This document introduces the Leadership Maturity Model as an alternative to traditional leadership competency models. It discusses some of the limitations of competency models, which focus only on individual skills and attributes rather than broader organizational factors. The Leadership Maturity Model takes a more holistic view of leadership by also considering the organizational culture, industry, and other contextual elements that influence a leader's effectiveness. The document suggests competency models provide an incomplete picture and that developing skills alone is not sufficient without addressing other systemic factors.

1. Remodeling
Leadership
Developing Mature Leaders and Organizational Leadership
Systems ( an Introduction to the Leadership Maturity Model™ )
by James W. Armitage, PhD, Nancy A. Brooks, Matthew C. Carlen, MEd,
and Scott P. Schulz
I
t’s the morning after your company’s wildly successful new product launch. First
quarter earnings are up beyond expectations, and analysts predict you will be the
next Wall Street darling, if your company can continue to execute on its apparent
market advantage. As the celebratory champagne bubbles lose their fizz, you real-
ize Wall Street is right. They have seen it before—companies that think they have won
the game with a single home run only to find they have barely covered the bases.
Determined not to suffer the same fate, you begin to plot your strategy to capitalize on
your recent success. But you are disturbed by some sobering thoughts. What would you
do if your star player accepted an attractive offer from another team? Would you be
able to keep the momentum?
You have aggressively acquired top leadership talent, those with proven track records
in other organizations. Why isn’t their performance in your organization living up to
their reputations, much less living up to your expectations? Are you sure you know
where your organization’s leadership team is strong, where it is not, and where there
are serious gaps? More important, do you know why?
You have sent many of your high-potential players to well-known, highly touted lead-
ership development programs, but are you seeing any difference where it really counts:
out of the classroom and back on the job? You have limited training and development
dollars this year. Where should you spend them, on whom and on what, to show the
greatest return and allow you to maintain your lead?
To keep the winning streak alive now depends on having the right leaders to make the
plays. So how do you identify and develop these top performers? Does your company
operate in ways that help your leaders to be effective, or does it hinder them? You may
have considered using a leadership competency model to help address these issues, but
despite the popularity of these models, are they really worth the investment, or is there
a better solution?
Are Competency Models Competent?
Although the competency model movement has taken a step in the right direction by
determining and quantifying skill sets necessary for accomplishing specific tasks and
by providing feedback from multiple raters, it is not enough. These models and their
associated assessments provide a limited view of what is required to achieve effective
leadership; essentially they measure only gaps in skills and attributes. Armed with this
limited information, companies desperately attempt to bridge the gap between their
leaders’ areas of incompetence as identified by these assessments and the best practices
of the leadership icons on which these models are theoretically built.
40 www.ispi.org • FEBRUARY 2006

2. To minimize these assessed gaps, organiza-
tions routinely seek out and send their leaders
to the latest training du jour. For those identi-
fied as high-potential players worthy of
greater investment, companies might even
throw in a little coaching, mentoring, or both,
with the expectation that these steps will
patch the leaking holes in performance.
Hypothetically, if the gaps are identified and
the deficient skills or attributes are developed,
then the business results should take care of
themselves. This premise seems sound and
the approach is straightforward, but is the out-
come enough to produce leaders who are fully
effective? Although the result is revealing, the
information gleaned from competency model-
based assessments often is of limited
usefulness, particularly as a developmental
tool. Developing skills and enhancing attributes
is only a partial solution. Other potentially
more significant factors within the organiza-
tional leadership system are critical to Figure 1. Competency Model Decision Cycle.
achieving leader effectiveness.
