You were hired to transform your organization. So why are you spending your first year fighting fires instead?
"Leaders don't fail. Organizations fail them."
— Christy Schumacher
"It's almost never because you lack the skill. It's because the organization wasn't ready for the change they hired you to execute."
The board wants transformation but hasn't looked under the hood. Boundary disputes sabotage progress in boring but insidious ways. The real question isn't "What's wrong with my execution?" — it's "What readiness gaps exist, and which ones can I actually influence?"
That distinction — between what you can control and what you must design around — determines whether your first year builds momentum or consumes it.
A research-backed diagnostic framework that evaluates your organization across three critical dimensions and nine readiness factors — giving you a clear map of what's actually blocking your progress.
Is there shared urgency around your transformation mandate, or are operational conflicts keeping you from the big picture?
Does your organization have the systems and bandwidth to pivot, or is it stuck in survival mode?
Is there alignment on who drives decisions, or is a trust deficit creating political traps that block your credibility?
Every engagement is independently valuable while building toward sustained organizational readiness. Use the arrows or dots to explore each tier.
I help talented, passionate mission-driven leaders see what they cannot from inside the system — and focus their energy on where it actually matters.
When you're six months into a transformation mandate and hitting resistance you didn't expect, I'm the advisor who can explain why it's happening and what to do about it. My approach is evidence-based: I gather data from multiple sources, verify patterns across stakeholders, and deliver findings that boards and executives trust because they're grounded in observable fact — not consultant opinion.
The MTWM methodology grew from pattern recognition across dozens of leadership transitions. The uncomfortable truth: when transformations fail in your first year, it's almost never your competence — it's the organization's readiness.
Secured CFO sponsorship for the first-ever centralized contract system for a multi-campus university. Led cross-functional RFP, implementation, and deployment across dozens of departments and five schools. Eliminated 20+ redundant vendors in year one and reduced contract turnaround times by 59%.
Your complimentary 90-minute assessment delivers a full diagnostic scorecard, a comprehensive report, and 1–2 immediately actionable recommendations. No obligation.
Send a message and Christy will get back to you within two business days. This is a diagnostic conversation, not a sales call.