Welcome to Transform’s Founder Spotlight Series, an exciting journey into the minds of innovative leaders who are disrupting the now and next of work.
In each Q&A-style article, we’ll introduce you to founders like Lorna Hagen, Co-Founder of WIN Consulting, who are redefining the boundaries of their industries with forward-thinking ideas and transformative approaches.
About Lorna, Co-Founder
Lorna, a seasoned executive with over 20 years of experience, has a proven track record of driving operational excellence and building high-performance companies across diverse industries. She has successfully led digital transformations, turnarounds, and the high growth of venture-backed unicorns, including playing a key role in OnDeck Capital’s successful IPO. At Dow Jones, Lorna spearheaded a comprehensive transformation of their technology, team, and work practices, streamlining operations and improving efficiency. Her passion for driving business growth through operational optimization fuels her work at WIN and in her executive coaching practice focused on Chief People Officers.
About Wei-Li, Co-Founder
Wei-Li Chong, a former Brand President and senior executive, offers a unique operational perspective on driving business performance through customer experience. He has a proven track record of leading successful transformations in large multi-unit organizations such as KinderCare, Ann Taylor, and HSN, with a strong focus on driving profitability and growth. Prior to launching WIN Consulting, Wei-Li served as the President of MindGym (Americas), helping Fortune 100 companies improve their bottom line. With deep expertise in building high-performance cultures that directly impact P&L, Wei-Li is a sought-after keynote speaker at major companies and conferences.
About WIN Consulting
WIN Consulting is a leading productivity consultancy that partners with C-Suite leaders to understand, quantify, and improve organizational productivity. With a data-driven approach and a team of experienced operators, WIN Consulting helps companies identify and address friction points, align business planning with employee engagement, and unlock their full potential for success.
Let’s dive into Lorna’s founder story and learn firsthand about his inspirations, challenges, and breakthroughs that marked her path to success.
The Startup Journey
Transform: What gave you the idea of starting WIN Consulting?
Lorna: In 2021, I was thriving as the Chief People Officer of a Fortune 1,000 company. My role spanned across departments and involved leadership development and strategic partnerships across several executive teams. Through these interactions, I found solid evidence that a company’s success is contingent upon its employees’ performance and their sense of connection to the organization.
Then the pandemic hit.
Its onset mobilized a workforce that suddenly demanded better work conditions and strategy clarity from their employers. What’s more—I quickly recognized that employees were no longer willing to accept what had previously been the status quo—a lack of communication, limited growth opportunities, and a lack of autonomy and decision-making. Instead, I saw a workforce uprising, calling for organizations to treat them as valued adults and provide the information and support they needed to thrive within the company.
I could clearly see the trajectory for those employers who were willing to take action—what sounded like a heavy lift actually led to enhanced performance and a competitive advantage. I knew how to come alongside these trailblazers and get them the results they wanted faster.
With that, my co-founder and I established WIN Consulting.
Product Development
Transform: Who benefits from WIN Consulting?
Lorna: WIN Consulting’s services are designed to benefit a wide range of organizations and stakeholders, including:
1. C-Suite Executives: CEOs, COOs, CFOs, and other top-level executives who are responsible for driving organizational performance and profitability can benefit from Win Consulting’s data-driven insights and strategic guidance. By partnering with Win Consulting, these leaders can simplify strategy, clarify metrics, build “meetings that matter cadence,” and consistently and effectively communicate internally.
2. Business Owners: Owners of medium-sized enterprises can leverage Win Consulting’s expertise to identify growth opportunities, streamline operations, and maximize productivity. This can lead to increased profitability, improved competitiveness, and long-term sustainability.
3. Department Heads and Managers: Leaders of various departments can benefit from WIN Consulting’s tailored strategies to enhance team performance, align goals, and foster a culture of productivity and engagement.
4. Employees: By creating a work environment that prioritizes clarity, connection, and engagement, WIN Consulting’s approach ultimately benefits employees at all levels. When organizations optimize productivity, employees can experience increased job satisfaction, better work-life balance, and more opportunities for growth and development.
5. Customers and Clients: When organizations operate at peak productivity, they can deliver higher-quality products and services, faster turnaround times, and better customer experiences. This, in turn, benefits the end-users and helps companies build a loyal customer base.
6. Investors and Stakeholders: Improved organizational productivity and profitability are key drivers of shareholder value. By partnering with WIN Consulting, companies can demonstrate their commitment to growth, efficiency, and long-term success, attracting and retaining investors and other key stakeholders.
WIN Consulting’s services benefit a wide range of individuals and groups, from top executives and business owners to employees, customers, and investors. By driving productivity and profitability, Win Consulting helps organizations create value for all stakeholders involved.
Transform: Why is this so important?
Lorna: Productivity and organizational success are critical in today’s fast-paced, highly competitive business landscape. The importance of Win Consulting’s services can be understood through several key factors:
1. Competitive Advantage: Organizations that prioritize productivity and continuously improve their operations can gain a significant competitive edge. By optimizing resources, reducing waste, and maximizing output, companies can deliver better products and services at lower costs, capturing market share and outperforming their rivals.