Despite the best training, leader effectiveness can be variability calls into question whether competency models,
severely undermined unless these factors are taken into which measure industry agnostic skills and attributes, are
consideration. An organizational leadership system com- valid predictors of effective performance in every organiza-
prises not only individual leaders but also the culture, tion, even if the model itself has been validated (see Figure
industry, or capability (e.g., level of funding, stage of 1). Figure 1 represents the typical competency model deci-
growth, process maturity) of an organization. By their very sion cycle once a 360° assessment and development process
design, competency models are built on faulty logic, as they has been implemented.
overlook these types of critical elements. For example, is the
mix of skills and attributes required to successfully lead a Developing Leadership
small sales team in an entrepreneurial venture equally effec-
tive in leading a financial team in a large, bureaucratic Leadership development has become synonymous with
training. Regardless of the number of in-house management
multinational corporation? Though the base skill require-
development courses or costly seminars conducted by
ments are similar, for the same person to be effective in both
industry gurus and academic visionaries, training individ-
roles, the organization must supply the requisite enablers
ual leaders is only one of the components necessary for
for that person in each environment. One environment in
developing effective organizational leadership.
which an individual achieves a high score on a 360° assess-
ment does not guarantee the same high score for the same
To clarify, let’s look at development from an organizational
individual when he or she is assessed in a different environ-
perspective and examine the benefits true leadership brings
ment. It is this difference between various organizational
to an organization. An organization’s leaders exist for one
leadership systems and their ability to enable the leader that
purpose: to accomplish what is required to help the com-
often determines a leader’s effectiveness. pany to achieve its mission and strategic vision. Effective
and successful leaders will do the following:
Leadership competency models focus on the individual. • Envision a clear path from the organization’s current
Through their associated assessment process, these models position to its desired destination.
attempt to pinpoint the gaps between conventional bench- • Determine and decide the steps to be taken to reach those
marks of best practice skills and attributes and the level of incremental objectives that lead to the desired state.
ability of the person being evaluated. Best practice leader- • Mobilize the entirety of the organization’s resources (its
ship skills and attributes may be valid from a theoretical people, processes, products, services, partnerships,
perspective when applied with an assumption that one size customer relationships, etc.).
fits all, but this assumption is not legitimate within the dif- • Continually navigate and maneuver these resources,
ferent contexts of varied organizations and industries— redirecting as necessary until the objectives and the end
within different organizational leadership systems. This goals have been realized.
Performance Improvement • Volume 45 • Number 2 41

3. A Model Based on Maturity Versus
Competency
Monitor performance/ Determine strategies,
measure improvement initiatives, values
all leaders
What is maturity? A popular interpretation
will be assessed against equates maturity with wisdom, which conveys
Perform 720° Edge
assessment
for leaders
the notion of development from some initial
and system state to some more advanced state, acquired
against Initiate changes
Provide to leverage through active learning and meaningful experi-
developmental defined criteria
under-utilized
opportunities to strengths ence. Implicit in this understanding is the
address factors
limiting notion of evolution or progression. This sug-
performance
capability gests a number of transitions on the way to full
maturation: a state of fully developed and
refined capability and capacity (see Figure 2).
Identify ability gaps,
capability constraints, The path to leadership maturity rarely is
and leader/leadership Address 'keystone'
systemic constraints
system strength straight and clear. Leadership competencies
(leadership processes,
management direction
found in most competency models are step-
and support,
Measure where organizational ping stones along this path, but often they are
resources, culture, etc.)
limitations specifically affect
leader and organizational performance neither in a sequential order nor in a natural
against current strategic direction
progression. Sometimes the developmental
steps within a competency area are spaced so
far apart that it is a difficult leap from one to
Figure 2. Leader Maturity Model Life Cycle.
the next. Organizations are continually chal-
lenged with growing knowledgeable, flexible,
Part of a leader’s success is the result of his or her ability to
and decisive leaders. They must foster leaders capable of
channel the combined efforts of others through strategizing,
leveraging not only their product, service, or position but
establishing goals, coaching, communicating, influencing,
their organizational infrastructure and processes as well.
and motivating. Equally important is the ability to align his
This requires more than competent individual leaders;
or her part of the organization with the rest of the company.
it requires leadership maturity at both the individual and
The leader’s success hinges upon the ability to form
organizational levels. The key distinction here is that
alliances and synergistic partnerships with others in posi-
leadership maturity implies effective performance of
tions of influence, as well as internal and external
an organization’s leaders and its leadership system.
customers and suppliers. We think of these as some of the
Organizations need to enable their leaders to produce
core competencies of leaders, but much more is involved in
desired results. For that to occur, organizations themselves
a leader’s effective application of these competencies.
need to achieve mature organizational leadership, which
competency models are not designed to address.
