Peter Wendel Group - Succession Planning - Strategic Planning, Team Building, Leadership Development

HOW WE WORK

What’s it like to work with the Peter Wendel Group? In this section we’ll tell you the kind of results you can expect when working with us and we’ll also give you a sense of our guiding beliefs, our approach to client projects and how we’re different from other consultants.

RESULTS YOU CAN EXPECT

You identify where you are now. Often, our work begins with an organizational assessment – a survey of your operation which might include a visit to your facilities, an in-depth questionnaire, interviews, review of your policies and procedures, etc. The assessment provides an overview of your company – its capabilities and constraints – that, together, we can use to mutually agree on the scope and direction of the future work.

You identify where you want to go in the future and pinpoint where to focus your resources to get you there. Using the organizational assessment as a starting point, you and your leadership team can identify the Action Areas to focus your resources in order to build a strong organization.

You’ll form action teams for each Action Area, and develop measurable outcomes, milestones and completion dates for each outcome.

You will build a strong organization that is able to deal with challenges and capitalize on opportunities that change presents. When you know the future you want to create, you can make decisions to capitalize on the opportunities that you encounter along the way.

The process of choosing your future helps people find common ground. Like a laser beam, energies are focused on creating the results you have chosen. People work together and conflicts are reduced.

You will have the right people in the right jobs. Because you know what you want to create, you can design your organization, identify the strengths each job requires, identify each person’s unique strengths and put each person in a position that builds on their strengths.

You have a long term program in place to assure the orderly transition of leadership and, if appropriate, the transfer of ownership. Instead of a ‘someday, maybe – who knows what’s next’ approach to your business, you’ll be thinking ahead so that you are prepared to respond to predicted and unpredictable events when they occur.

Your current leaders are preparing for future retirement – even when retirement is five to ten years away. Changing circumstances – accident, death, loss of energy can lead to unanticipated life style shifts that will impact the leaders’ roles and challenge your company. Planning ahead can prepare both the company and the individual for those changing circumstances

You are developing the next generation of leaders so they will be prepared to ‘step up’ when the time is right. You won’t ‘bet all your money on one horse.’ You’ll build a cadre of potential leaders that are selected, trained and coached so they are prepared for their future roles.

OUR GUIDING BELIEFS

Our basic premise is that successful organizations and successful people CHOOSE the future they want to create and LEARN to create it by capitalizing on the opportunities that their changing environment presents.

There is no quick fix for building a sustainable company. We work with our clients ‘over the long haul’ helping them build the strengths they need to become self sustaining -- ultimately working ourselves out of a job.

There is strength and power within each organization. The goal is to pinpoint your specific strengths and build upon them.

OUR FOCUS

Is in three areas:
1.	Building a strong sustainable organization that combines focus, flexibility and innovation to be a leader in rapidly changing times.
2.	Developing a team of future leaders.
3.	Coaching senior leaders as they prepare to transition from work to a ‘new role' they define for themselves.

OUR APPROACH

We’re, above all, flexible. Different clients have different needs. One size does not fit all. Although we offer a range of service modules (see Services page) that address a wide variety of challenges, we fine tune our approach to produce sustainable results for your company with the least amount of struggle.

We are part of your team. We work with you, supporting you and your people as you choose the future you want to create and then learn to create it.

We are also part of your team of advisors. We bring a unique expertise which we blend with the special knowledge of your staff and your advisors to guide you as you create the future you have chosen.

WHAT MAKES US SPECIAL IS….

We work with our clients to identify each company’s unique strengths. We focus on understanding your organizational structure, understanding your people and how they interact. And we help you pinpoint the challenges – external and internal – that you are facing.

We listen. We collect information from you and your people (and, at times, from your customers) bringing it together and synthesize recommendations for your consideration.

We are continually learning. We integrate our new knowledge into the work that we are doing with our clients.

We stay with you. Our relationship is not just a ‘quick fix’ sort of thing. Creating change involves learning new skills, new approaches and unlearning what no longer works. To do so, it helps to have someone who can bring an objective point of view and different perspectives. We serve that role, supporting you, at whatever level works for you, for as long as you choose.

Pete Wendel has successfully experienced succession transfer. He went through ownership transfer from his Dad to him and, then, he and his partners successfully executed the transfer of leadership (and ownership) to them. The organization that they built (WENDEL, now Wendel-Duchscherer) grew from a small local firm to become the largest, locally owned consulting engineering firm in Western New York. And they’re still growing.

Now that you have a better idea about the results you can expect by working with us and our approach and philosophy of working with clients go to the Typical Project Cycle page to see how we interact with our clients