Warfel Construction Company
Client Testimonial
North Group has served as a guiding force to assist the members of our executive team to develop and implement our five year strategic plan. Using our mission statement and stated values as its basis of influence, North Group has been effective in reconciling various perspectives to enable the team to coalesce behind its strategic plan.
Additionally, North Group has been a valuable professional development mentor to each member of the executive team.
Client Profile
Warfel Construction Company provides construction management, design/build and general contracting services in the Mid-Atlantic region. The company seeks to be the most knowledgeable and ethical company in the business as it manages long-term, complicated and multi-phased projects. It relentlessly focuses on a “Clients for Life” philosophy.
The Challenge
The partners wanted someone from outside the construction industry to facilitate a partner conversation. There was no majority partner and they wanted everyone on the same page. They engaged North Group for this purpose in late 2009.
In addition, the partners needed assistance in fine-tuning their strategy for emerging from the recession with a strong workforce and a clearly differentiated value message.
Our Approach
After facilitating the original two-day planning meeting with the partners, North Group was asked to become further involved with the building of the organization’s culture and strategic plan.
We entered into a comprehensive consulting relationship whose cornerstone was the building of a sustainable culture based on the mission “clients for life.” In addition, a comprehensive strategic plan was built based on that mission and the organization’s five core values.
The partners asked several key executives to join them in an executive team approach to leading the organization. The executive team has worked closely with North Group in building their team-based approach, developing their executive leadership skills, and effectively living out and communicating the strategic plan.
The “clients for life” commitment has been transformative at Warfel. In addition, the executive team consistently communicates the value of this mission. On a quarterly basis, they share the organization’s progress relative to the strategic plan. They enter their employee presentations with intentionality, saying, “if we rehearse for our client presentations we felt it just as important to rehearse for our presentation to our employees. We are also deliberate and intentional about communicating our strategic plan updates to our employees in the field.”
Results
The executive team has led the building of an organizational culture that clearly supports the “clients for life” mission. In addition, the strategic plan is articulate and accessible in guiding every organizational decision. The plan does not sit on the shelf, it is used in day-to-day decision-making. The executive team meets every quarter to review, revise and move the strategic plan forward into the future.
In addition to strategic planning, North Group continues to support Warfel in the development of their executive team through leadership development, coaching and executive accountability.