Numerous facets of an organizational leadership system
must be in place and operational for leaders to be efficient, The Birth of a Supermodel
effective, and ultimately successful. A true system implies
interdependence: a functional web of interdependent and The Leadership Maturity Model (LMM)™ surpasses stan-
related processes, individuals, and programs. If one part of dard competency models by considering more than simply
the system is impaired, the rest of the system suffers. What the abilities and attributes of a potential leader. The LMM
about consistent and progressive human resources policy, takes into account the leader’s capacity and capability
talent acquisition, access to competitive information, within the organization, the context in which he or she
management expectations, well-defined and -managed oper- practices, and the organizational infrastructure that either
ational processes, and strategies for the implementation of supports or inhibits performance. This model helps organi-
job rotation and mentoring? These types of organizational zations facilitate the transformation of leaders with
“leadership systems” are required to develop effective lead- potential into mature leaders with wisdom, finesse, ability,
ers, and they go far beyond those directly involved with and capability congruent with the current organizational
producing the next generation. These systems enable lead- direction by allowing emerging leaders to reach their full
ers to lead. potential and best of breed leaders to realize it. The concept
of the LMM is closely related to the philosophy at the core
With a clearer understanding of competency models and of the Software Engineering Institute’s Capability Maturity
their shortcomings, what are the options for identifying and Model (CMM®). Interestingly, the CMM, a model that revo-
developing effective leaders? lutionized the software industry, is not about software at all.
It is concerned with determining whether the organization is
42 www.ispi.org • FEBRUARY 2006

4. mature, for example, whether it is capable of
doing what is necessary to produce software
that meets or exceeds customer requirements.
Likewise, the LMM is not solely about lead-
ers. It addresses the organization’s capability
to identify, develop, and enable leaders.
In the same way that the CMM examines the
level of an organization’s capability to exe-
cute successful software development
processes, the LMM takes a holistic or
systemic view of the individual and organi-
zational variables that determine effec-
tiveness, growth, and eventual maturation as
they relate to leadership. Both models are
based on the belief that advancing levels of
capability (maturity) are dependent on the
growth and effectiveness of lower-level (sup- Figure 3. The CMM® Five Levels of Maturity.
porting) practices and principles, and both
models prescribe practical prescriptions for change and real- acquire the best talent. A leader skilled and experienced at
izing organizational objectives. By examining the context in recognizing such talent ensures a steady flow of the best and
which a competency is practiced and the organizational infras- brightest, right? Not necessarily. If the organization’s
tructure that either supports positive performance or employee-requisition process is bogged down by bureau-
contributes to root causes for underperformance, the leadership cracy, a top candidate may receive a half dozen competing
maturity model concept “remodels” the platform for leadership offers by the time hiring approval finally is granted. In a sit-
assessment, development, selection, and recruitment. uation such as this, the leader isn’t immature; the system is.
Fundamentally, leadership consists of internalizing and
A Systems Perspective
practicing certain principles. An inherent progression that
exists in mastering these principles is often overlooked:
The CMM revolutionized the software development indus-
Supporting principles must be mastered before succeeding
try by closely examining companies’ ability to create and
principles can be applied effectively. These supporting
maintain processes, ensure product quality, and deliver
principles function much like a pyramid’s broad base,
fault-proof software on time and within budget (see Figure which affords stability at its apex. The order and interde-
3). Though the CMM is about the quality and integrity of pendence of these principles is the foundation of a
software development processes, its purpose is not to exam- five-level LMM (see Figure 4 on page 44).
ine the process, quality, or delivery issues independently. It
looks at the organization from a systemic point of view by The Formula for Effective Performance
assessing and investigating the process management sys-
tems that organizations employ to meet their objectives. It Inconsistent definitions for competency create a dichotomy
then provides a methodology to understand and gain con- in the development and application of prevailing compe-
trol of those systems. tency models. Many of these softer assessments attempt to
examine personal attributes or characteristics, while others
The LMM also examines leadership and its effective utiliza- do indeed focus on skills and knowledge. Though many of
tion from a holistic vantage point. The leader is but one part these assessments favor the maxim that leaders are born, not
of an organization’s leadership system. Although the LMM made (attribute-based assessments), others adhere to the
does assess the integrity and effectiveness of an individual philosophy that leadership skills and many behaviors can
be identified and developed (ability-based assessments).
leader, like the CMM it looks also at the organizational sys-
The majority of leadership assessments usually base their
tem that enables and affords the development of leaders.
evaluation of an organization’s leaders on one of these defi-
This same system facilitates and supports effective leader-
nitions of competence.
ship and ensures all of an organization’s leaders and their
efforts are aligned to meet the targeted objectives. For performance measurement purposes the term compe-
tence, or competency, often is described as the combination
Consider the following scenario: Nearly all managers would of knowledge, skills, and abilities typically achieved
agree that it is important for leaders to recognize and through education, training, or experience. In contrast, an
Performance Improvement • Volume 45 • Number 2 43

5. tal change must occur—removing the obsta-
Strategic cle—before capability can be realized.
Ability. Ability comprises skills, knowl-
Systemic
edge, and attributes. When measuring an
individual’s competence, what we’re really
Operational Effectiveness examining is personal ability to perform a
Maturity
particular function by asking whether the
individual has the skills, knowledge, or
Synergistic
both, and whether that individual possesses
the characteristics (attributes) required to
Introspective execute that knowledge or skill with confi-
dence and finesse.
Emotional Decision Team Management Business Alignment Strategy
Intelligence Making Development Sense
Self-knowledge, Independent Team Managing Financial Customer, Strategic
Skills and Knowledge. These two elements,
relationship and definition, process, and strategy and thinking,
management interdependent facilitation people & business process focus planning, and
often used interchangeably, are gained
decisions projects acumen deployment
through formal and informal education,
experience acquired through exposure and
Disciplines of Leadership
Color indicates the levels in which the discipline is measured
opportunity, and confident execution gained
through repeated practice.
Leadership Perspective Attributes. These are the inherent traits and
characteristics of the individual, sometimes
Figure 4. Leadership Maturity Model™. developed as adults but most often acquired
at an early age through nature and nurture.
attribute is not a competency; however, it is readily apparent A leader may possess several of the attributes desirable for
that personal attributes can and do greatly influence whether leadership, such as charisma, self-assuredness, compassion,
an individual will ever realize full competence in a specific and so forth. A truly mature leader not only possesses such
area. Ability is a broader definition than competence that desirable attributes but also consistently employs them to
encompasses both skills and knowledge, and attributes. move the organization toward its strategic objectives.
