A LETTER FROM OUR FOUNDING PARTNER

I founded The Gunter Group in 2011. Like many people that start companies, one of my primary motivators was to create an organization that could reflect my own values and interests. Integrity, trust, service to clients, authenticity, transparency, leadership…all of those were (and are) important to me. 

Many people that joined TGG early on are still with the company almost nine years later, and have been joined by many more talented, energetic, and awesome people. On my team, not only do I know the TGGers, I know their spouses, partners and significant others, kids (many since they were born), and a bunch of pets. That’s the way I always wanted it, and I have always felt a strong sense of responsibility for my team.

We have built an incredible group, we have the privilege of serving a wonderful group of client organizations, and we are deeply committed to supporting the communities in which we work. We have built TGG into a sustainable company with a solid foundation and we had a great start to 2020.

And then, COVID-19 happened. The universe saw things differently.

As I write this, we are completing our seventh full week of stay-at-home orders and 100% remote working. Now that some of the initial adjustment shock has worn off, I have spent some time reflecting on our purpose as an organization, the actions we have taken, and some of what may lie ahead.

First, what brings us TGGers together is a shared purpose: we exist to help our team, clients, and communities thrive. The mechanism that gives us the means to achieve our purpose is our company, and we need to survive current circumstances and come out the other side intact for us to continue to be of service. We have taken several steps to ensure the continuity of our business. We applied for the SBA Paycheck Protection Plan loan, and ensured our line of credit was up to date. We signed up for regular communications and updates with government officials in our markets. We formed a COVID-19 focused subgroup within our leadership team, are constantly sharing and discussing information we see, and forming our action plan for going forward. 20% of TGG team members are veterans, and we are leaning on their experience leading in times of crisis (we will share those experiences in an upcoming video).

Second, we have focused on the health and well-being of our team. Transparency is important to us and we have been radically transparent with our team about what we are doing. We have increased communication significantly, and have weekly all-company video calls in addition to written updates. Our leaders have stepped up the frequency of 1:1 meetings with the people on their teams. We have virtual happy hours to keep everyone across the company connected.

Third, we have doubled down on client service. It goes without saying that our clients are our lifeblood and serving them well is what we do best. Some of our client companies are struggling, and it has been painful to experience that with them—they are our colleagues and friends. We have gotten creative wherever we could to ensure continuity of work, working alongside our client teams. We have shared our own experiences in dealing with things like working remotely and in being adaptable wherever helpful. One of our senior consultants recently joined a client team to manage workstreams in their centralized task force setup to manage COVID-19 response efforts.

Fourth, we are considering what comes next. We are thinking deeply about our services, how they are delivered, and what will be most impactful in the future. We are sharing best practices for working in a more digitized world with our clients and networks. We are deepening several of our partnerships with other firms. We are continuing to recruit and look for exceptional talent to join our company when the time is right. In short, we are trying to straddle the line between being realistic about the uncertainty of our current circumstances, but yet remaining optimistic and hopeful about working our way through it.

There is tremendous uncertainty regarding what happens in the next few months, and beyond. I do not believe we will quickly get back to what used to be normal as soon as we start to reopen. I think there will be a slow transition back to something that seems more normal than the circumstances in which we currently find ourselves, but there will be lasting impacts on how we get work done. I think there will be a lot more remote working, video calls, and less travel. There will be more distributed teams. Leaders need to be ready to help people make the transition and be compassionate in their support. For those of us with kids, there will continue to be disruption in childcare and education, and that will reverberate into the workplace. Flexible arrangements will not only be a benefit, they will be necessary.

But there are silver linings in what we have learned. As contrary to inclination as it sounds, our team is communicating with each other better than ever, and in a deeper, more productive way. We are strengthening our most important relationships in our networks outside the company with our clients, partners, and communities because we are working together more closely than ever. And we are not the only ones: we recently conducted a survey and facilitated a webinar on change management in uncertain times in which 70% of respondents said many of their relationships have been strengthened in the last six weeks. I have found it has been helpful just having people in your network to talk to and understand shared experiences.

As we navigate our way through the circumstances caused by COVID-19, we remain focused on our shared purpose as an organization: to work so that our team, our clients, and our communities thrive. Our core values at TGG—honesty, integrity, radical transparency, ability to thrive in ambiguity, taking care of each other—are the pillars on which we lean to navigate through uncertainty. The pillars are more important now than ever. No one has all the answers right now, but whether you are facing a critical moment today or not, we would love to talk to you about our experiences and how our team might help. We remain ready to serve. 

