15 steps to achieving seamless cross-departmental communication

Shayne Fitz-Coy contributed to Fast Company’s expert panel, “20 ways businesses adapt to industry changes without losing momentum.” BE FLEXIBLE AND WILLING TO COMPROMISE. Earnout structures in middle-market acquisitions can spark tension when founder emotions skew valuation. In one deal, the seller nearly backed out hours before closing. Pivoting to a cooperative governance model where…

Shayne Fitz-Coy contributed to Forbes’s expert panel, “Top-Notch Leaders: The Powerful Skills That Make Them Stand Out.” The Courage To Reconsider Decisions Top-top leaders have the courage to reconsider a position without losing others’ confidence. Early in my career, I equated leadership with unwavering certainty until a mentor showed me his journal, where he tracks…

Shayne Fitz-Coy contributed to Fast Company’s expert panel, “14 ways to manage the rising costs of emerging software innovations.” IDENTIFY TWO TO THREE CORE FEATURES THAT MATTER MOST. Integrating new technology is a great opportunity for cost escalation. To manage it, really try to identify the core two or three things that need to go…

Shayne Fitz-Coy contributed to Forbes’s expert panel, “How Emerging Market Real Estate Investors Can Assess And Mitigate Risk.” Do A “Coffee Shop Test” While others obsess over market data, I prefer the “coffee shop test.” Spend a few days in an area to observe traffic patterns, routines, commutes and development momentum. Quantitative analysis can be…

Shayne Fitz-Coy contributed to Forbes’s expert panel, “20 Steps To Level Up Your Team’s AI Abilities.” Invite Your Team To Purposefully Break AI Have your teams write bad prompts to generate poor AI outputs. This deepens AI literacy by exposing its failures and assumptions. Deliberately vague or contradictory prompts reveal the strengths and weaknesses of…

Shayne Fitz-Coy contributed to Fast Company’s expert panel, “19 leadership principles to strengthen lasting client relationships.” NOT FEARING THE HARD TRUTHS Tell uncomfortable truths. When a client wanted a project 30% faster, my team wanted to say “yes” while knowing we couldn’t do it. Instead, I said, “We can’t do that, and here’s why.” There…