Testimonials
"I realized very long ago that no matter of how hard one studies or regardless of one's personal experience there is always much more to learn. Accepting that fact, I have endeavored to surround myself with wise and talented people who can help me achieve what I could never accomplish alone. Dr. Thomas Walsh, President/CEO of Grenell Consulting Group is one of those people. Tom and his firm have helped me to clarify and improve my thinking process, business planning and employee development. Unlike most of the consultants I have utilized in the past, Tom does not try to tell me how I should manage my business, he helps me and my leadership team to do a better job in the management of our business. I would strongly recommend Tom and his firm to any business that is open minded and looking for ways to grow or perpetuate their business."
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for everything you have done for Thompson & Johnson during the last two years. After our extensive search for a partner who could help us with a strategic planning process, our choice of Grenell Consulting has proven to be very beneficial.
The processes you provide and your insights into personnel have proven to be significant in both our business planning and the execution in our current operations. Not only have we successfully used the One Page Plan as a management development resource but by remembering it is only a tool to support our mission and vision, we have been able to address sensitive tactical issues in the context of our strategic planning process. The guidance you have provided in both personal and group sessions has been invaluable, as the eight individuals working as a Senior Management Group encompass a broad developmental range of management skills.
We look forward to a long relationship that truly can be considered a partnership."
"We initially engaged Tom to work with our Board of Directors to improve Board cooperation and working relationships. Tom’s success in working with the individual board members and me led us to hire Tom to work with us in developing our succession plan. Tom’s assistance in developing and implementing our succession plan was invaluable. Without Tom it would have been a far more difficult process. When encumbered by an agenda, Tom worked with all of the individuals involved and developed a plan which, in the opinion of all those involved, was a fair and impartial process.
As a result of Tom’s work, we are continuing to work with him on other management issues, individual assessments and strategic business planning.
I believe any organization will benefit from their association with Tom."
"Working with Kerry has been extremely valuable to the continued growth of our company. She is a trusted adviser that we turn to when making all key business decisions.
Kerry has provided Site-Seeker, Inc. strategic planning services and guided us through the development and management of our one-page business plan.
Additionally, Kerry has provided great value while serving as my Business Coach. In this capacity she helped me plan and successfully execute the reorganization of our Company.
I highly recommend Kerry's business consulting services to any company or executive desiring to improve their organization's or personal level of performance."
"I have begun working with Dr. Tom Walsh, Grenell Consulting Group, using the OPBP concept recently, and have found the experience to be invigorating. The format appears quite simple, with the final plan literally fitting on a single page; yet the process of combining and distilling objectives, strategies and action plans has already given me a sharper focus - I am looking forward to engaging my management staff in this process."
"As a Human Resource Consulting Company, we advise our clients with many aspects of personnel strategic planning. When it came time to do our own strategic succession plan we sought outside advice from Tom Walsh at Grenell Consulting. Tom provided both a helpful tool in the One Page Plan and more importantly, keen insight into the planning process.
I am the second generation beginning a process of assuming executive control of our family business. When we first met, Tom asked me to come prepared with my 10 year strategic plan. What he received were sales projections and budgetary figures. Tom challenged me to go beyond the numbers and using the One Page Plan, design a business that I would like to own, to begin with the end in mind. It was in subsequent meetings that we filled in the details to take our business from where it is today to where I now believe we can be in the future.
The best compliment I can give to a consultant is the one which I give to Tom, he helped me think differently. Without his guidance, our successful consulting practice would be headed in a very different direction."
"We want to thank Bruce and Judy for working with us in developing our One Page Plan. It is a bit disconcerting to tear apart your business model on paper and recreate it in a concise format with stated timelines for achieving results. The exercise helped us gain clear insight into our shortcomings and helped us develop a set of objectives which: a)are realistic, b) are attainable, c) set in motion nine specific areas where action is required on our part if we are to grow the business into a successful practice. Thank you again for your time and business sense. We will be happy to provide you with a reference whenever you need one!"
"Dermody Burke & Brown started using the One Page Plan Process in 2007, its simplicity is deceiving. It clearly helps an individual define and execute the vision and mission of their company and of their departments. We have six partners that are currently involved in this process. Their thinking is clearer and is more strategic. They have developed realistic and achievable action plans that are directly tied into the mission, vision and objectives of the firm and of their departments. Tracking their progress is quick and straight forward. This is the first strategic process that I have been involved in that actually works. I would recommend it to anyone, other than our competitors.