Mike is passionate about client service and leading people. He enjoys watching people grow, develop, and discover their true path. Mike is a visionary and forward thinker with extensive multinational experience and a proven track record of serving clients. With more than 25 years of business leadership and consulting in a wide variety of challenging and ambiguous environments, Mike got his start in the industry at Deloitte Consulting and has since held executive leadership positions in consulting, supply chain services, and public education organizations.

TGG HOSTS ACMP’S MAY COFFEE CHAT

We invite you to join us on May 8th for ACMP Pacific Northwest’s monthly Coffee Chat as we continue our three-part series around ‘Reflections on Change Management in Uncertain Times’.

In April, we discussed what has been disrupted due to COVID-19. In May, we will dive into how we are adapting to these changes. In June, we’ll look ahead to what we will carry forward.

In case you missed April’s Coffee Chat, here is a replay.

This month, we look forward to discussing questions like:

– How are you focusing on the long-term, despite the uncertainty?
– What techniques do you have for effective communication?
– How are you using this time to strengthen your relationships?
– How do you stay connected to work when you’re home?

We encourage you to consider these topics ahead of time as this will be an interactive discussion. Attendees from April’s session really enjoyed the candid conversation.

Register now for both Part 2 & 3 of this series!

May 8, 2020 @ 9–10 AM PDT  | Register Now 
Part 2: How we are adapting

June 12, 2020 @ 9–10 AM PDT  | Register Now
Part 3: What we will carry forward

REFLECTIONS ON CHANGE MANAGEMENT IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

Part 1 (of 3): What’s been disrupted?

Recent events have disrupted the way we’re all working. Change Managers in particular are used to adapting to new situations. Now everyone is taking part – in real time – in the biggest workplace change in decades.

The Gunter Group hosted ACMP Pacific Northwest’s April Coffee Chat and discussed topics with the change management community such as: What’s been disrupted in your way of working?

– What’s been disrupted in your way of working?
– What leadership challenges are you facing in this new reality?
– What does relationship building look like now?

View a replay of the discussion or download the slide deck below

Be sure to check out the remaining 2 discussions in our three-part series.

May 8, 2020 @ 9–10 AM PDT  | Watch Now
Part 2: How we are adapting

 June 12, 2020 @ 9–10 AM PDT  | Watch Now
Part 3: What we will carry forward

Hosted by:
Stephen Bacon
Senior Consultant
The Gunter Group

TGG HOSTS ACMP’S APRIL COFFEE CHAT

We are excited to be hosting ACMP Pacific Northwest’s April Coffee Chat for an online discussion around ‘Reflections on Change Management in Uncertain Times.’ 

It’s no surprise that recent events have disrupted the way we’re all working. Change Managers in particular are used to adapting to new situations. Now we’re all taking part – in real time – in the biggest workplace change in decades.

We invite you to take part in this conversation and share with us your experiences of working through this time of change. Your feedback will directly inform our conversation this month around the changing nature of our work lives and what’s been disrupted. 

Join us in May to continue discussing how we are adapting and in June to discuss what we will carry forward into the world that emerges. 

EVENT DETAILS:
Reflections on Change Management in Uncertain Times
April 10, 2020
9:00AM-10:00AM PDT
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

COVID-19: OUR COMMITMENT IN DIFFICULT TIMES

As a global community, we have entered unprecedented and challenging times with major social, governmental, and economic disruptions stemming from COVID-19. Significant concerns around our health and the health of our loved ones and friends, economic dislocation and uncertainty, and the future are on all of our minds. What is certain, however, is that we are all facing this crisis together, and the immediate impacts are real and rapidly evolving.

Our consultants take pride in living out a culture centered around our non-negotiables. Like many of you, over the past few days we have had challenging conversations about how to process the unfolding events and the resulting impacts that each of us is experiencing. We have reacted quickly to adjust the way we work together, making the space for our team to have open and honest conversations about the challenges we all are facing.

The scope and impacts of COVID-19 are unknown at this point, but the uncomfortable reality is that it is already impacting our communities significantly. Our team has been discussing how we can continue to carry out our lives in the midst of the circumstances in which we find ourselves. We have been asking ourselves how we can balance compassion and commitment to containment efforts with the responsibilities we have to support our families, our coworkers, and our broader communities. These are difficult topics with which we are all wrestling to understand and navigate as the days unfold. 