When measuring an individual’s competence, what we are
really examining is his or her personal ability to perform a Capability. In the paradigm of the LMM, capability refers to
particular function: Does the person have the skills, knowl- the necessary resources, support, and direction from the
edge, or both, and does he or she possess the characteristics organization to achieve effective performance. Capability
(attributes) necessary to execute that knowledge or skill? implies that the organization has the processes and systems
in place for a leadership principle to be executed success-
However, the majority of leadership models do not consider fully. An organization must examine all facets affecting
or assess the element most critical to effectiveness: leader- leadership capability to understand what is necessary to
ship capability, those factors often beyond the individual enhance, improve, and sustain both the individual leader
leader’s direct control that determine his or her success. and organizational leadership performance. Factors that
Leaders lead not in a vacuum, but within the context of an determine capability include the following:
organization system. Simply evaluating a leader’s abilities • Operational organizational systems and processes that
or personal attributes will provide valuable clues about that enable performance
person’s current or potential aptitude, but this type of • Sufficient resources and organizational support
assessment does not address the degree of this potential that • An enabling environment and organizational culture
is engaged and applied to produce results. It is the explo- • Alignment of abilities and experience to position and
ration of capabilities, those factors enabling or preventing organizational direction
effective performance, which provides critical understand-
ing to effect and improve both individual leader and Effective Performance
organizational leadership performance.
Simply evaluating a leader’s competence will provide valu-
Ability and Capability: Aren’t They the Same Thing? able clues about that person’s potential, but the majority of
360° competency assessments do not address the degree to
Though they are interdependent, ability and capability are which this potential is engaged, channeled, and applied to
not the same. An example from physics draws a clear dis- produce effective results. It is important to recognize that
tinction. By its design, a ball has the ability to roll down a an individual may be considered highly competent, yet not
steep hill (potential energy); however, it will be incapable of be performing effectively. The LMM defines effective per-
doing so if a rock or pebble blocks its path. An environmen- formance as that which produces consistent results aligned
44 www.ispi.org • FEBRUARY 2006

6. with the organization’s vision and mission and has a direct
positive impact on the organization’s achievement of its
goals. A leader’s ability and capability to perform drives
and determines effective performance (see Figure 5).
Elements of Effective Performance
The majority of competency models are designed as effi-
cient tools for measuring gaps between desired and existing Ability
skills and attributes. However, they are not capable of pro-
Essential
viding sequential developmental steps between current Skills / Knowledge
Experience
Leader Attributes
behavior and desired performance. As a result, most com-
petency models fail to provide essential information to
build truly effective developmental programs, processes, Management of
Expectations
and plans; they can identify what is missing, but not how
to achieve it. This is analogous to providing an aspiring Operational &
Enabling Environment Organizational Systems, De ned Organizational
Resources & Support
and Culture Processes and Project mgt. Strategy & Objectives
novice pianist with a Mozart score and expecting him or
her to play it flawlessly without the necessary fundamen- Capability
tals. Similarly, the most highly skilled leaders will fail in
an environment that does not provide the infrastructure,
culture, and support to realize their leadership objectives.
Many organizations’ leadership development processes
Figure 5. Elements of Effective Performance.
and infrastructure are built on foundations of wet concrete.
Imagine you are building a new home for your family. You the trend continue? No economic crystal ball yet exists that
have hired top-notch contractors and even a brick mason can determine an organization’s future success or failure.
who does it the old-fashioned way: pouring and forming his Continued success depends on establishing metrics for mea-
own bricks to build the foundation. You decide to visit the suring and tracking progress over time. One of the most
site to see these fine craftspeople in action. From a distance fundamental and practical aspects of the CMM is its ability
all appears to be going smoothly. On closer inspection, you to provide a scorecard that allows companies to measure
notice that the mason’s assistant is stacking newly poured their progress of improving organizational capability. The
concrete bricks upon others that have not yet had the oppor- CMM determines levels of maturity that an organization
tunity to dry and cure. Not surprisingly, after a short time must transcend to achieve the most effective and productive
you notice the foundation begin to sag. Developing ability is processes. Each level contains a series of interdependent
principles. At the core of the CMM is the realization that
somewhat analogous. To be fully effective, new skills
before higher levels of process management can be effective,
require a foundation of solid, developed skills.
all preceding principles within a lower maturity level must
be mastered. When a percentage of principles has been
Developmental plans built within the competency model
attained within a level, the performance at that level can
paradigm make no distinction between the relationships of
then be considered mature, and mastery of the principles
developmental areas, nor do they follow a natural matura- within subsequent levels then can be taken on.
