During my decades of being a key member of CEO and board teams around the world, I developed human-centric transformation and human capital IP and approaches that deliver radical business results. After earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology and communications and while studying for an MBA at UCLA, I became fascinated by the link between human behavior and business results. Early in my career, I worked for Xerox Corporation’s tech business, in HR with a vice president, with whom I shared similar beliefs about leadership. Using Xerox as our laboratory we saw business results significantly improve and were compelled to co-found a global leadership advisory management consulting firm.
I traveled the world working with leaders of large, complex organizations across many industries to unlock exponential financial and market value growth. What is unique about my leadership methodology is the approach and practices to achieve radical abundant business results are rooted in 7 Principles of Abundant Leadership© that we developed in my firm.
Most leaders (and humans) operate at the opposite end of abundant thinking- at the level of scarcity, which is a reductionist, not enough, fear-based mindset. As I traversed the world, I observed firsthand that the leaders who led with an abundant mindset significantly outperformed those who didn’t.
Whether I was working with leaders in Asia, Southern Africa, Europe, or the Americas, I witnessed human behavior is the same at the core. While there are local differences and circumstances, human behavior is consistent because of the universal laws of human nature- every individual wants to: make a difference, contribute, be respected, and be highly involved in their work.
In the first five years of my firm’s founding, I developed a confidence in our approach to Human Abundance for radical business results as a leadership model. In an early test of the philosophy, a new CEO client embraced this leadership approach. He was leading a private equity-funded multinational food company – with operations in South Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The company was annually losing -$250mm EBITDA, suffering from growth through rampant acquisitions resulting in an accidental portfolio of brands and fragmented strategies and processes and 6,0000 demotivated, unengaged, unclear employees. With no clear path to improve profitability, the board and equity partners were clamoring for cost savings as a matter of survival.
The CEO began the turnaround using our leadership approach working with his board, C-suite team through to each level & individual in the organization. Eighteen months after the top 300 leaders in the world had been working together to re-envision the direction of the company, the CEO convened a 3-day working session, WWAM- World Wide Associates Meeting- for all 6,000 employees, including union members. The focus of the work session was to engage employees in the company’s new vision, strategies, & plans and begin the process of rebuilding the company. Our client and our reputation were on the line. If the business results did not improve immediately, not only would we face the chopping block, but the CEO would also likely be fired.
In the first month after the global WWAM work session, the company made more money than had been made in the history of the company, $130mm EBITDA. This extraordinary turnaround – radical business results- was only possible because of the CEO’s commitment to leading with vision and involving the board and all employees in the integrated, collaborative leadership approach of Human Abundance.
As a key member of CEO and board teams, I have been blessed to witness individuals, teams and organizations achieve extraordinary business results by adopting the Human Abundance leadership philosophy and practices.
At this stage of my lifework, I am dedicated to using my expertise, skills, and relationships to shape business results through corporate governance in Africa, China, Europe, and the USA.