Whether in work or in play, Lorne Blackman's approach can be characterized as comprehensive and decisive. He has the ability to quickly grasp the essence of complex, amorphous situations and to help leaders produce fast, measurable results.
For over 25 years, Lorne Blackman has consulted on diverse business issues with a broad variety of organizations. He is adept at applying Schaffer Consulting's methodologies of Rapid Results, WorkOut, Operational Excellence, and Leadership Transformation to a wide range of challenges and problems, always with the underlying goal to quickly achieve high-impact results. Lorne's emphasis is on developing trusting, enduring relationships and as a result, he has a remarkable client retention record. He particularly enjoys working with clients to understand and break through the barriers that can obstruct implementing successful, sustainable solutions.
For example, he helped a large services provider headquartered on the west coast accelerate a difficult, potentially costly business decision. The organization had just merged with a smaller organization and the new entity had to make a major decision about selecting a common group purchase organization for their combined annual purchases ($1 billion). Each organization had a strong, but different, opinion. As this was a first step in bringing the two organizations together, the challenge was more than simply making a good business decision. It was critically important to ensure that all participants knew their concerns were heard and that the final decision was made for the good of the overall organization.
Lorne led the process to build the integrated team, to establish a common view of the ideal solution, and to develop a plan for the analytical work needed to support a good decision. It took 14 weeks for the team to make a recommendation they had feared would take up to a year. Almost two years later, the organization continues to report their satisfaction with the results and the process that led to it.
Lorne's recent clients include Providence Health and Services, ConAgra Foods, Stanford Hospital & Clinics, and The World Bank, where he worked not only with World Bank executives and operational teams, but also with very senior levels of government in client countries in Asia.
He frequently leads seminars and workshops on Rapid Results, team building and project leadership, most recently as part of the Stanford University Hospital Continuing Education Program and the British Columbia Human Resource Management Association Annual Conference.
Lorne earned his BA in Economics from the University of Manitoba and his MS in Organizational Development from Pepperdine University. In 1999, he completed an Executive Development Program at Harvard Business School. Prior to joining Schaffer Consulting, Lorne worked as an internal consultant and change agent for twenty years in the private and public sectors.
He represents Schaffer Consulting on the west coast, living in Vancouver, British Columbia with his wife, who is an accomplished sculptor. When he's not working at achieving fast results for his clients, he thrives on high-speed activities like downhill skiing and high-performance driving.
