What I like to do ...

I most enjoy dealing with matters in their formative stages. Often, this has entailed a start-up activity of some sort. My efforts with the Urban Area Security Initiative, the 1989 Denver bond issue, and Denver’s Y2K preparation are illustrative. Another is guiding the development of a drought response strategy for the Denver Dept. of Parks and Recreation.

In some instances, assignments have been a “rescue” efforts – situations where problems have arisen that have not been susceptible to resolution without help from the outside. Problems within the Denver Coroner’s Office in the late ‘80s presented such an opportunity. More currently, my work with the Denver Dept. of Parks and Recreation stretched my horizons. There, I and others had to enter an agency fraught with scandal and even some criminal conduct. Our jobs were to right the ship and restore integrity to the agency – a task which all acknowledged was singularly successful.

How I approach challenges …

Every task is unique and requires a customized approach. Nevertheless, I attempt to adapt a framework that I’ve used successfully in the past.

• Carefully review the assignment with the client entity.
• Investigate the situation to get as complete a picture of the conditions, issues and obstacles as possible.
• Return to the client entity with my conceptualization the problem based on my investigation.
• Obtain ratification of that conceptualization from the leadership.
• Create the necessary information infrastructure (e-mail networks, schematics, data bases, etc.) to support the effort.
• Recruit players with key skills needed to complete the work, while applying my own diverse skills in concert with the rest of the team.
• Present interim reports and products as appropriate.
• Maintain a calendar and/or project schematic of the key elements.
• Present resultant findings to the client, along with a plan of action to overcome the problems or move the entity to the desired level of effectiveness.
• Assist in the implementation of the action plan.

None of this is new. However, I attempt to maintain a degree of rigor in the process in order to achieve the desired result efficiently and reduce slippage in the process. I also believe that this type of work can be performed in a collegial fashion – even where some participants are cool or hostile to the effort. I also go out of my way to improve the likelihood of successful change by cultivating trust relationships with those who might otherwise risk losing face as a result of the intervention.