide array of issues we believe are relevant to leading a modern organization. The articles are catalogued into 12 categories so you can quickly and easily find a topic of particular interest. We then offer three easy steps under the heading "In Our Opinion" to help business leaders take action on the key themes. Simply click on the category and read away. Face the Facts
The Dip is the quagmire of goo that prevents most people from getting to where they want to be. It's the moat, the canyon, the brick wall that stands in the way between you and greatness. Not everyone will make the journey through the Dip, fewer will actually complete it, but those who do will truly succeed.
The Fact is - mediocrity is just that, mediocre. In order to be truly great, your organization must endure some heavy lifting to get through - the dip. The Problem is - many cases organizations have trouble painting a clear enough picture for their employees to see why all of the hardship would be worth it. The Outcome is - that organizations fail to inspire their employees, to quit ineffective products and services, and truly reach their potential. The Solution is - to develop a culture that attracts passionate people who are prepared to not only embrace change, but to create it. Yes, after years of being packed away in the closet, the "c" word is back, organizations have to change. And you're not going to do it, your employees are. They need to do it for themselves. They need to muster up the courage, prepare for the long journey and dive headfirst into the Dip. The truth is, on the other side, is where all of the great stuff happens. Alternatives You don't have to take the dip. There are alternatives. In fact, it's very likely that you've chosen one of the other paths without even knowing it. If you're not in the dip, author Seth Godin believes that you're on one of two other paths. One of the two other paths is the Cul-de-sac. Yes, French for dead-end. This is actually the easiest path. Days go by, nothing changes, same old, same old. Although it's the easiest path, it's also the least fulfilling. You never experience the feeling of true completion, or at least the exhilaration of trying something you believe in. The last path is the Cliff. You make a bad choice, stick to it, and work tirelessly - towards failure. It's like chopping down a tree while you're still in it. Sure the axe is making great progress, but eventually the tree is going over.. with you in it. The key is to be smart about your decisions. Decide what you want, and go for it. Just be sure to ask around to make sure you're not up a tree. Become a Quitter Most of us, at one time or another, have told our parents that their choice of clothes is outdated. We've all stopped watching shows that fall out of favour. Why is it that this stops when we come to the office? Surely there's something your company produces, sells, or markets that isn't working any more. And you haven't told anyone that it's time to quit it. Author Seth Godin in his latest book "The Dip" agrees, winners do quit, quitters do win. Well, not everything, but true winners have a knack at quitting what doesn't work anymore, and devoting their newfound energy to finding something that does. The Pursuit of Mastery If nothing else, The Dip helps you achieve something rare - mastery. By working hard - harder than anyone around you - you're likely to actually achieve greatness. The Dip is not for people who strive to be good; it is for people who are willing to invest time and energy into actually accomplishing something worth accomplishing. Once there, you (or your team, division, or organization) will truly stand above the others. The key is to actually dive into the Dip and persevere. In Our Opinion Getting Good at Quitting Want it - Taking the Dip is hard, so whatever you're doing had better be worth it. If it isn't worth it, then you'd better take a pass on it. If what you're setting out to accomplish makes you proud, makes you smile, and gets your blood flowing - dive in. Be choosy - You can't do everything. The Dip is about being a master of something - so you'd better quit all of the "noise" that will only serve to take away your concentration, energy, and focus. Grow up - Don't be ashamed of quitting. Even if you thought it was the greatest idea when it started, there may come a time when you have to quit it. By admitting it's time to try something else, you will show those around you that it's ok to rethink the plan. Learn fast - When you do end up quitting something, to pursue your one true passion, analyze your decision. Make sure you know why you moved on. Really assess whether or not you waited too long, or shouldn't have pursued it in the first place. That way you'll be less likely to divert yourself in the future. |
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