tion process of progressive development. The result one
typically receives from a competency model and its subse- This approach provides a clearly delineated and sequenced
quent development plan is a dartboard approach rather than developmental path. The LMM follows a similar developmen-
a sequenced developmental path. An assumption exists that tal philosophy. It contains levels of leadership maturity that
if one is capable of developing advanced skills, the related parallel the evolving demands of a leader’s career growth
underlying skills have also been acquired. This is not neces- within a particular organization. Within each level of maturity
sarily true. Without its foundational counterpart in place, the are several interdependent principles and practices of effec-
result is less than full mastery of the higher-level skill. For tive leadership. Higher, more strategic levels of leadership
many who undertake development under such a system, maturity are built on a base of lower or more fundamental
when the pressure is on and high performance is critical, the level principles and associated practices. As with the CMM,
weak foundation begins to crumble and the wall falls down. the LMM can provide a clear and sequenced developmental
path to enable accelerated leadership development.
Progression and Dependency
Not always immediately evident, performance gaps that
If product sales are steady, orders are coming in, and profits become apparent at higher levels often are symptomatic of a
continue to rise, then business must be great, right? But will deficiency in a lower-level principle. Though performance
Performance Improvement • Volume 45 • Number 2 45

7. ers for organizational growth and improve-
ment efforts. The McKinsey study entitled
“The War for Talent” clearly indicates the
Strategic 88
greatest organizational deficiency over the
next generation will be the availability
Systemic 63 of talent (Michaels, Handfield-Jones, &
Axelrod, 2001). Leadership will be one of
Effectiveness
Maturity Operational 81
the areas hardest hit. To survive, organiza-
tions must find an efficient way to develop
mature leaders and to identify, attract, and
Synergistic Constraint 58
target the right leadership that, in turn,
will ultimately transform organizations to
Introspective 90
enable effective leaders.
The future of an organization’s growth, sta-
bility, and market dominance is directly
Inef fective D eveloping Ef fective
0-59% 60-79% >80%
related to aligned leadership execution at
all levels of the company. The odds are
stacked against any organization whose
leaders only possess ability (competence)
Figure 6. Finding the Real Root Cause. but do not have the capability to execute.
Without the capacity to identify who those
gaps may appear to be skill based, their cause may be leaders are, where they are needed, and in what ways the
attributable to capability factors (i.e., organizational limita- company either enables or suppresses leadership capability,
tion) such as process deficiencies or lack of resources and organizations may be able to develop skilled and knowl-
support. The purpose of the LMM 720° assessment process edgeable workers, but they will not produce the leaders
is to identify not only performance gaps but also their root capable of moving the organization forward.
causes, whether due to ability or capability (see Figure 6).
The 720° assessment process examines the individual Reference
leader’s skills, experience, and attributes from multiple rater
perspectives. In addition, the assessment examines and Michaels, E., Handfield-Jones, H., & Axelrod, B. (2001).
identifies the organization’s contribution to potential root The war for talent. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business
causes of individual under performance and how the orga- School Press.
nization interacts with its leaders to provide support, or
capability, for individual performance effectiveness.
James W. Armitage, PhD, co-developed the Systems Engineering CMM at
Real-World Implications Carnegie-Mellon’s Software Engineering Institute. CMMs for people and orga-
nizations are used across the nation and worldwide as the basis for process
The LMM will transform the way companies identify, select, improvement in the systems and software engineering industries. Jim is cur-
and develop leaders—through ordered dependencies and rently collaborating with Babson’s Process Management Research Center on
progression—who are fully effective and in alignment with an international business process maturity model that spans many industries.
the organization’s strategy. Such an approach is central to His CMM experience was instrumental in the development of 7th Wave
the efficacy of leadership development initiatives, selection, Solutions’ LMM.