The Gunter Group exists to help realize the potential of our clients, our consultants, and our communities. We are doing our best to support our team and we are working with our clients and the broader business community to support them as well. We are all experiencing real and immediate business challenges in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak. Our commitment to deep partnership and delivering real business value has never been more important than in this time of crisis and we are getting creative in order to support our clients when and where they need us most. 

We are both Veterans, and have experience leading teams in difficult times and situations. Our unique team also brings years of experience in crisis operations to our clients, whether it is responding to unexpected, external shocks or leading military service members in war zones. Our experience leading in times of crisis drives how we respond to COVID-19, and how we focus our firm’s response. We keep core values, or non-negotiables in our case, at the heart of everything we do. The realities of COVID-19 are unique, but there are core principles for dealing with crisis that we have learned transcend the specifics of this event: remember your core values, focus on the mission, dramatically increase communications, and give your team the support they need to continue moving forward. Most of all, we know that now more than ever, caring for the personal and professional intersections of your workforce and community matters.

We will continue to share practices we have put in place for our own team, but we are also actively living out our commitment to our clients:

Crisis Management–leading, coordinating, or supporting unexpected challenges that have arisen as a result of COVID-19.

Business Continuity–partnering with clients to plan and execute business continuity efforts across a range of business models and industries.

Strategic Momentum–helping clients continue to move their long-term, strategic initiatives forward as they navigate timeline and resource challenges.

Human Resource Constraints–providing interim leadership and staff support for a number of clients in the face of uncertainty.

As this pandemic continues to develop, it will require adaptability to address evolving challenges. However, we know that we will get through this challenge together by focusing on our non-negotiables, remaining committed to our people, clients and communities, and being creative in the face of uncertainty.

We wish everyone in our communities the best as we all continue to navigate through the COVID-19 outbreak.

Tony Schweiss, Principal and Reno Market Leader. Tony builds teams to support strategic change initiatives and helps leaders plan for highly impactful change. Thriving in the face of complex problems, he brings clarity to ambiguous situations and organizational questions. Leaders quickly come to trust Tony as a partner in making their tough decisions. 

Matt Bader, Principal and Portland Market Leader. Matt’s passion and leadership purpose is all about helping teams reach their highest potential. He loves building and leading high-performing teams and seeing what can be accomplished when strong values, sound strategy, and a relentless commitment to execution collide. He is a trusted advisor who thrives on building lasting partnerships and driving high-quality solutions for clients.

TGG STORY PUBLISHED IN OREGON BUSINESS MAGAZINE

After being named the #4 Best Company to Work For in Oregon (medium business category), Oregon Business connected with us to publish an article highlighting The Gunter Group’s story.

We were excited to share our holistic, Non-Negotiables approach to client delivery with Oregon Business and to be highlighted in their magazine alongside the other 2020 winners on the ‘100 Best Companies to Work for in Oregon’ list. Congratulations to all these awesome organizations! Read the full story at OregonBusiness.Com to learn more.

TGG RANKS AGAIN AS ONE OF THE FIVE BEST MEDIUM COMPANIES TO WORK FOR IN OREGON

A couple months ago we learned that The Gunter Group ranked on the Oregon Business ‘100 Best Companies to Work for in Oregon’ list for the 6th year in a row!

Specific rankings were announced at the annual awards celebration dinner hosted by Oregon Business on March 5, 2020 at the Oregon Convention Center. We are excited to share that we have been recognized as the #4 Best Company to Work For in Oregon – in the medium business category! 

Check out the full list on OregonBusiness.Com.

TGG RELEASES NEW COMPANY VIDEO

As part of our recognition as one of the nation’s Best Small Firms to Work For by Consulting Magazine, we put together this short video summarizing our unique, “listen first” approach and showcasing some of the people and values that make The Gunter Group such a rewarding place to work. We are so grateful for our team of talented consultants, the clients we get to serve, and the communities in which we live and work. Together, they create meaningful opportunities to solve problems and grow a thriving business. Special thanks to Magaurn Video Media for their outstanding production work that so beautifully represents The Gunter Group. We look forward to seeing how our firm continues to evolve and grow in the year ahead and remain deeply committed to the mission, values, and people who helped us get where we are today.

CAREERS IN CONSULTING: A RECAP

Last week, The Gunter Group joined a panel of management consultants to speak to a group of Portland State University business students. We owe much of our success to the encouragement of mentors over the years, so we welcome any chance to pay it forward. The future business leaders and problem solvers we met at PSU represented an impressive and thoughtful group of engaged and motivated students. For those unable to attend, we wanted to capture some of the themes and advice from the panel and invite ongoing discussion with anyone considering a career in consulting.

