The Uhler Group Services
Using wisdom acquired from 40 years of global leadership roles, Bob Uhler understands that nothing happens without a focused vision, a disciplined directed leader and a proper prioritization of efforts. Having coached dozens of different personality types in his career, Uhler is able to adapt both his mentoring style and pace for client CEOs to make them more effective. Sometimes this entails just listening and verifying; sometimes it is testing the logic; and sometimes it is brainstorming alternative approaches. Consistently, most CEOs at the end of their career have one regret—that they should have acted bolder and faster on their instincts. The CEO job is lonely, as they do not have invested people they can rely on to openly bounce off their ideas. Often they wonder whether the actions their gut tells them to take create inordinate risk or are too hasty to act. This slows critical decision-making and creates the career-end regret. The confirmation that the contemplated action is well thought out and risks are not catastrophic is all that is needed for a CEO to act. In the end, the CEO needs to own and execute; surround themselves with the right team, and create vision and immediacy of efforts.
- Nothing happens without a focused vision, a disciplined directed leader and a proper prioritization of efforts
- Listening and verifying; testing the logic; and brainstorming alternative approaches
Rather than turnarounds, The Uhler Group specializes in assignments for successful companies with excellent products that desire an even greater future. To create strategy, it is critical the company starts with the purpose of its existence, and moves to evaluating ways it can gain and sustain competitive advantage in both the mid-term and short-term. Strategy is a dynamically changing process that deals with brand, pricing, value differentiators, geography, relationships and sales channels. Asking the question, “how will IT change the basis of competition in our industry?” is essential. This forces futuristic planning not only to beat disruptive intruders, but to have the company become the disruptor themselves. Strategy is not only about what you intend to do, but it is also about pre-deciding what you will not do. This holds focus and through business repeats, lessons learned reduce the likelihood of future similar mistakes. Firms that can both fixate on an approach and have continuous improvement cultures are the eventual winners.
Organizations are often not formally designed, but evolve over time by personalities, personal skill and temporal needs of the business. These processes and organizational designs proceed into the future without rethinking—long after it’s been determined these processes make no business sense. These organizations are dysfunctional to some degree, but accept the status quo as given to ‘the way we do things.’ Uhler is able to quickly interview, examine and evaluate flaws that are not recognized by an organization until exposed by a seasoned outsider. Such common business tools like decision matrix, rules of behaviour, risk management processes, process duplication (or elimination evaluations) and standardized templates are easy to implement and create improved organizational efficiency, risk control and better internal working relationships. Great organizational design motivates key employees on the most important priorities to make the business ever more competitive.