Why develop people? What’s the ROI? Does L&D/OD bring any value to an organization?
I recently got feedback from a client about a few on the senior leadership team questioning the value of employee...
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Leadership & Organization Development Consulting
"To an extent, leadership is a lot like beauty; it's hard to define but you know it when you see it." Warren Bennis
LEADERSHIP IS KINDNESS, HUMANNESS, EMPATHY, DIGNITY, & RESPECT.
In the "rough and tumble" world of business, I believe that the core of true leadership is re-recruiting your team every day with kindness, humanness, empathy, dignity, and respect instead of treating people like a liability on a balance sheet -- allowing people to bring their "whole-self" to work.
SMALL KINDNESSES, BY DANUSHA LAMÉRIS
I’ve been thinking about the way, when you walk down a crowded aisle, people pull in their legs to let you by. Or how strangers still say “bless you” when someone sneezes, a leftover from the bubonic plague. “Don’t die,” we are saying. And sometimes, when you spill lemons from your grocery bag, someone else will help you pick them up. Mostly, we don’t want to harm each other. We want to be handed our cup of coffee hot, and to say thank you to the person handing it. To smile at them and for them to smile back. For the waitress to call us honey when she sets down the bowl of clam chowder, and for the driver in the red pick-up truck to let us pass. We have so little of each other, now. So far from tribe and fire. Only these brief moments of exchange. What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, these fleeting temples we make together when we say, “Here, have my seat,” “Go ahead—you first,” “I like your hat.”
I Like Your Hat is a unique leadership development program inspired by the poem Small Kindnesses (see above) and designed to help leaders consider ways to bring more empathy, compassion, and humanness into the workplace.
The post-pandemic world of work has forever changed and to retain employees leaders must reinvent their leadership styles
and approach.
My Background & Philosophy
Who Is This Guy? (He, Him, His)
When people zig, I typically zag. A known rule breaker and troublemaker (in a good way), I have traveled the world helping organizations improve their people and organizational capabilities.
A Bit of Philosophy
I believe it’s critical to bring “humanness” and empathy into the workplace – especially now. The pandemic has changed the world of work forever and we need to collectively figure out the best path forward. Helping people navigate this changing world of work and life is critical to regaining organizational equilibrium.
My SuperPowers
I challenge the status quo in the areas of workshop and curriculum design, leadership development, organizational design, facilitation, presentation skills, executive coaching, communication skills, recruiting, performance management, brand engagement, and employee and customer experience.
Co-conspirators (in the crusade to make the world of work, work better)
I have worked and consulted in the airline, telecommunications, high-tech, as well as non-profit industries working with: American Airlines, Sprint Nextel, Boost Mobile, Microsoft, Expedia, GREE Inc., Ubisoft, Massachusetts State Building Authority, Sunnyvale Community Services, Sony PlayStation Studios (just to name a few).
A Bit of Academics
I hold a BA in Humanities, an MA in Organization and Leadership Development, and a certification in Integrative Nutrition.
"Rich's skills as an Executive Coach have earned him a spot on the Coach Foundation, one of the biggest names in the coaching industry."
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT & COACHING
I have 20+ years of experience successfully coaching leaders at all levels. I specialize helping new leaders gain the skills necessary to be successful in their new role.
I have been a leader of organizations big and small. I have walked in the shoes of the leaders that I coach -- and that makes a big difference in the outcome of the coaching engagement.
LEARNING & ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT (L&OD)
If there has ever been a time when we need to reexamine organizational life, it’s now.
We are at a crossroads that has changed the world of work forever. The old ways of work will not engage and retain employees -- so let's design a blueprint to help reengage and reenergize your company.
It's worth repeating:
If there has ever been a time when we need to reexamine organizational life, it’s now.
COMMUNICATION SKILL DEVELOPMENT & STRATEGIES
So many times in organizational life we make simple assumptions:
Everyone thinks the same way
Everyone works the same way
Everyone takes in information the same way
Everyone sees the world the same way
Everyone communicates the same way
When we stop to consider these points
it’s easy to understand how making simple assumptions can get in the way of effectively communicating a message.
I help people develop ways to effectively communicate at work and in life, as well as presentation development, design, and delivery.
