In today's complex, competitive environment, survival and success hinge on an organization's ability to rapidly generate top- and bottom-line results and create continuous value.

The mission of GDS is to give organizations that ability by creating high-performing teams at every level and, ultimately, a high-performing, horizontal organization.

GDS has worked across the industrial landscape and around the globe, in large and mid-size organizations in both the public and private sectors. The result: high performing entities that are fiercely competitive, fully aligned, and able to move effectively from ideas to business results.

Company Background

The GDS team of professionals is made up of senior-level consultants with extensive line and staff experience. This enables us to quickly understand an organization's business issues, be sensitive to its complexity, and tailor the GDS processes to create effective solutions.

The GDS client base includes Fortune 100 corporations, entrepreneurial firms, startup companies, and non-profit organizations.

GDS consultants have been featured on television and radio, in magazines and newspapers, and as speakers for numerous professional conferences.

GDS maintains strategic alliances with a select number of consulting firms that provide world-class capabilities to meet specialized business needs, ranging from executive and employee compensation to marketing.

GDS's record of success and long-lasting client relationships demonstrates a commitment to excellence that you can count on.

GDS: Selected as one of the 20 best U.S. consulting firms in leadership development by Leadership Excellence magazine.

Team Alignment: enables teams of all types, at every level of the organization, to rapidly accelerate performance, deliver consistently higher business results, and work together as a unified, self-directed "mini board of directors."

Team Alignment accelerates organization performance through a unique blend of consulting and facilitation, creating horizontal teams that are strategically and operationally in sync, are clear about goals and accountabilities, share common ground rules for resolving issues, and work together transparently.

• Understanding the team's mission and goals
• Identifying obstacles preventing the team from working at peak efficiency
• Working together to resolve business issues more efficiently
• Clarifying individual roles, goals, and points of intersection among players
• Creating greater team ownership of and accountability for business goals
• Achieving greater collaboration and interdependence

Team Alignments deal with live issues and focuses on redefining what it means to lead and be a player in a horizontal setting driven by a high-performance culture. At the end of the initial alignment session, a team knows exactly which key issues it needs to resolve and is united by tangible agreements for moving forward. Members have a clear picture of the changes they must make, both as individuals and as team members accountable not only for their own performance, but for the leader's and, ultimately, that of the entire team. With the foundation for high performance in place, and guided by an integrated process of skill development, coaching, and reassessment, the team moves to playing at a significantly higher level of performance.

In additional to individual team alignments, GDS offers an integrated set of organization development services, including:

• Multi-Tier Alignments
• Brand/Category/Customer Business-Team Development and Implementation
• Strategy Development and Implementation
• Organization and Business Process Redesign
• Performance Management Systems
• Competency Profiles for Hiring/Succession Planning

EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT

Executive Coaching: is a pragmatic, results-oriented development program for executives.

The GDS approach to individual executive development offers a comprehensive assessment and coaching process. It is results oriented and identifies the specific behavioral success factors needed to produce measurable results.

GDS provides high-potential executives with coaching that is tailored to meet their individual needs and those of their organization. GDS's skilled, senior-level coaches:

• Serve as an objective sounding board
• Provide an unbiased channel for feedback from the organization
• Support, encourage, and, when necessary, confront
• Translate tested behavioral principles into pragmatic guidelines for change
• Keep the focus on changing observable workplace behavior

Executive Coaching usually focuses on three key areas:

• Organization Strategy and Alignment
• Management and Leadership Skills
• Influencing/Conflict Resolution Skills

MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT

Skills Transfer: interactive, customized approach designed to improve organizational results. GDS offers an organization-specific approach to skills transfer and capability development. Our state-of-the-art processes for management development are delivered in hands-on programs designed to meet current and evolving business needs and objectives.

Programs are customized to meet agreed-upon objectives and are based on a needs assessment. They are delivered in one or two-day sessions and are designed for a maximum of 15 participants. The learning format is highly interactive, combining skills transfer and practice, using live business issues that are relevant to the client organization.

GDS skill development programs are unique:

• Program objectives are linked to business objectives.
• Programs are designed to meet specific training objectives.
• Training is relevant to participants' on-the-job tasks.
• Training methodology is tailored to participants' learning requirements.
• Participants are provided with clear standards for assessing their current behavior and their progress toward improvement.

Selected GDS Programs:

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

GDS's Flying in Formation®: real-time, results-based approach to project implementation.
This unique combination of capability development and on-the-project coaching and consulting enables project teams across the organization to operate at the highest performance level. The focus is on the process, leadership, and team-behavior requirements for flawless project execution, and includes: