Gary Neilson is probably best known for his widely cited book, which he co-authored with Bruce Pasternack, Results: Keep What's Good, Fix What's Wrong, and Unlock Great Performance, published in 2005 by Crown Business. A senior vice president of Booz Allen Hamilton, he is regarded within the firm as the originator of the Org DNA concept and the leader of the service practice based on Org DNA. It would be easy to imagine Neilson as some organizational guru and writer ensconced within a Booz Allen ivory tower, but that is hardly the case. "I am a working, day-to-day consultant with direct account responsibility. At least 70 to 80 percent of my time is spent working with clients on specific accounts," he points out. The rest of his time is spent working with other Booz consultants on organizational design issues their clients may be encountering.
So when does he have time to author and co-author books and a stream of 25 articles on organizational design? "Mainly, I write when I am on planes," he says. He can't stop working with clients; the flow of innovative ideas to write about might dry up. "The only time I get good ideas is when I'm working with clients. Otherwise, you're left with just reading about clients in magazines," he says.
The books and articles also are a key piece in his efforts to win new clients. "Clients want to know who has good ideas. The books and articles get me in the door," he explains. The writing, he adds, "also lets clients know that I'm not new at this. That's when they invite you in." Despite a heavy travel schedule that might put him in Boston one day, Atlanta the next, and Chicago the day after that, Neilson stays aware of the need to balance professional and family life. He makes sure that he is home for key family events and reserves weekends for his family. He frequently finds himself engaged in sports activities — usually as a spectator while cheering on his teenagers.
Neilson considers Org DNA his biggest professional success. Booz put up an Organizational DNA Web site that has attracted 50,000 visitors, many of whom have posted their own stories to share.
But not every idea is a winner. "There have been some things that didn't catch on," Neilson admits, things in the area of service delivery models and demand management. The trick "is to be able to kill the ideas that don't work," he says. That way, you can focus on the big winners, like Org DNA.
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.