Over the years, I have had the opportunity to work with numerous consultants; most of them have been very helpful. However, Dr. Tom Walsh of Grenell Consulting Group has brought a depth and breadth of perspective to our firm that we have not encountered elsewhere. To date, the leadership development program of Grenell Consulting Group has had a profound effect on the partners involved and on the utilization of those partners’ talents by the firm. Additionally, Dr. Walsh has made significant contributions to our overall understanding of the need to create a high performance culture where the talents and interests of each key member are understood, focused and developed. I am very excited about the future of our relationship with Grenell Consulting Group and would recommend their services to any business wishing to fully capitalize on their human resources."
"I have begun working with Dr. Tom Walsh, Grenell Consulting Group, using the OPBP concept recently, and have found the experience to be invigorating. The format appears quite simple, with the final plan literally fitting on a single page; yet the process of combining and distilling objectives, strategies and action plans has already given me a sharper focus - I am looking forward to engaging my management staff in this process."
"When my partner and I hired Tom, we were already running a successful collision repair business with 4 locations. We knew we needed help getting to "the next level" of growth, and it made good business sense to team with Tom to assist us in getting there. I was immediately impressed with Dr. Walsh, and soon realized I knew even less than I thought. As an outside objective observer, and using research tools, Tom was quickly able to pinpoint our strengths and weaknesses- both in business and personally. It became apparent just how "hand in hand" the two function. Using quantifying tools Tom was able to get us started on IMMEDIATE improvement."
"Shortly after contracting with Tom, it became apparent that one of the three partners at Northside Collision wasn't going to stay in the business for the "long haul". Tom was instrumental in helping navigate through this difficult transition- it was tantamount to a divorce. It became an incubator for accelerated personal growth, and Tom's cool approach taught us a great deal in how to manage a stressful situation. Every time I met with Tom during the coaching process, I always left having learned something of value. In two years working with Dr. Walsh, there are real, quantifiable differences in our business. Clearly my partner and I have had to do the work, but Tom's coaching has accelerated our growth. We're now working with a much stronger base of people who carry a greater degree of trust of our leadership which has helped dramatically in getting the buy in needed to bring more consistency to all our locations. Any business interested in getting to the goal FASTER, would benefit from working with Tom. If you're looking for a shortcut I believe this is it."
"At the Rescue Mission I engaged Tom Walsh (and he brought along very appropriately Judy Fox) to help us with the One Page Plan. This engagement stemmed from two issues I had been trying to resolve for some time at the Rescue Mission. The development of a strategic plan that was operational (it’s not contradictory, it’s paradoxical) and a means to track the progress. I had implemented a number of home brewed solutions, all unsatisfactory, and then went to Harvard for the Performance Based Nonprofit Seminar they offered and sampled the kool-aid of the Balanced Scorecard from the creator, Dr. Robert Chaplain, one of the lecturers for the course. The Balanced Scorecard though brilliant in its conception and certainly is an answer to my two issues proved to be impractical to implement at least for me on a local nonprofit level (and many businesses as well from what I am learning). Discussing my dilemma with Tom Walsh, who has been a friend for years, over breakfast, he suggested the One Page Plan as a simpler and more practical solution. Let me emphasize simpler but not simplistic and he gave me an opportunity to test drive the One Page Plan software. I came away impressed and engaged Tom and Grenell early this year to help my Executive Team put the One Page Plan in action at the Rescue Mission.
I can recommend the One Page Plan for non-profits as an approach to translate longer term goals into actionable current year objectives with a means of tracking. The software is easy to use and due to the fact it takes a few re-writes to get everything right or just when you think you have it right, the economics of the world may change, and you can go back and re-adjust accordingly (and quickly).
I would highly recommend using the One Page Planning with the help of Grenell Consulting. To create a plan, even if it is a One Page Plan, though you think you are clear on it, you find out quickly everyone else on your team may not share the same clarity or priorities. The facilitation Tom and Judy brought was crucial to lay out the issues that underlie the creation of the plan and what will help it succeed and how it can really be tracked so objectives are actually accomplished and people are held accountable.
One example of how the One Page Plan helped us at the Rescue Mission is with the recent change in the economic outlook, we were able to readjust our new budget assumptions and goals to the One Page Plan quickly. We kept our long term vision and mission but recognized we had to tailor our objectives to the new reality we faced. I would suspect I am not the only Executive Director who faces that dilemma."