OFFSITE MEETING DESIGN & FACILITATION
I design and facilitate meetings that stick. I will help your group stay on track, maintain a timely agenda, as well as design and facilitate interactive activities that help to move an agenda forward and help participants retain and act on the information discussed.
My design philosophy is "always interactive" and typically PowerPoint-free zones. You get more out of your time by pulling information out of participants instead of trying to push information in.
Participants stay focused, engaged, and energized throughout the day -- the way meetings/group sessions should be designed.
SAMPLE WORKSHOPS
All Workshops Are Activity-Based & Totally Interactive
SERVANT LEADERSHIP
Turn Traditional Leadership Upside Down
A workshop that introduces participants to the concept of being in service to those you lead, and the benefits of following a Servant Leadership philosophy.
EXECUTIVE COACHING
Six Months of Focused Leadership Development
A six-month program that takes leadership skills and abilities to the next level.
ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT
Understand More About Your Organization
Understand what is going on in your organization and strategies to improve your culture and performance.
SAMPLE WORKSHOPS
I can customize any of the programs or create something totally new to meet the unique needs of your organization.
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
Help Leaders Help Their Team
A workshop that helps leaders understand the critical role they have in motivating and coaching their teams through effective performance management.
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
A Critical Skill In The Workplace
A workshop that introduces the basic knowledge, skills, abilities, as well as confidence to develop higher levels of Emotional Intelligence.
PRESENTATION SKILLS
Learn To Design Presentations That Stick
A workshop that introduces participants to more effective ways to develop and design presentations that people actually enjoy, understand, and take action on.
SAMPLE WORKSHOPS
Grow your people -- grow your business.
INTERVIEW SKILLS
Improve Your Employment Brand
Help your employees understand the critical role they play in representing your employment brand and reputation, as well as the start of an employee experience throughout the recruiting and interview process.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Get Your Point Across
A blend of Everything DiSC Workplace assessment to understand different personality types and communication preferences, as well as communication strategies that help to get your point across.
IS LEADERSHIP FOR ME?
A Day In The Life of a Leader
A day to take people through the life of a leader. Designed for people who are considering taking a leadership track in their career and giving them information up-front about what it's like to be a leader so they can make a more informed decision about the role.
SAMPLE AGENDAS
Below you will find sample agendas of programs that can be delivered "out of the box," or customized for your organization's unique needs. All workshops are totally interactive, engaging, and no "death by PowerPoint."
FAN MAIL
Rich is insightful and inspiring. He's got a special knack for asking all the right questions which often result in personal understanding. His guidance this past year has made a profound impact on my professional and personal lives, and I highly recommend working with him to improve your savvy, skills, and self-awareness.
Jeff P
Rich is an amazing listener with a keen sense for guiding you through the coaching process to support your professional growth. He is collaborative, frank and constructive in his approach. I was fortunate to work with him and have grown in my role as an operational leader within my organization as a result. I would welcome the opportunity to work with him in the future and would not hesitate to recommend him.
Pat K
Rich and I worked together on the design and delivery of a training program to support a newly-designed performance management approach. Rich is by far the most creative instructional designer I've ever worked with. The best (and most genuine and true) thing I can say about Rich is that I became a better designer and a better facilitator having worked with him. He's a gift.
Jane T
Rich is one of those rare L&D professionals who combine equally outstanding skills in instructional design, facilitation, coaching and consulting. Every day, Rich inspires me with his creative and innovative design skills. His great, grounded energy as a facilitator transforms his participants by opening them up to learning and growth. At client meetings, he is the one asking those challenging questions that empower others to reach their best. And as a colleague, I am blessed because he is always there to help with advice, actions and ideas!
Claudia Z
When it comes to people leadership, mentoring, and influencing organizational change....Rich is the master. Inspiring, thought provoking, and driven to enable people to uncover their own hidden potential. It was, and will continue to be, a privelege to be associated with Rich.
Mark S
Rich led a complex transformation of the training functions within the organization that established an all-encompassing in-house training and development structure. Rich's leadership allowed others to succeed, maintaining a team approach and meeting expectations both personal and profesional. He understands what it takes to get people to perform at the highest levels.
Matt T
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