Helping good workplaces become great

Through coaching, organizational development & education, Workplaces Can Work helps individuals and organizations achieve alignment and accountability to themselves and each other. Workplaces can work if they have a few basics going for them:

  • Effective leadership and the belief that every voice matters
  • Workplace relationships that are respected alliances
  • A learning environment dedicated to continuous improvement

Résumés are dull. Here’s what’s relevant:

It’s important for you to know that I love what I do…and that I’m really good at it. As young as nine, I wanted to be a teacher, a writer and a psychologist. Learning, communications and human behavior fascinate me still. The career path that got me here has been anything but smooth and clearly marked. It’s been more like an unevenly paved road with detours, dead-ends and off-road adventures. And every step of it – whether enlightening, terrifying or disappointing – has been necessary for me to become the coach, facilitator and educator I am now. These things are often better understood through the rear view mirror.

Today, I happily navigate the rotary that connects what I have a natural talent for, what I love and what I was meant to do. I share this as part of my story because, in the coaching process, that intersection of natural strengths and passion is critical to tapping clients’ energy and potential.

Once upon a time, I was a high school English teacher and instructor in adult basic education, English as a second language and adult literacy. Prior to (and occasionally since) starting my first consulting firm in 1990 (marketing and strategic planning), I held a number of middle and senior management positions, overseeing strategic planning, business development, marketing and public affairs. While on other organizations’ payrolls, I was fortunate to have had several truly excellent and a few truly abysmal managers. Experiencing the good, the bad and the ugly in the workplace inspired and shaped my beliefs and values.

In 2005, I started Workplaces Can Work. I chose this name because it speaks to my philosophy. It throws me into literal despair when I hear stories (almost daily) about organizations, teams or groups experiencing angst, conflict and frustration. The truth is that workplaces can work if there are committed leaders who understand that people need to be honored and respected, that every voice matters, that integrity of process is valued, and that learning is as important as achievement.

Education and other credentials

A bachelor’s degree from Bridgewater State University was followed by graduate school at the University of Rhode Island. I did post-graduate MBA work at UMass Dartmouth and eventually landed at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, where I completed a Graduate Certification in Executive Coaching. More specialized training includes Organization & Relationship Systems Coaching. A published business columnist and adjunct faculty for a number of training and education organizations, I do a fair amount of public speaking about workplace behavior, management style and competencies, and communication skills.

For Fun

I serve on non-profit boards and volunteer for organizations I care about. Following the Boston Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins and New England Patriots takes up more time than any leisure activity should. So I make an effort to find time for family and friends who matter to me. These I have in abundance.

“This is the thing that I was born to do.” ~ Samuel Daniel