What I Bring to Our Work
I understand the world of a leader. The best way to know what leadership is all about is to do it. I am familiar with the joy - and the struggle - of being an executive leader. Some of my greatest learnings came from the mistakes I made along the way. I am a seasoned leader and I know how to help others become strong, focused leaders who act on what they care about.My knowledge of the discipline of leadership is thorough. Besides real world experience, I have invested heavily in continuing my learning about leadership. As a result, I am able to help others understand the conceptual terrain of leadership. One way that I put this into action is through teaching leadership at the graduate level at the University of Saint Thomas.
I know how to work with entrepreneurs. It takes one to know one. I own a business, have helped other entrepreneurs start businesses, and have substantial experience as a former employee of privately-owned businesses ranging in size from 20 to 100 million in revenue. Owning a business has demands that are far different than working as a professional manager in a public company. I understand this difference, and bring this perspective to my work with business owners.
I have firm grounding in business acumen as a result of working in public and private organizations. My experience ranges from managing the successful turnaround of a failing restaurant to working as an executive team member of a publicly held company. I learned how to manage financials with the best of them and I understand how businesses work.
My ability to navigate life and work transitions is solid. There was a time when I truly believed that there was nothing I could do to change my life or my work. Once I learned the simple truth that as an adult I can make different choices, I began the hard work of putting my dreams - my new choices - into action. That was nearly 20 years ago. Today I am living a life that I had previously convinced myself would never happen. I know what it's like to feel stuck, and I am skilled at breaking down, and moving through, resistance.
I created a change process that really works. This comes with a story...after 30 years of playing trumpet I decided to start taking lessons again. I found the best teacher in the Minneapolis area and started weekly lessons, only to find that in order to move beyond my limitations, I needed to start over and re-learn how to play the horn. And if that wasn't enough, I needed to do this while continuing to play my regular gigs, so I didn't have the luxury of taking a timeout while I changed my playing. After many spurts of progress, set backs and plateaus, I am now far beyond my previous capabilities. Ends up my experience with this learning process transferred well to the business world. I've got the formula down for how to learn and do real work at the same time.
I am committed to learning from the best. I have always been a learner and I always will be. Along the way I've sought out teachers who are the masters of their respective disciplines. In particular, I've focused on the areas of Adult Development, Leadership, and Change. I continue to work on integrating and carrying forward the work of those who have taught me. This learning flows through me to my clients.
My ability to form creative approaches to working is strong. I know how to match my work with my priorities. As my needs and interests evolved over time, so did my working arrangements. While in executive positions I've created new jobs for myself that previously didn't exist, and I successfully managed the transition from employment to private practice. I found that a well-developed strategy and plan makes it easier for others to say yes. As a result, I know how to help people navigate the formal and informal territory of organizational systems to get to the outcomes they want.
I am an expert coach. When people work with me, they trust me to guide the process as they make choices that often have life changing consequences. I do not take this trust lightly, and I am committed to doing my part to ensure that I maintain a high level of professionalism in all aspects of my work. Some of the actions I have taken, and continue to take to live up to my commitment, are as follows:
- I learned how to coach from Frederic Hudson, one of the founders of the coaching profession, and I am a graduate of the Hudson Institute coaching program.
- I have worked for the Hudson Institute to teach their students how to coach, and to facilitate their programs.
- I earned a professional coaching certification from the International Coach Federation, the membership organization of the coaching profession.
- I studied with Richard Strozzi-Heckler of the Strozzi Institute, and Richard Leider of the Inventure Group.
- I am a former President of the Minnesota Coaches Association.
- I am a Board Committee Member of the International Coach Federation.
- I continue to invest in my own development through research, writing, teaching, and working with my own coach.