"I want to thank you for your help and guidance over the last few years. I think I can summarize the benefits in one word: FOCUS. For Tompkins Brothers, your help with the advisory board has focused Tompkins on a few new opportunities to grow the business. To succeed, we first needed to see that we had to move beyond our traditional business and markets, and second we had to avoid over extending our resources. FOCUS!
As Chairman of the Board of Directors for MACNY, part of my role is staff development. Your work as a coach resulted in focusing certain staff in areas for improvement. After six months of your assistance I started receiving unsolicited comments from the Executive Committee regarding “changes for the better”. FOCUS! If you ever need a reference please give me a call. I will be glad to share our experience with others."
"Currier Plastics has had the pleasure of working with Tom Walsh and the Grenell Consulting Group for several years. We began our relationship by asking Tom to assist us in developing a Strategic Plan. Tom said no. Not that he wouldn’t or couldn’t do it, but that he wasn’t confident that we were ready to carry it out. Not what we expected to hear from a consultant, but then Tom has never acted like a consultant. He is part of our team; a trusted advisor and exceptional resource.
Tom has been a driving force in evaluating and developing our leadership team, identifying and recruiting top talent, and most recently in promoting our strategic planning process. He introduced us to the One Page Planning process as a means of creating alignment throughout our organization. The process and Tom’s guidance provide us with a simple, but powerful means of insuring that corporate strategy can be translated into organization wide results."
"Grenell Consulting Group has saved us a tremendous amount of time and money by offering individual assessment tools specific to each position we interview for. “By giving us the tools we can feel confident we are making the right choice for our organization. The individual assessments offered by Grenell Consulting Group give employees a clear and precise road map of the individual applying for a position. I feel empowered to make the right decision, and know it is a good one. After giving the assessment to the job candidates you can than have meaningful interviews with the qualified candidates, instead of all the candidates."
"Working with Dr. Walsh has provided our organization the ability to comprehensively examine ourselves in order to better position, and prepare our people for the future. From identifying our shortcomings to accentuating our strengths, Tom has become a real strategic part of our team and is contributing to our success. I believe any organization could benefit from their association with Dr. Walsh."
"Too often in higher education, we institute major organizational changes without first critically analyzing the talent pool required to effectively manage change in the complex environment of 21st century colleges and universities. Grenell's expertise in leadership analysis and planning contributed to Onondaga Community College's success in implementing a large-scale reorganization of academic and student support functions."
"Having used Grenell Consulting a number of times, I am able to hire and supervise staff far more productively. I am assured of hiring appropriate people for jobs that are a good fit and feel confident that I am using our very limited resources as efficiently as possible. This makes hiring and supervising personnel more problem-free than ever and creates a much improved work environment."
"Tom Walsh is outstanding. His assistance in our hiring process was crucial to selecting an exceptional candidate. She has been a real contributor to MACNY's success. Tom has also been very helpful in our process of assessing other members of our team. I recommend Tom to individuals that want to hire and develop top notch players for their organizations."
"Schneider Packaging has had the pleasure of working with Tom Walsh on a number of occasions to provide us with his professional knowledge in many areas. We have used his understanding of people to perform assessments of our management staff, which included me, to help us better understand ourselves and how best to work together which resulted in a better performing team. I had Tom perform a more in depth review of me through a 360-degree study. My purpose was to help me identify areas I needed to concentrate on for improvement. This review was a tremendous help and has allowed me to b better perform for my people. We use Tom’s services to evaluate potential candidates for certain positions for employment opportunities at Schneider Packaging. Eight months ago we were in need of hiring a replacement for a Director of Marketing and Sales. We used Tom in the interviewing process. This is a very important position and with Tom’s help we were able to make a confident decision. The decision resulted in hiring a very competent individual with the traits, experience and values that fit with exactly what we hoped for. In summary we feel Tom is a valued addition to our company and is a resource that can be depended on. He is not only a business associate but I would also add, a friend."
"As a fast growing not-for-profit in the housing and community development arena, we felt that our management team was not totally prepared for the challenges that came with our profound growth. Grenell Consulting helped us achieve our immediate objective of management assessment and they continue to work with our management team so that we manage our growth instead of allowing it to manage us."
