Check out your Company Bowl for anonymous work chats.
This year our team has been privileged to work with talented and brilliant Harvard University Undergraduate Co-President Travis Allen Johnson. We asked Travis to share what he learned from his experience as a ghSMART Leadership Fellow: "Joining the ghSMART team as a Fellow has been one of the most transformative professional experiences I’ve had the opportunity to participate in. Coming into the fellowship, I was interested in understanding how leaders can build high performing teams who get things done, and that’s exactly what I witnessed over 8 weeks at ghSMART. During my fellowship, I was able to learn how the firm empowers global leaders across various industries and helps them lead with innovation and integrity. As I reflect on my journey at ghSMART and the lessons I’ll take away from this experience, the first––and most significant––lesson is the importance of developing meaningful relationships and investing in them..." To read the rest of what Travis had to share, head over to our LinkedIn page!
Brand new CEOs like recently announced Kraft Heinz Company CEO Carlos Abrams-Rivera will find themselves at the epicenter of a torrent of issues, urgent queries, and requests. There is immediate pressure to prove worthy of the job. What should they do? Stop. Pause. Take a very close look at the real situation they've stepped in to. When 'The CEO Next Door' and ghSMART authors Elena Lytkina Botelho and Kimberly Powell analyzed patterns of mistakes among first-time CEOs, they discovered five hazards to navigate so they can adapt to the needs of the new role. Hazard #1? The "ghouls in the supply closet" – the hidden or unknown issues that will impact a leader’s ability to be successful. A new CEO must uncover potential threats and use what is learned to set realistic expectations and develop well-informed plans for delivering on those expectations. As hard as it is to start a brand-new CEO role with a bit of sobering news, it beats failing on expectations that were never realistic in the first place. To learn more about the five first-time CEO hazards, and the four behaviors that transform ordinary people into world-class leaders, read 'The CEO Next Door'. At ghSMART, we support and guide CEOs, from first-time to tenured leader. Learn more:
We are thrilled to have William Shock join our consultant team here at ghSMART! Will’s story starts in Baltimore before heading to Vassar College where he studied History and Economics, and then on to Yale School of Management for his MBA. Across his academic career and consulting career Will’s passion for working on people problems has continued to deepen. He is driven to understand someone’s story, and see how that story fits, which led him to ghSMART! 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐠𝐡𝐒𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐓? "Prior to ghSMART, I was serving clients, coming up with strategies and plans, and saw that the success or failure of those plans was largely out of our hands. The leadership teams and the clients have so much influence on the success or failure both in the immediate term but also on the client as a whole. Without an ability to influence that decision and being in the room as that person is getting chosen, or helping to shape that person on their journey, we were boxed in and constrained on what we could achieve. ghSMART was so interesting to me because it is that opportunity." To read the rest of Will's story, head over to LinkedIn:
We are excited to announce the launch of ghSMART's new brand and website which reflects our evolution and vision for the future. Our new positioning - The Power of Who - serves as the foundation of the brand and inspired a reimagined logo and visual expression which evokes the precision of a supersonic aircraft, embodying our mission to give leaders speed and precision, putting them on the vector to 'A' outcomes. Check out our new website and discover 'the power of who'.
Today is ghSMART's annual 'Day of Service', a day set aside for the team to give back and serve their local communities, and an opportunity to put into action our core firm value of 'generosity and gratitude'. Team Europe spent the day gardening and repairing a local playground. Other team members are working at food banks, donating blood, assembling and donating meals, creating care packages, writing notes of encouragement, working at animal shelters, and performing other acts of service.
Curriculum Associates CEO Rob Waldron made three key mental and tactical shifts to overcome challenges and exceed the company's goals. Read Geoff Smart's latest for Psychology Today and SmartThoughts:
Speed and precision. Leaders and advisors. 'A' Outcomes. All of these things inspired our new logo, new brand. Stay tuned!
Recent ghSMART hire Elizabeth Hubbard majored in math, interned at NASA, and toyed with the idea of working in a technical field before finding what clicked: consulting. Elizabeth joined McKinsey after graduating from William & Mary, where she developed an interest in the people space after working on organizational projects with colleague Emily Sheeren, who later became her first introduction to ghSMART. She continued to pursue her interest in people by concentrating in management during her Wharton MBA and doing a McKinsey rotation on team effectiveness - and the rest is history. At ghSMART, Elizabeth enjoys the supportive, friendly culture and is excited by the opportunity to help clients solve their most challenging leadership problems. Outside of work, Elizabeth enjoys exercising (especially Peloton rides), skiing, reading, trying new restaurants around her current home in Chicago, volunteering with the Junior League, and attempting to learn to golf. Learn more about Elizabeth and ghSMART:
Congratulations partner Jason Fiftal on your 10 year anniversary! Jason shares the three reasons he joined ghSMART and an update on why those reasons still ring true today. “Ten years ago, I joined ghSMART for three reasons: 1) The opportunity to have tremendous client impact, 2) To partner and be friends with great colleagues, and 3) To build one of the world’s great professional services firms. With clients, I value how we can simultaneously impact the leaders we work with personally, helping them to be more effective and fulfilled in their career, while also helping those leaders and their teams become stronger. Our work allows them to have a positive amplifying effect on their organizations, customers, and shareholders. With colleagues, I’m humbled by how wildly talented and good-hearted they are. I have made lifelong friends at ghSMART. With the firm, I’m proud we are the leading firm in the leadership advisory space with some of the world’s most innovative leadership IP. We also have what might be the world’s most innovative model of how to run a premium professional services firm: a firm that gives colleagues genuine choice on what they work on day-to-day and on their long-term career path – perhaps that’s why we have been ranked 1st by Vault Firsthand for team satisfaction."
Today is ghSMART's 28th anniversary and we're celebrating in a 𝐁𝐈𝐆 way with a billboard in Times Square! It's been a banner year - including ten #1 Vault Firsthand 'best' awards - and exciting changes are coming. Can you see a hint on the billboard?
