After 30 years of leading organizations from business to non-profit, I am launching a training and consulting business, focused on topics that apply to every organization.
I am doing this because I have learned quite a bit over the years, and I want to share it with others. Here is some of my background, showing why you should engage my services:
- I have been a solo entrepreneur; a partner in a startup; and an employee, manager, and strategic consultant in a large corporation.
- I have worked and led in non-profits of various kinds.
- I have been teaching and training adults for decades, with strong reviews of my work.
- I have consulted with for-profits and non-profits, from small to Fortune 500.
- I have carried out process improvement projects from analysis to improvement to redesign.
- I have created training materials, consulting reports, and presentations for everyone from employee teams to senior management.
But the biggest reason you should hire me is that I have nothing to sell except myself and my experience. I am perfectly content to do a two-hour class, or to take on a two-month consulting engagement. My goal is always simply this:
To help others do their work better and achieve their goals.
Contact me and let’s discuss how I can help you and your organization.
Training Offerings
Certain training classes can be expanded into consulting engagements, applying the concepts from the class to your current situation.
Mission, Vision, and Core Values
Does your organization have a clear vision of what it is aiming at, and how it’s going to get there? Do YOU? This course explains the difference among the three terms, with examples, and discusses how to craft each of these for your unique situation.
Strategic vs Tactical Planning
Many “strategic plans” are actually a collection of tactical projects, listed by leaders who either do not know the difference, or don’t have mission and vision statements to guide them. In this course, we use a simple analogy to explain the difference, and show how to tie strategic and tactical planning to your mission and vision.
Leading vs Managing
Two words that everyone knows, but that few can differentiate. They are two different activities, with different metrics of effectiveness, and both are necessary in any organization. This class explains the difference, and includes activities to help the learners examine their own practices in both areas.
Effective Delegation
Many leaders think they are delegating when in actuality they are merely throwing work out the door to an employee. Delegation is actually a tool for employee development; learn how to do it well, and when not to do it at all.
Employee Engagement
Some people consider “employee engagement” just another buzzword. But in healthy organizations, it is a key metric and a key goal. Learn how to increase the engagement of your teams as part of your everyday work.
Effective Meetings
A straightforward, practical course on how to hold meetings that are effective and efficient. Includes both an Effective Meeting Checklist and templates for different types of meetings. (Can be combined with the training on Robert’s Rules.)
Using Robert’s Rules in Your Meetings
The basics of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, laying out the various motions and how to use them to make decisions and move the meeting forward. Includes a one-page “cheat sheet” and other handouts.
Boundaries: The Symptom and the Cure
One mark of emotional health is the ability to set good boundaries with others. On the other hand, weak or overly-hard boundaries are a sign that something is amiss. In the course, we demonstrate the difference, and explore the interaction of boundaries with aggressive, assertive, passive, and passive-aggressive behaviors. And, we share some simple tactics for good boundary-setting.
Multi-Class Workshops
Most of these classes are under three hours in length, or even shorter, depending on your objectives for the training. Thus, it is possible to combine two or more of them into a multi-class workshop that could be offered in a morning, afternoon, or evening, including weekends. For example, you might want to combine the Mission and Vision class with the Strategic and Tactical Planning class, thus setting up your leadership team for effective work based on a common understanding of the concepts. Please contact me so we can discuss the best use of your training time and dollars.
Consulting Offerings
All consulting engagements are custom-designed to meet your specific needs and goals. The process begins with an exploratory meeting (in-person or virtual) to define the problem and the possible approaches. This no-cost meeting is then followed by an engagement proposal with deliverables and estimated costs. I am always glad to discuss your particular situation to see if, and how, I could help you.
Post-Training Consulting
Many of the above training classes can be expanded into a consulting engagement in order to apply and expand what was learned in the class. For example, the class on strategic and tactical planning can be followed by a workshop or series of workshops to help your organization build out your strategic plan and the tactical plans to support it.
Process Consulting and Improvement
Analysis and optimization of processes can sometimes make a major difference in an organization’s effectiveness. But done poorly, it can actually damage processes in other parts of the organization. I take a holistic approach to the work, making sure that the context around the process is part of the analysis and the solution.
Training Consulting and Improvement
Are you getting the bang for your training bucks? It may be that your training program needs some slight improvements, or a complete rewrite. I have designed training programs for everything from highly technical skill sets to so-called “soft skills” (which aren’t soft at all). I can work with your training organization to make sure your training is both efficient and effective.
Bruce Maples
Teacher, Speaker, Consultant
For more information and to discuss your particular needs:
Bruce@BruceMaples.com • (502) 664-1910