Why this Book?
StrataGEMS did not start out as a book — nothing as ambitious or high-minded as that. Rather, it began as an attempt to clear out over five decades’ worth of case files, assorted reports, and unpublished writings from my file cabinets and digital archives. While grappling with this daunting accumulation of material, I began to wonder whether some of it might contain hard-won insights which, if curated into some sort of publishable format, might actually be of benefit to other consultants and their clients. Hence, this book: a collection of writings, graphics, and anecdotes that have proven valuable in my work. I think of them as “gems” of insight that have served me well.
They reflect a consulting career that’s been eclectic to say the least, from assignments with The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) on behalf of corporate clients in a variety of different businesses; to work with a host of nonprofit institutions from hospitals to colleges and museums with my own firms, Institutional Strategy Associates (ISA) and Lawrence Butler Associates; as well as stints at The Ross Group where my focus was on organizational and leadership development and at Maguire Associates where I worked primarily with colleges, universities and private secondary schools — and most recently, with Nextrategy Associates focusing on new product development and marketing.
So, who exactly do I imagine you to be? I would say — a practicing or would-be consultant, or perhaps an organizational leader who currently works with or contemplates engaging a consultant. Or simply a business or institutional executive serving on a governing board or with some other senior level of responsibility who is intrigued by the prospect of expanding your thinking to include new ideas from an experienced consultant who has seen a lot — not everything to be sure, but a lot.