2. Financial Performance: Improved productivity directly impacts an organization’s bottom line. By identifying and addressing inefficiencies, companies can reduce expenses, increase revenue, and boost profitability. This, in turn, creates value for shareholders, attracts investors, and enables sustainable growth.
3. Employee Engagement and Retention: A productive work environment is often characterized by clear goals, effective communication, and engaged employees. When organizations invest in their people and create a culture of productivity, they can attract top talent, reduce turnover, and foster a loyal, motivated workforce. This benefits the company and contributes to the well-being and job satisfaction of individual employees.
4. Innovation and Adaptability: In an era of rapid technological advancements and changing market dynamics, organizations must be agile and adaptable to stay relevant. By optimizing productivity, companies can free up resources to invest in innovation, research and development, and continuous improvement initiatives. This enables them to stay ahead of the curve, seize new opportunities, and navigate challenges more effectively.
5. Customer Satisfaction: Ultimately, productivity improvements lead to better outcomes for customers. When organizations can deliver high-quality products and services, faster turnaround times, and exceptional customer experiences, they can build a loyal customer base, generate positive word-of-mouth, and establish a strong brand reputation. This, in turn, drives long-term success and sustainability.
6. Economic Impact: On a macro level, productive organizations contribute to the growth and prosperity of the broader economy. By creating jobs, driving innovation, and generating wealth, these companies play a vital role in advancing industries, supporting communities, and raising living standards.
In today’s world, where change is constant and competition is fierce, organizations cannot afford to overlook the importance of productivity. WIN Consulting’s services are essential because they empower companies to optimize their performance, adapt to challenges, and thrive in the face of uncertainty. By helping organizations unlock their full potential, WIN Consulting not only benefits individual companies but also contributes to the overall health and vitality of the business ecosystem.
Transform: How do you build a strong company culture while scaling the business?
Lorna: In many ways, we practice what we preach. Clarity and Connection are two key ingredients we help our clients leverage. Clarity is all about understanding roles and how each person’s work contributes to the organization’s success – very specifically, how a clear, actionable strategy is the path to increased employee productivity. Connection is all about being part of something bigger than oneself. We leverage a number of independent contracts to support our business. It is important to provide them with information and support that keeps them motivated and inspired to support our growth.
Fundraising
Transform: How do you maintain strong relationships with your WIN Consulting investors and optimize their contributions?
Lorna: We have not taken outside funding to launch WIN. As we continue to grow, we recognize the need to bring on senior advisors who can help us shape the direction of our company. It’s so hard to find the right balance of experience in both business performance and building thriving cultures. To be part of WIN, you need experience in both, so we plan on taking our time to find the right people.
Team Building & Leadership
Transform: What are your strategies for attracting and retaining talent?
Lorna: With all the transformations we’ve been a part of, it’s important to tell the story of where you’ve been, where you are, and where you’re going. People want to be part of something special, but too many companies simply focus on job descriptions and short-term priorities. We attract and retain talent by helping them connect their work to the bigger picture of WIN’s mission.
Marketing & Branding
Transform: How does WIN Consulting. differentiate from its competitors?
Lorna: We spent most of our career on the buying side, so we’ve seen many of our competitors. What differentiates us is our approach to solving problems. We don’t get stuck in concepts, intellectual models, and 100-page PowerPoint decks. Instead, we take a pragmatic approach by measuring the opportunity, assessing what’s working and what is holding back employee productivity, and then implementing a solution, which we then measure to ensure we’re making an impact.
Challenges & Lessons Learned
Transform: Can you share any specific lessons or mistakes you made during the startup journey and how you overcame them?
Lorna: Part of being a startup requires founders to wear all hats and have a strong viewpoint in all areas. This was a big learning curve from working at the C-level in large, well-established companies where we had more strategic ‘thinking’ roles. In our start-up journey, we have found ourselves partnering with certain firms to support marketing and technology, where we relied on (and trusted) their expertise but later learned we asked the wrong questions and brought on the wrong partners. We often joke about making mistakes, learning quickly, and then making decisions to get back on track. Being agile has been so important for us.
Industry and Market Insights
Transform: What is one significant trend or prediction that you believe will drive the transformation of work?
Lorna: We are in the middle of defining a new era of working. Whether it’s technology, integrating work and life, or building inclusive work environments, managers and leaders are currently flat-footed in how they think about leading, inspiring, and driving productivity. We strongly believe companies that excel in business performance and human capital metrics will have a significant competitive advantage soon.
Company Vision
Transform: What would you like to say to People leaders considering using WIN Consulting?
Lorna: Being a People leader in today’s world is an incredibly lonely place. There’s so much pressure to define a new way of working and driving an ROI on talent-related initiatives. We built WIN Consulting because we saw the same problems everywhere we went, and we found great success in being practical and solving root issues. Our mission is to teach others how to do the same.
About You
Transform: Describe your perfect day when you aren’t working.
Lorna: Coffee and a newspaper, followed by a trip to the Farmers Market, then the beach, and back home for a backyard dinner party.
Transform: What is your personal mantra?
Lorna: “Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most.”
Check out other inspiring Founder Spotlights on the Transform blog.