"We initially hired Grenell Consulting Group to evaluate two key people for promotion into leadership positions. As is usually the case, I had very high expectations of the process. Those expectations were exceeded by the work Steve Davis did with these two individuals. Shortly after his first meeting with them, others and myself noticed significant positive changes. Both of them became much more proactive as leaders and demonstrated talent and ability that had not been seen before. By the time the process was complete, I had a clear sense of their strengths as leaders and they had a clear plan for how to improve their contribution to the agency. I promoted both them and was so impressed that I decided to have our entire leadership team complete this same process."
"Dr. Tom Walsh of Grenell Consulting, has worked with Oriskany Manufacturing for over a year now and has been involved in a number of important projects with us. He has assessed our management team (including me) and helped us understand how to better use our individual and collective strengths. This has been a powerful process and we now use Grenell's "Hire by Design; Not by Chemistry" process for any supervisory and managerial position and promotion. In addition, Tom facilitated a management retreat for our management team. This was a crisp, forthright yet respectful process that assisted us in taking some significant steps forward. Tom also assisted me in hiring a new senior executive. The result of his assessments, interviews and recommendations have been extremely important in the hiring of a talented, focused individual who fits will with me and with other key members of our company. Overall Tom is a knowledgeable, insightful advisor and I highly recommend Grenell Consulting to other business owners."
"Grenell Consulting group played a significant role in helping us with a critical management issue. After a two hour discussion with each of the key players, and information obtained from administering a personality profile, Dr. Walsh was able to provide key strengths and weaknesses of all the key players and effectively summarize our situation and provide solid recommendations to our President."
"Our firm has used various consultants over the last fifteen years but this process of working with each key individual over an extended period of time to match talents to job responsibilities is truly unique and beneficial for both the firm and the individual. I would recommend Dr. Walsh to any business that is open to evaluating and maximizing the use of the talents that exist in an organization."
"As the CEO of a small manufacturing company, I have found the services of Grenell Consulting Group invaluable. We use them extensively strategy advisors and executive coaches for senior management. We also utilize their "Hiring by Design; Not by Chemistry" Program to ensure we get the best employees possible to support our growth. I highly recommend Grenell Consulting Group to any company seeking growth in these turbulent times."
"Our company has been working with Dr. Tom Walsh for an extended period of time. His work with us has been critical. We have made great progress in understanding our mission and visions, deepened our understanding of our key people and what motivates their performance, and have evolved a more effective and synergistic management team. Tom is definitely an asset to our company."
"The employee profiles are very valuable. We didn’t realize how important it was to hire an employee whose personality and ideals were compatible to ours. We are able to use the profiles in making decisions on employee’s tasks and expectations.
We appreciate how Grenell met with our Accountant to help us make the right choice in hiring employees directly related to our accounting procedures. We now review profiles periodically to see if this employee's needs and goals are being met. We also use these profiles in evaluating each employee as to their achievements and limitations. We believe by understanding the employee as to who they are we are more comfortable in relating to them and working as a team.
We have recommended your company to many of our colleagues and will continue to use your organization to fulfill our goals. Your organization has been very instrumental in the success that we have achieved within our company."
"Grenell Consulting Group has been involved with our company for the past year. During that time we have completed an extensive organizational audit to increase our employee satisfaction and retention. We have also begun a yearlong leadership development program for our executive leadership team. The changes to date are quite dramatic. Communication is more open and honest, we are clearer as individuals and as a team about our strengths and weakness and are excited about continuing to leverage our Strengths. We continue to be impressed with the strategic thinking and human resource capabilities of Grenell Consulting Group."
"Our company has been associated with Grenell Consulting Group for several years now. They have increased the performance of our organization through three key projects; an organizational performance audit, a strategic planning process, and assistance with hiring talented, focused people. In addition, they have served numerous client companies. They are professional, capable, trustworthy and very much to the point. I highly recommend them to any company wishing to increase productivity and profitability."
"Our architectural firm has been working with Grenell Consulting Group for well over a year now. We have completed an organizational audit, a customer audit, and an extensive strategic planning process. With Grenell Consulting Group playing a key role, we are now engaging in ongoing strategy execution and the development of our leadership team. The principals of Grenell Consulting Group have done an exemplary job with us (no simple task given the skepticism of architects). They have been extremely valuable partners in our evolution and will continue to be a part of our “team” going forward. I unequivocally recommend Grenell Consulting Group to any organization wishing to increase their strategic planning, performance and staff morale."
