I can help you build high engagement workplaces that reflect integrity and an awareness of the value of people and their experience of work.
WHAT I CAN DO FOR YOU
- Facilitate meaningful transitions in the organization
- Provide expertise and coach in the strategic use of HR interventions
- Help you start conversations that change the way people think and act
- Help you build an HR system from the ground up
- Tap into the internal strengths of your organization
- Engage people in the practice of designing new ways to work
MORE ABOUT ME
I have been observing the way people work for more years than I care to mention. I noticed early on that managing and leading require a set of competencies that do not magically appear because you are smart and while we can grow all professionally, the main thing is to discover your own gifts and potential.
In 1990, I began my own consulting practice because I believed clients deserve more than being handed a set of recommendations. From the beginning, I understood that engagement with people is a better way to bring about change.
As an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Management at Bloomsburg University, I brought these values and principles into the classroom and challenged students to be accountable for their own learning processes. I devoted time to experiential learning and group methodologies. I found ways to flip the classroom whether I was teaching Strategic Compensation, Human Resource Management, Labor Relations, or (and especially) Organization Behavior. My approach was not always embraced by faculty, but now, all these years later, I find great satisfaction in seeing more innovative approaches to learning encouraged in classroom environments.
Prior to beginning my own business, I worked at Clemans, Nelson and Associates, a Midwest labor relations consulting firm, where I represented clients at the State Labor Relations Board. I learned from lawyers who represented management and negotiators from the ranks of unions. What I remember best from that time was the mentoring I received from experienced labor negotiators who carried forward their values for strong worker-employer relationships and taught me to do the same.
Going back even further, I worked as a residential treatment counselor for emotionally disturbed children at The Villa Maria outside of Baltimore where I learned pretty much everything I needed to know about group dysfunction. One had to think on one’s feet 24/7 or be outdone by the group. This was my first job after college (after a stint as a research assistant at Johns Hopkins University in the Department of Psychology). Eventually, I went on to get a Masters in Management, Labor and Human Resources at The Ohio State University.
The client is the system…I work in service to the whole organization. – Peter Hawkins
Today my philosophy of work with organizations is best exemplified by the work of Peter Hawkins who taught me that the client is the system. I do not work for a person or one body of the organization, I work in service to the whole. I also learned from Peter how to ask my clients questions that stretch them beyond their comfort zone. One of my favorites is asking them to consider what they uniquely do that the world of tomorrow needs. Another one for teams is the question, “Who is the team to serve?” And one we can all ask of ourselves, “Who or what are we in service to?”
Another important influence on my work was the writings of Peter Block who wrote about community, stewardship and the importance of curiosity.
The question is the methodology. – Peter Block
My aspiration is to help leaders and HR professionals work together to create vibrant, healthy workplaces. I have a particular interest in the ethics that guide everyday actions, the manner in which employees enter and exit the workplace and the value of building diverse inclusive cultures. I am first and last, an observer of people and the way they work.