It Depends

The panel’s response to several questions was a resounding, “It depends!” As consultants, we sometimes chuckle at this answer because we share a common challenge of trying to explain what we do when it can be different things  from day to day. “It depends” points to one of a consultant’s most essential skills – adaptability. From the solutions we propose and the methodologies we employ to the language we use and the tasks on our to-do list, consultants must be able to think on their feet, read the room, and simultaneously hold theoretical best practices and practical realities in mind at all times. 

How can burgeoning consultants develop this seemingly ephemeral skill set? Experience. 

Put yourself in situations that stretch your ability to lead a team, resolve conflict, apply data insights, and generally experiment. The world is your laboratory and you needn’t wait until you land your first formal consulting engagement to practice. Principal consultant, Matt Bader, shared how his military and athletic experiences prepared him for consulting more than anything else in his background. Consider hobbies, sports, volunteer work, and other extracurriculars not as boxes to check on a future resume but as playgrounds to gather lessons learned and examples to illustrate your ability to deliver on the job. Perhaps keep a list of these anecdotes and map them to the core competencies and strengths you most want demonstrate and practice talking about the value of these experiences.

Work & Life

The world of consulting is known for at times brutal hours and intense client demands. While the panel confirmed that client delivery is always top priority, they also shared how they approach work as part of a meaningful and enjoyable life. 

The notion of “work/life balance” is a bit misleading. Work comprises such a large percent of our adult life; the lucky among us are able to spend those hours in ways we enjoy with a sense of camaraderie that is not separate from but a part of life. Work/life integration is a more useful way to think about any career, especially consulting.

At The Gunter Group, we view our work as vehicles to build great lives for ourselves and our families. Yes, we love to work hard and deliver outstanding results – that’s part of who we are. The opportunity to serve others, solve challenging problems, and see the positive impact of our work in our own community drives us; so too does the ability to pick up the kids, step away for a family emergency, and take that vacation sooner than later. 

Over time, the hours will ebb and flow but they always even out. Our ability to sustain our best effort over long periods of time enables us to show up at our best. The cumulative gains of steady, consistent, and sustainable effort are much greater than grinding away without any rest. Like an elite athlete, rest becomes just as, if not more, important than intense training. In our line of work a relaxed and open mindset facilitates creativity, curiosity, and flexibility that fuels our best work.

Most B-schools fail to equip students with the skills or perspective needed to manage their energy and build the mental and physical resilience to sustain decades of work. How you tackle assignments and manage commitments in school builds the habits you’ll bring to the workplace. Practice now how you want to show up for your life and living in alignment with your values. Increasingly, employers like us recognize the value of employees who thrive in this way. They are the colleagues we most enjoy working with, the consultants our clients trust and adore, and the employees who grow into the leaders our business needs tomorrow.

The Dreaded Case Study

Whether part of a class assignment or interview process, several students expressed concern about facing the business cases or whiteboard sessions so notorious in the consulting world. The entire panel unanimously said the most important thing is to remember there is never any one right answer. Case studies reveal how someone thinks and communicates – are they systematic and deliberate or do they struggle to conceptualize a clear process in the midst of ambiguity? Can they adapt to the personalities and balance competing priorities or do they blindly prescribe tools without considering the people who will use them? 

One of our non-negotiables at The Gunter Group is “thrives in ambiguity” which often means stepping into apparent chaos and creating order for a client. One of the worst ways to approach a case study is with a one-size-fits-all approach or trying to be the smartest person in the room. It is possible to go through the motions of Agile or PROSCI and get to the end to find that key stakeholders are caught off guard by the end result, sending you back to the beginning and costing a client precious time and money. You might be a genius who proposes an elaborate plan that no one else can understand, let alone implement. Sometimes common sense is the best way to add value.

Think of any scenario as real people who need guidance to solve a problem. How will you know you’re asking the right questions, involving the right people, providing the right level of information at the right time, and marking progress? Even in highly technical environments, the amount of time spent flexing technical skills is relatively small. Success in any arena hinges on the ability to understand and manage people so think like a human being first before turning to anything from a textbook.

We hope these highlights from the panel serve to inspire and prepare some of our future colleagues. We’re always looking for talented people to join our team and welcome the chance to answer questions about our work.

Reach out today if you’re interested in learning more and would like access to the full panel on video recording.