Catalyst Strategic Consultants - Become a better President

Presidential Counsel

"A place to talk about the things I can’t address with the rest of my company, my banker, my advisors, even my wife. Tough, realistic but compassionate help - focused on the presidential role."

Starting with getting to know the business in detail and the president in particular, we bring the benefit of long experience and a startling track record of accomplishment to bear on the questions facing this enterprise. We are like mountain guides: we may not have climbed this one before, but we know the mountains and how to journey and climb in them with sure feet and hands.

Every company comes to crossroads – difficult decisions have to be faced: "Should we expand? Enter a new arena of competition? Retrench away from an area that despite our best efforts, just hasn’t panned out? Deal with fundamental issues that cannot be avoided any longer?"

Presidents are at sea during these critical times. Manage the business in normal times? Sure. But can they be creative and understand all the options open to them when they’ve never played in this league before?

"It’s tough admitting I don’t have all the answers, but it’s a lot tougher to be wrong at key points.

Some Presidents know there are resources out there to take their company to the next level. They want a turbocharger on the engine to get there quicker: staff to develop quicker, disciplined planning mechanisms, to get on with it.

We have found that the business exists to realise Presidential ambitions, not the other way around. The basis and beginning are the creation of an effective and productive relationship with the President and knowing him or her in some detail. Our next step is to move to a realistic assessment of the market the company is active in, and its role in it. We explore market mechanisms and share, product positioning, method of sale, channels of distribution, and market research. Then we move to the internal side: marketing methods and capability, staff and other resources, budget and cost discipline; management and accounting systems are examined and assessed; production and costs come next. We also spend time on the intangibles: vision, leadership, energy, buy-in, innovation, team alignment and trust, management skill, capacity and interest.

Our commitment is to bring every one of the considerable resources we have to bear on the accomplishment of deeply satisfying business objectives. Our time involvement may be for a limited duration, or as others have decided, extend to a long term as a real and valued "friend of the company".

"I must admit that some of the changes were tough on me and the staff. However, the people who believed in the new direction are stronger for it. The [others] will have to deal with change somewhere else…it’s here to stay. Constant changes and growth! Your spiritual understanding and leadership guidance were the essential ingredient to what has been a great journey."

Don DeForest, President
The Impress Corporation