and succession processes and for identifying potential lead- Before joining 7th Wave Solutions, Jim worked with GTE Government
Systems, where he led the technical direction of the advanced software
research group. He also worked with senior management teams to define
Origins of Our Concept top-level business processes at EMC University, where he managed process
strategy and infrastructure. As a principal of 7th Wave Solutions, Jim works
The CMM concept is closely related to the philosophical argument of this arti- with organizations to solve complex business problems and drive organiza-
cle. James W. Armitage, PhD, participated in the original research underlying tional change, from process to technology to organizational culture, at all
the foundational concepts of the Systems Engineering CMM. Matthew
levels, from individual contributors to the leadership team. Jim may be
Carlen has more than 20 years’ experience in the design, development,
reached at james.armitage@7thwavesolutions.com.
and use of competency models for companies within the Fortune 200.
Successful pilot studies supporting the methodology described in this article
Nancy A. Brooks, for more than 15 years, has served as a management
have been conducted or are under way within some of those same companies.
coach, facilitator, and mentor for team leaders and project managers in
46 www.ispi.org • FEBRUARY 2006

8. numerous small organizations as well as Fortune 500 companies such as managing developmental efforts for Polaroid/Inner City, Inc., an innovative cor-
AT&T Capital, Computer Science Corporation, and Sun Life of Canada. porate consciousness project created by Dr. Edward Land, founder of Polaroid
Through her work in project leadership and project management methodology, Corporation. This initiative targeted race relations and diversity and work-
Nancy develops performance improvement solutions for team-based virtual retention issues plaguing the inner cities. During Matt’s tenure, the program
organizations in various industries in the United States and internationally. She was the winner of the President Reagan Award for Private Corporate Initiative.
represented 1 of 14 firms invited to participate in Ernst & Young’s Wired for Matt’s extensive work in developing and implementing assessment processes
Profit initiative, an innovative multi-industry consortium created to further e- and instruments, program development, and leader and strategic leadership
commerce through collaboration by bringing together virtual communities. development in multiple industries led to the co-development of the LMM. He
Nancy contributed to the creation and development of the LMM currently works with senior organizational management to identify and resolve
through her expertise in project leadership and management methodolo- root cause issues resulting in individual and organizational underperformance.
gies and team development. She works with organizations to enable Matt holds a master’s degree in Organizational and Career Development. He
aligned deployment of strategy and operational effectiveness. She is a co- may be reached at matthew.carlen@7thwavesolutions.com.
founder and principal partner of 7th Wave Solutions and may be reached at
nancy.brooks@7thwavesolutions.com. Scott P. Schulz, for nearly two decades, has created collaborative business
partnerships. His experience spans business development, sales manage-
Matthew C. Carlen, MEd, prior to co-founding 7th Wave Solutions, defined ment, and sales to Fortune 1000 companies such as Raytheon, Lockheed,
the genesis for leadership and organizational development for some of the Pfizer, Polaroid, and United Technologies. As Account Manager with Nortel’s
world’s most successful companies. For more than 20 years, Matt has worked Global Professional Services Division, he formulated and executed sales
with Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies, specializing in leader and orga- strategies for clients such as AOL/Time Warner, XO Communications, and
nizational leadership system assessment and development. As a founder of Adelphia. Scott received Nortel’s Circle of Excellence sales achievement
EMC University, Matt directed organizational development, leadership, and award, reserved for the top 5% of the company’s sales professionals. Scott’s
management development, and continuous process improvement efforts for participation with clients in refining practical aspects of the LMM assessment
EMC, a world leader in data storage systems, ranked year after year among process was instrumental in implementing the initial pilot for 7th Wave
the top 10 performers in the S&P 500. Solutions and has contributed to its growing acceptance as the emerging
Matt led executive development for the parent division of Melville standard for gauging individual and organizational leadership system develop-
Corporation, a Fortune 100 specialty retailer. Matt also had the privilege of ment. He may be reached at scott.schulz@7thwavesolutions.com.
Performance Improvement • Volume 45 • Number 2 47