Darwin with client Steve Hall of Chandler Associates
Sometimes executives want either an independent, knowledgeable outside opinion or help in implementing key decisions and getting employees involved in the right kind of way. That’s how Darwin Gillett has long helped organizations and their leaders:
- As a Sounding Board to talk through an issue or strategy
- And/or as a Catalyst to help the organization rise to new levels of Energy, Innovation, Collaboration – and Performance
Here are some examples of his assignments and contributions:
In Large, Public Corporations
- St. Joe Minerals (NYC) – Helping the top management team develop the company’s new strategic direction
- Readers Digest (NY) – working with the organization on its strategy, and with the CEO on a new organization design which he subsequently implemented
- Uniroyal (CT) – provided assistance to a South Carolina manufacturing plant to improve productivity through development and support of an employee team – a project described in Robert Schaffer’s book Breakthrough Strategy
- Union Camp (NJ) (now part of International Paper)
- helped the Controller strengthen team spirit and mutual support of the far-flung divisional control organizations
- helped a cross-division IT team regroup and get their project back on track
- helped a corporate business process team plan and carry out their work
- provided assistance to a cross-division team in planning and implementing their project to reduce the time needed for the monthly closing
- Royal Bank of Canada (ON) – provided guidance to productivity improvement teams in branches
- Canadian National Railways (ON) – provided help in creating and implementing a project to improve CN police operations that, in the process, also helped reverse a decline in Union/Management relations
In Small, Entrepreneurial Professional Service Firms
- Gilman & Marks (East Hartford, CT law firm) – provided guidance on strategies for improving revenues and profits
- Chandler Associates (Greenwich, CT construction project management firm) – helped founder create commitment and a greater sense of team – around the firm’s purpose.
- iNet Realty (CA & HI) – provided coaching to founder in becoming more effective executive
- Sharon Drake Real Estate (Bath, ME) – team building of agent staff around the firm’s vision and values