Glue And Oil Business Solutions
Glue For Cohesion.
Oil For Smooth Operation.
Business Solutions For Sustained Growth.
Who We Help
- Small to medium size company
- Any industry
- Privately held and often multi-generation, family-owned
- For profit or non-profit
- Track record of success
- Success is harder because what got us here isn't working anymore
- Change is anticipated and we want to be ready
Their leaders can be overheard saying things like this ....
"Our growth has caused us to add people, layers, and complexity to the organization and we don't have the structure to help us scale effectively."
"We haven't had much of a need to plan in the past. The organization looks to me to make all of the decisions. But now I can no longer touch it all so we have to find new ways to make sure the whole team is rowing in the same direction."
"Our organization has outgrown the leadership team and I want to make sure I have employees in roles where they can thrive. And that includes me!"
"The demands on me have taken a toll on my health and my relationships. I need to figure out how to share the load."
"I'm thinking about my transition out of the company's leadership role and I realize how unprepared the organization is for that change."
Our Process
Right Match?
Ensure Glue And Oil is the right fit for the organization and vice versa.
Assess Needs
Perform a Glue And Oil operational leadership assessment to identify needs. Some examples of needs include a strategic plan, an annual business plan, quarterly priorities, clarifying accountabilities, improving decision making, assessing employee/role fit, and revamping meeting cadence and effectiveness.
Prioritize and Go
Build a plan for the sequence of addressing the needs. Select one or two to start with that will energize the team and produce value quickly.
Our Services
Strategic Planning
Create a roadmap for the future, including mission, vision, values, business imperatives, and initiatives. We specialize in helping organizations who have never had a strategic plan.
Business Coaching
Provide tools, education, and assistance to the leadership teams of organizations to help them define and establish their "way of doing things".
Fractional Integrator/Implementor
Lead the coordination of business activities. You can focus on vision, strategy, and customers knowing the leadership team is in sync.
Our Founder
Steve's experiences have taught him the value of having "a way of doing things". His passion is helping clients benefit from those learnings to institutionalize their "way of doing things".
Not surprisingly, Steve has a passion for structure and believes it is a critical component of consistent and planned growth. Steve is hands-on by nature and enjoys rolling up his sleeves to work with clients.
Click here for Steve's LinkedIn profile. https://www.linkedin.com/in/steveharris-gao-ip/
What We Believe
We believe in the power of operating systems!
Most of us first heard about operating systems in the context of computers. Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux are all examples of computer operating systems, as are iOS and Android in the mobile environment. In all of these cases, the operating system provides a foundation upon which layers of applications can be stacked. These applications handle specific functions.
The operating system isn't concerned with the specifics of the applications. Instead, it coordinates the applications and establishes requirements that must be followed for the applications to behave properly. Sounds pretty important, doesn't it?
Well the same concept applies to businesses. In the case of a business, an operating system provides the foundation that helps get stuff done. It is essentially the business's way of doing things. The actual work is done through the applications, or functions like marketing, operations, IT, etc... The operating system ensures the overall activity of the organization is coordinated, that work is planned and prioritized, that performance is measured, and that the organization operates smoothly.
A business's operating system will include the following:
- Vision and values that are clear and easy to understand.
- The definition of success (measurement) in the short- and long-run.
- Mechanisms that connect vision and values to strategy; strategy to plans; plans to actions.
- Defined methods for making critical decisions, like those involving people and priorities.
- A communication cadence that ensures the right people are focused on the right things at the right time.
- Consistent execution of key processes.
- Tools to assist with all of the above.
One more thing about an operating system. While it's highest purpose is to help the entire business operate in a coordinated fashion, the principles apply to the business functions as well. So if you need to get more from a function that is a barrier to the business's achievement, implementing the concepts of an operating system for that specific function will provide the boost that is needed.