“The Sundheim Group 

pulled us together and focused us 

on what mattered most.”

Joanna Rupp Managing Director, University of Chicago Office of Investments

“The Sundheim Group is an

insightful, no-nonsense, get-it-done partner.”

Michael Hejtmanek CEO Hasselblad Bron Inc.

“Doug has an

unparalleled ability to understand both the hard and soft levers

needed to drive success.”

Mike Burton CEO, Cornerstone Research

“The Sundheim Group

wastes no time getting to the heart of issues.”

Mike Kelly Former Managing Director, Morgan Stanely

Selected Clients

Come Together: A One-Day Virtual Retreat for Senior Teams

Is the current environment stressing the relationships on your team? You’re not alone. We can help.

Come Together is an open, informal, yet structured one-day virtual retreat for teams of 5-15 people. It provides a pause amidst the dynamic and transactional nature of your current day-to-day life to reconnect, reenergize, and realign your team.

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Doug on the importance of leaders as storytellers


Doug’s Articles

Who Are You At Your Best?

Originally published February 4, 2021 on Forbes At your best, you choose love. You feel fear, or anxiety, or selfishness, or anger, or hate. But you choose love. You choose love because you’ve chosen fear and anxiety before. And it paralyzed you. You choose love because you’ve chosen selfishness before. And it isolated you. You…

Building Team Alignment: It’s An Everyday Job

Originally published January 27, 2021 on Forbes Good leaders know that alignment is critical in building successful teams. Unfortunately, many of them don’t do it often enough. Frequently leaders adopt a one-and-done, event-based mentality, for example, aligning at yearly or quarterly strategy meetings. While alignment should certainly happen at regular strategy meetings, it should also…

Should you really build leaders at every level of your organization?

Originally published November 17, 2020 on Forbes [Spoiler alert: Yes!! If you don’t you’re dead in this economy.] I debated this question with the COO of medium-sized technology firm recently. His take was that while leadership at every level sounded nice, in reality it was impractical and unwise. His argument surrounded five reasons: Some people…

We Need Leaders Who Have The Courage To Love

Originally published November 13, 2020 on Forbes A global pandemic is raging. Racial tensions are smoldering. Economic inequality is increasing. An environmental crisis is looming. And a partisan chasm in the US is widening. The challenges we’re facing didn’t just show up this year or even the over the last four years. They’ve been simmering…

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Doug's Substack Blog - Notes on Leading

What Great Leaders Do That Good Leaders Don't - April 13, 2023

One mindset separates great leaders from good ones. You won’t find it in leadership assessments. It’s never articulated in job descriptions. And it isn’t measured in performance management systems. Seldom demanded or expected, no one finds fault in a leader for not embodying it. However, when they do, they can move mountains.

All we have - March 28, 2023

This moment. Oh, how often missed While lost in the past or future Wrestling with if-only’s, when’s, and then’s. A trick of the mind In a modern world. To resist What’s at our feet As if not good enough. The clay of here-and-now. Infinitely moldable

The answer all along - November 15, 2022

Often The answer you’re searching for Is an answer you’ve known all along. Often You don’t need to find it You just need to trust it. A telltale sign You’ve known An answer all along Is that you bump into it Constantly. Each time it seems Familiar And comfortable And right. Yet it also seems too much of something.

Giving a damn - October 25, 2022

Life blossoms When you give a damn About the people You meet About the relationships You build About the work You do About the legacy You leave The waiter who gives a damn Brightens customers. The teacher who gives a damn Opens minds. The doctor who gives a damn

View All on Substack


Doug’s Latest Book

Taking Smart Risks

Life is uncertain. Whether in the business world or at home, we feel an increasing loss of control over our future, and find ourselves paralyzed by indecision. Fear prevents people from taking chances and making game-changing moves. Anything other than the status quo appears inherently risky and reckless.

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Client Testimonials

“The Sundheim Group is an insightful, non-nonsense, get-it-done partner. The best executive coach and organizational consultant I’ve ever used.”

Michael Hejtmanek - CEO, Hasselblad Bron Inc.

“We were getting bogged down by the sheer number of priorities and opinions we were managing. The Sundheim Group pulled us together and focused on what mattered most.”

Joanna Rupp - Managing Director, University of Chicago Office of Investments

“We had some tricky issues to address, and not a lot of time to do it. The Sundheim Group moved quickly and professionally. They waste no time getting to the heart of issues.”

Mike Kelly - Former Managing Director, Morgan Stanley

“The Sundheim Group came in, without deep software knowledge, and spoke to us in our language better than we could talk to each other. Doug has a natural instinct for knowing what will and won’t make a difference.”

Debbie Madden - CEO, Stride Consulting

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