Helping organizations and the people within them to realize their talents and strengths.

As a consultant, I use inclusive, strengths-based change practices to foster positive work culture. My consulting philosophy, practice, and tools help people and organizations address important organizational outcomes such as:

  • Inclusive Culture
  • Employee Engagement
  • Leadership Development
  • Talent Development
  • Team Building
  • Strategic Vision and Growth
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All consulting services begin with establishing goals and measures of success to be evaluated throughout the services.

Strengths-Based Development Programs

My programs are experientially-based to enable positive organizational change efforts. My sessions include an integration of formal and informal learning so individuals and leaders have the skills and ability to successfully grow and sustain positive change efforts.

To enable positive change efforts, I have three different core programs that enable an organization’s people to actively contribute to a positive culture and optimize their talent. These programs are easily customized to address the needs and goals of the organization.

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PROGRAM ONE

Strengths Discovery: Achieving Personal Success

Audience: Anyone

  • Recognize the philosophy and practices of using a strengths-based approach to better self-manage one’s talent, work, and career.
  • Identify one’s talent and strengths and determine to what extent these are effectively being used back on the job.
  • Determine individual weaknesses and find the best ways to mitigate them to ensure work success.
  • Includes the Clifton StrengthsFinder top five self-assessment.
  • Create an action plan for post-learning follow up.

PROGRAM TWO

Strengths Leadership: Leading Strong Teams and Organizations

Audience: Formal Leaders

A multiethnic business team stands around the conference table to finalize a product launch. They are looking at each other and smiling or laughing as they wrap things up. The focus is on an African American male who is leaning forward and writing notes on the document they're reading.
  • Develop a deeper, comprehensive understanding of a leader’s 34 StrengthsFinder™ themes and in the context of their leadership role.
  • Explore one’s strength theme dynamics and how they affect relationships, performance and organizational outcomes.
  • Practice the skills to become a strengths coach to develop others.
  • Incorporate techniques and strategies for using strengths-based development to address talent development outcomes.
  • Use strengths-based practices that build a positive organizational culture.
  • Initiate thinking of how to build interdependent, strengths-based teams that achieve organizational excellence.
  • Includes the CliftonStrengths 34 self-assessment, learning tools, action learning and capstone assignment and executive coaching for each leader.
"The Leading Great Teams program helped me strengthen my connections to everyone I supervise by providing a framework and set of tools for engaging people in insightful and illuminating conversations about their strengths, values, and sources of motivation."

ALEXA PEARCE

Head, Social Sciences & Clark Library, University of Michigan Library

"The Leading Great Teams program helped to deepen mutual understanding among our leadership team. As a result of this program, I pursued getting certified as a strengths coach myself, because I saw the true power of the tool for creating positive organizational culture."

LAURA SCHRAM

Director of Professional and Academic Development, Rackham Graduate School, University of Michigan

"This program helped our leadership team excel. We worked well together, but this process helped us improve on all levels. We have incorporated many of the ideas into our regular work practice. It has become my best work experience ever."

DWIGHT FONTENOT PH.D

Associate Director and Faculty, Comprehensive Studies Program, University of Michigan

"[Kristen's] facilitation style is passionate, focused, and capitalizes on discussion that promotes team building. The session tailored to my team's individual needs, and I feel that we now understand each other better, not only as individuals but as a group."

AGUSTIN GUZMAN

Property Control Manager, Procurement Services, University of Michigan
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PROGRAM THREE

Creating Your Personal Brand

Audience: Anyone

  • Discuss the strategic and practical use of developing a personal leadership brand.
  • Draft a compelling brand statement and elevator speech based on your feedback and assessment results.
  • Create action plans to integrate your brand statements into other communication sources such as resumes and social networking sites to promote one’s unique talents, skills, and abilities.
  • Includes Gallup's StrengthsFinder assessment.
  • Create an action plan for post-learning follow-up.