Colleagues:
Over the years, our business has changed a lot. Many people still think
of Marsha and me as "the
self-directed team people" but our business has evolved a lot. I wanted
to give you an update on the type of work we have been doing and also share
with you our Corporate Annual Report (modeled after Ralph Estes' concept
for tracking corporate contributions to all stakeholders, not just shareholders.)
MEETING FACILITATION -- Much of the work we do lately is facilitating meetings. We've done strategic planning retreats where leaders and others examine their strategic challenges and plan innovative strategies. We also lead steering committee meetings for a variety of organizational change efforts. And we are often called in to get a team "unstuck"--when they are at odds, experiencing debilitating conflict, or just don't seem to be making much progress. Because of our success in planning and running conferences (Symposium on Self-direction and the GOODBusiness conference), some people have approached us to help them put on similar events. So think of us when you need someone to ...
--plan and faciliate business planning sessions
--improve a business process, resulting in better efficiencies.
--reenergize your team/dept. meetings
--consult and facilitate the implementation of an org. change effort
--resolve long-standing conflicts within or across teams/groups
--plan and run a conference or other large event
MANAGEMENT COACHING--More and more managers are discovering the benefits of getting a coach for themselves to guide them in improving employee and team performance. We have also helped managers and executives adapt their leadership style into a more empowering one where employees take more responsbility for the business. This has included having private coaching sessions, observing staff meetings and other interactions and then giving feedback, consulting on how to handle specific situations, etc. So think of us when you need...
--to get employees to take more responsibility and feel more accountable
for the health of the business
--want some help improving the work environment
--need to redesign business systems to reinforce teamwork and collaboration
(e.g., review systems, measures, communication structures, etc.)
SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS PRACTICES -- It used to be that if you made a profit and didn't break any laws, you were doing well. But now organizations are also expected to provide positive workplaces, provide value to customers, be good corporate citizens, and protect the environment. We believe that environmental sustainability will provide the next competitive advantage. (Remember how the quality movement up-ended who was successful and who was not?) To that end, we are doing executive briefings and workshops on sustainability and The Natural Step (a useful, science-based framework). I have also received training on ISO 14001 as well. So think of us when you....
--Want your organization to be a better corporate citizen while also
gaining a competitive advantage
--Need to understand how environmental issues may affect your business long-term
--Have "green teams" who need some help getting off the ground
or running their meetings
--Need help implementing ISO 14000
Axis Performance Advisors uses Ralph Estes concept of a Corporate Annual
Report as a way to track how socially responsible we are. A corporate annual
report, unlike the typical annual report, serves to describe our contributions
to all our stakeholders--not just owners/shareholders, but also employees,
customers, the community and the environment. The real bottom line is about
more than just money. The following report summarizes our contributions
to our various stakeholder groups. Since the employees are also owners,
we combined those two stakeholder groups.
For AXIS adding value to our clients' organizations is our primary mission. Here are some highlights of our work in the last year.
A task force in a transportation agency was in chaos, unable after
hundreds of hours to accomplish their
task. They hired us to get them turned around. Within 5 meetings, the task
was accomplished. We
discovered that they had been treated like a problem solving team instead
of a task force.
We helped a utility find an internal OD expert.
We started a new free service to our clients: e-mail "News Flashes."
These brief e-mail messages
summarize interesting articles, books, etc. we have read.
The e-mail version of the AXIS Advisory was enhanced to include graphics
and formatting (html files).
Our eighth annual Symposium on Self-Direction was very well attended. Thanks
in part to our assertive
coaching of the presenters, the sessions were consistent and useful.
The Swedish Consulate arranged a consulting session between Marsha and
Telia, a large
telecommunications company from Sweden.
In addition to our work with clients, we make a point of adding value in our communities.
We each "adopt" at least one client, offering free services
to non-profits, up to a half-day per month of
services from each of us. Marsha continued delivering free services to the
Da Vinci Arts Middle School. She
also gave a free workshop to a technical college in Wisconsin. Darcy volunteered
many hours of service for
the Oregon Natural Step Network, wrapped up her adoption of Housing our
Families, and initiated the adoption of Planned Parenthood for 1999.
We offered the first GOODBusinessô conference, focusing on socially responsible business practices. Most presenters were from the local area but one speaker came from New York City. Over 50 people attended.
We gave two free presentations on The Natural Step to Rowe Middle School
7th and 8th graders.
We gave eleven free presentations at conferences around the country.
We conducted a think tank on the topic of "natural work"--how to create a workplace where working is natural, fulfilling, and environmentally sustainable.
Darcy sits on the local board of Business for Social Responsibility (BSR)
and spearheaded a reorganization of the local chapter.
Though as a consulting service we have low environmental impact, we still feel a responsibility to being good earth stewards.
We have become actively involved in educating people about The Natural Step (TNS), a science-based framework for creating a sustainable society. Darcy attended the 5-day training in Chicago at the foot of the Swedish founder, Karl Henrik Robert. She also assisted in the development of the TNS Tool Kit for the Oregon Natural Step Network. We wrote a special report on TNS as part of our free newsletter series. We integrated TNS into a University of Oregon graduate class on Trends and Strategies for the 21st Century and conducted overview presentations to a wide range of audiences: middle school children, graduate students, and business people. Darcy is part of the speakers bureau for the Oregon Natural Step Network. In November, we conducted a TNS focus group of interested organizations in the Eugene area.
We buy recycled paper, even though it costs more.
Darcy was trained as a Wildlife habitat Steward and offered her services
to help improve the 40-hour training.
As owner/operators we naturally set business development goals.
Marsha and Darcy both participated in the Hearts and Minds group, an intimate collection of consultants who meet monthly to learn from one another.
Darcy attended the five-day training on The Natural Step in Chicago.
Marsha attended the Sustainable Business Conference at the University of Oregon
We purchased new software for presentations.
Financially, this year matched last year for profitability.
Chemeketa Community College
Clackamas County
Clark PUD
CNF, Inc.
Con-way Transportation Services
Da Vinci Arts Middle School
Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
General Tool
Gresham, City of
Hercules
Housing Our Families
MAQIN (Madison WI)
Northeastern Wisconsin Tech College
Oregon Natural Step Network
Oregon State University
Providence Health Plans
Telia (Sweden)
United Employers Association
University of North Texas
University of Oregon
Vancouver Housing Authority
Veterans Administration
WaferTech
Washington Public Power Supply System
Washington State Dept. of Transportation
Washington State University
Wildlife Habitat Stewards
Wisconsin Vocational Rehabilitation