Bill Pasmore

Advanced Change

Developing exceptional C-suite leadership

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Recognition for Bill Pasmore:

Help At The Top

I specialize in working at the top, with CEOs, boards and executives. I help these groups perform at their best by observing them in action, providing helpful feedback and facilitating critical deliberations. No matter how experienced we are, we can all improve. That improvement can make a huge difference, especially given the impact that those at the highest levels can have on their organizations and the world.

Sometimes, an experienced, objective, external eye is what is needed to point things in a better direction. Often, the most challenging issues are not with individuals or groups but the relationships among them. Unfreezing these relationships can release energy and channel it toward incredible opportunities. It’s been my observation that organizations don’t ultimately fail because their strategies fail, because strategies can be changed. Instead, organizations fail because executives have difficulties in changing strategies or in executing them successfully. Often, failures or missed opportunities to improve have a lot to do with what’s going on at the top.

My work is close-in and often highly confidential. I don’t come in with a set agenda or a cookie cutter approach. We build the roadmap together. Sometimes, my work involves succession planning for the CEO, as with Wal mart, PepsiCo, Dow, Mass Mutual, Compuware and others. At other times, it’s the relationship between the CEO and the board. Sometimes, the focus is on transformation, often including the redesign of the enterprise and the development of the next generation of top leaders. Often, I get requests to help improve the level of functioning of the executive team. Sometimes, I’m helping people figure out what they want to do with governance, the company, or the next ten years of their lives. Occasionally, I’m asked to deal with individuals who are under-performing to their potential and need a fresh start.

I love working with people who have a passion for learning but I also understand that in some cases, we need to put out the fire before learning can become a priority. In the end, my goal is to leave companies and the people who lead them more successful and more capable than I found them.

My Story

My family ran a resort in the north woods of Wisconsin, which got me interested in business. I was also interested in flying, so I went to Purdue where I could major in both aeronautical engineering and management. I came away from Purdue with more than I expected; a Ph.D. in Administrative Sciences and a thirst to understand individual and organization development.

I became a professor and took a position at Case Western Reserve University because its doctoral program was famous for its attention to both personal growth and organizational effectiveness. I stayed for twenty years, wrote a lot of books and consulted to organizations. I then joined Delta Consulting in New York, a firm that focused exclusively on working with CEOs and Boards. That’s when I came to fully understand how different life is at the top of organizations and how much room there was for improvement.

Following ten wonderful years at Delta, I joined the Center for Creative Leadership where I could focus on helping to coach and develop those at the top and hold the position of Senior Vice President. The Center provides a platform to do some amazing programs with top executives and boards around the world.

Shortly after joining the Center, I was invited to join the faculty at Columbia, teaching in their masters, executive masters and doctoral programs in social-organizational psychology with a focus on research and helping students learn to lead change. There, I have continued my writing and giving back while renewing my independent consulting.