Nancy Drozdow, founder of CFAR, Inc., said that she learns leadership lessons daily. “The world of work is different today than when I graduated from business school but knowing that the kind of work we do is demanding and mentally challenging, I have been reminded that having good colleagues is not just important – it’s necessary,” she said. “Leadership is about making space for others to both follow and lead, and it’s very rewarding.”
As a leader, Drozdow has been in the trenches as the markets for consulting services have evolved, both the industry and the nature of consulting. “The world is more politicized than ever, and we are all impatient, yet I see feelings of brokenness that CFAR, Inc. is dedicated to help untangle so that all people in organizations and organizations themselves can find their optimism again,” she said.
CFAR, Inc. is a management consulting firm with a mission to help leaders activate organizations to achieve their highest aspirations productively, meaningfully, profitably and with impact. CFAR, Inc. is now close to 40 years old as a private firm and had a long and successful history as Wharton School’s largest research center before that.
“My goal is the same as always – to help organizations achieve their highest aspirations,” said Drozdow. “Our size is an advantage in that we attract like-minded leaders hoping to create their own great outcomes; this is not just a one-year goal – it’s a lifetime of work.”
In the last year, Drozdow said she has worked on the things that matter. “It matters to me that quality work, innovation in our practice, people who find their own ways to contribute to our business across the challenges of COVID-19 and now in renewal, finding that the fundamentals remain.”
She has also continued mentorship of junior colleagues through leadership of a CFAR group called Ideas to Innovation where the team discusses every consulting project across the firm with client teams. This provides an opportunity to listen to how a CFAR way of working helped unlock a sticky issue for a client.
Looking forward, Drozdow said developing CFAR’s strategy and developing talent to see the firm last beyond her tenure is central to what she dedicates her time and effort to daily. “I have and continue to see the impact of our work inside CFAR and with our clients, and this includes both deep relationships and great outcomes,” she said. “I am grateful for being able to bring my whole self to work – my ideas, my aspirations and my enthusiasm – over more than three decades.”
