Pete Winiarski

Even the most resilient leaders can fall into negative patterns of thinking. The PPP to CCC mindset reset is a simple but effective way to reframe tough moments. Start by identifying the real challenge, then ground yourself in your ability to act, and finally, recommit to what matters most. When you master this for yourself, you’re better equipped to help others shift their mindset too. #MicroResilienceTips #PersonalGrowth #LeadershipTools

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A Friday thought: 'You don't need Lean, you need to get paid!! This was the summation of a recent client discovery session, the initial focus of which focused on identifying Lean/CI opportunities in the company, but quickly turned into a Cash Flow intervention. Through a mutual referral, Clerkin Consulting were brought in to help the business drive improvements on the ground. The brief was clear: a site-based Operational Excellence review to identify productivity gaps, streamline planning, and support frontline teams with practical OpEx tools. Fairly standard stuff... The visit started like many others, a walk through the facility, discussions with supervisors, middle management, a few notes on missed opportunities in planning and workflow. There was plenty of scope for standard CI techniques to add value. Then, over coffee, one of the senior managers made a throwaway comment: “We’d have more headspace for all this stuff we weren't worried about cashflow all the time.” That one line changed the whole focus of the visit. It turned out the business had a serious cash flow problem. Not because of poor performance or a lack of work, but because too many jobs were finished before payments were even raised. Stock paid for, WIP carried out, costs accrued, but nothing coming in... We found: > Outdated client terms and conditions, with weak leverage > Milestones that didn’t match how the work was actually delivered > Slow follow-up on overdue payments > No clear ownership of credit control > Delays in issuing staged invoices and valuations The team wasn’t firefighting because they didn’t care. They were firefighting because the money wasn’t flowing. CI and Lean tools can make a big difference, but only when the foundations are solid. If cash flow is broken, everything downstream feels like crisis management. The scope of our support has now changed, in the initial stages anyway, to: >Update their terms and conditions to reflect industry norms >Set clear rules around staged payments and payment milestones >Assign ownership for issuing and chasing payments >Introduce a simple internal system to track when payment claims are due, and ensure they go out on time > Identify non valued added Costs in the business that can be stripped out. Sometimes the biggest improvement doesn’t start on the shopfloor. It starts with a hard look at how , and when you get paid, and maintain a healthy cash flow. Now to getting that overdue invoice out!! 😆 🙈 Have a great weekend... Dick

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The 🍊County Chapter of the International Coaching Federation has invited me to share some tradecraft that can help boost the effectiveness of coaches and OD consultants. This session will define OD and demonstrate how coaching, when applied through a developmental lens, creates learning organizations that prioritize personal growth, reflection, and continuous innovation. Coaching in OD emphasizes the importance of #ReflectivePractice—structured moments of introspection that enable leaders to assess their values, biases, and assumptions, and to engage in deeper, more productive dialogue with others. Through this lens, #ConstructiveDevelopmental Theory provides a model for coaching that helps leaders move beyond reactive problem-solving to #StrategicAdaptation, enabling them to manage unexpected challenges with resilience. At the heart of this approach is the development of reflective practitioners. Reflective practitioners deliberately analyze their own internal processes—values, emotions, strengths, and blind spots—so they can respond thoughtfully to complex situations. In OD, this concept is formalized as Use of Self: the intentional application of self-awareness to interactions and decision-making in organizational contexts. #UseOfSelf encourages OD professionals to bring their full, authentic selves into their work, enhancing their ability to connect with others, facilitate change, and generate long-term impact. Linda Denton, BCC, PCC, DTM Organization Development Network Asia Organization Development Network (AODN) GREATER ORLANDO ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT NETWORK OpenSourceOD International Society for Organization Development and Change IODA - Co-creating a global OD community https://lnkd.in/gczJj8HJ

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Midwestern Grit Meets Modern Leadership ⚙️ In this episode of the Lean Solutions Podcast, hosts Andy Olrich and Shayne Daughenbaugh sit down with Marine Corps veteran and Nebraska’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Jason Jackson to explore the rise of the Silicon Prairie and the leadership principles driving public sector transformation. Jason shares how a blend of grit, agility, and self-awareness helped Nebraska’s Center of Operational Excellence foster a resilient culture of improvement—especially during the challenges of the pandemic. 💡💪 From HR systems to statewide innovation, this conversation is a powerful look at what happens when servant leadership meets continuous improvement in the heartland. 🎧 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform or via the link in the comments. #LeanSolutionsPodcast #ModernLeadership #PublicSectorInnovation #SiliconPrairie #ContinuousImprovement #ServantLeadership #MidwesternGrit #GovernmentTransformation

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I read an interesting article published by Gallup called "Anemic Employee Engagement Points to Leadership Challenges". The article talks about employee disengagement. In this video I explain the details in the article and how to fix it. If you are a small business owner, I highly recommend you read it (Link in the comments). If nothing changed about how you engage your team, where do you think your business would be 12 months from now? #smallbusiness #employeeengagement #leadership #Day3LinkedInVideoChallenge

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Succession planning is not just about identifying future leaders—it is about preparing them. Without intentional development, high-potential leaders may struggle when stepping into more complex, senior roles. Leadership coaching accelerates readiness by focusing on the behavioural, emotional, and strategic capabilities required at senior levels. Through coaching, future leaders develop self-awareness, executive presence, and the ability to navigate ambiguity—skills essential for leadership in the Middle East’s dynamic business environment. Many organisations focus succession efforts on technical competence and past performance. Coaching shifts the focus toward future capability: how leaders think, influence, and lead others. This is particularly important in family businesses, government-linked entities, and fast-growing organisations common across the region. Coaching also supports smoother leadership transitions. Emerging leaders gain confidence, clarity, and resilience before stepping into new roles, reducing risk and disruption. When coaching is embedded into succession planning, organisations strengthen internal talent pipelines, reduce reliance on external hires, and ensure leadership continuity aligned with organisational culture and values. Succession planning supported by coaching is not reactive—it is a strategic investment in leadership sustainability.

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Advisory relationships at the upper echelon are different from ones at other levels of an organization. They call for a certain focus and mindset to be successful. Being prepared requires perspectives and approaches that many practitioners haven’t yet developed. Forming and maintaining such relationships is therefore at the heart of Conner Academy’s Advanced Trusted Advisor program. To learn more, go to https://ow.ly/vtyn50VMJkZ. #change #changepractitioner

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Leaders who coach are great at developing talent for their organizations. But there isn’t a one-size-fits-all coaching approach. Matt Kovatchis, CPCC's, a certified co-active leadership coach, shared three different objectives you might consider for the various conversations that you have with others.  

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Inheriting the Impossible Project: What New Executive Sponsors Must Do First There is a particular call no executive seeks, yet most serious leaders eventually receive it. You are asked to sponsor a mission-critical, highly visible initiative. Tens of millions have been spent. Results are negligible. Confidence is low. Failure is not an option. You did not design the program or select the vendors. Still, the outcome now carries your name. In these moments, urgency is real. Discipline is essential. Before committing another dollar or entering a board discussion, a new executive sponsor must quickly analyze and mitigate several risks. 1. Establish objective truth. You need a clear, evidence-based view of what has actually been delivered, what is technically viable, and where the true risks sit. Independent validation provides the foundation for credible decisions and protects both the organization and the sponsor. 2. Clarify decision rights and accountability. Large, multi-vendor initiatives fail when ownership is diffused. Progress requires explicit clarity on who makes decisions, who integrates work across parties, and who is accountable for enterprise outcomes. 3. Reframe the financial conversation. The $20M already spent is history. Leadership credibility now hinges on a rigorous assessment of what the remaining $35M can realistically produce, under what assumptions, and on what timeline. 4. Reset scope around business outcomes. Execution accelerates when success is defined in measurable enterprise terms. Narrow the focus to what materially advances the business and align resources accordingly. 5. Prepare the board early. Requests for additional funding succeed when paired with a materially different plan, stronger governance, and a more explicit risk posture. Boards fund clarity, confidence, and control. Taking over a failing engagement requires steadiness, truth, and decisive leadership. That is how confidence is rebuilt and progress becomes real.

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