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People like to talk about
having a learning culture
but it takes real courage and commitment
to walk the walk and practice
authentic communicaiton.
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Authentic Communication can be complemented by the innovative curriculum offered by our strategic partners:
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Community Leadership Development
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Leadership Charlotte, a community leadership development organization, operates a ten-month program in which participants meet with community leaders, are exposed to major issues impacting the region, and address community needs in a hands-on manner. The mission of Leadership Charlotte is to develop and enhance volunteer community leadership by providing a diverse group of emerging and existing leaders with the opportunity to increase their community knowledge, civic network, and service to the community.
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Cultural Transformation
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Mike Whitehead, Tom Lane and the consultants of Whitehead Associates Inc. develop leaders and organizational cultures to deliver optimal results. The firm's Quest for Personal Leadership Seminar has graduates in leadership roles throughout the commercial, non-profit and governmental sectors. Whitehead Associates is located in a Victorian home called Whitehead Manor on the grounds of the new Whitehead Conference Center. Both facilities are available for meetings, receptions, and events that strive to offer a special touch. Individuals and teams seeking to grow and thrive through organizational change or to achieve next-level results–will achieve quantum leap results with Whitehead Associates.
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Executive Coaching
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Joan Wright is a master certified corporate coach, and president of O'Sullivan Wright Consulting. She helps companies achieve targeted business results by attracting, developing and retaining key leadership talent. A former HR executive, Joan's background includes 21 years with Philip Morris, Citicorp, GE Capital and First Union where she was head of executive leadership development. She has a passion and talent for building the capacity of leaders and companies with transformational change. Joan holds a B.A. Honors Degree from Rollins College and a Masters Degree in Counseling from Boston College.
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Innovation
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The Innovation Institute is a program of McColl Center for Visual Art that helps executives unleash their creative abilities and those within their organizations. During six alternating Fridays, Institute participants work with professional artists and expert facilitator to explore topics such as "Unlocking the Creative Voice," "Pushing the Edge" and "The Value of Failure." Presentations, along with hands-on group and individual exercises, give participants insights into the artistic creative process and how that process can be applied to business. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation recently awarded over $1 million to The Innovation Institute.
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Organization and Time Management
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Carson Tate is the owner of Working Simply, LLC which offers corporate consulting on time management, productivity and organizational work flow systems. She and her team of experts restore focus, balance and direction to the executive's schedule to improve productivity, increase revenue and reduce stress. The Individual Productivity Coaching program analyzes how the participant employs time, reviews and selects the best time management tools for that individual, and then streamlines tasks and controls procrastination. Programs are customized to meet the goals and objectives of the participant and vary in length in duration.
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Translating and Cultural Training
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Through its global network providing communication solutions in 176 languages, Choice Translating makes the world smaller, more connected, and a better place to be. Customized translating, brand analysis, tagline localization and interpreting services help companies thrive in today's multicultural society and global economy. A full-service linguistic agency headquartered in Charlotte, NC with offices in Lima, Peru, Choice Translating helps to Change the world, one word at a time.
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Recommended Reading
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Made to Stick
by Chip and Dan Heath
This is a how-to for crafting a great story. The authors look at urban legends and advertisements to uncover what makes them memorable or "sticky." The book is a fun, fast read that is loaded with examples of stories that stuck, from the well-known blue eye/brown eye exercise conducted by an Iowa elementary school teacher, to the myth that poison and razor blades were being hidden in Halloween candy.
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The Definitive Book of Body Language
by Barbara Pease and Alan Pease
Filled with insights and humorous observations, this book takes a clear and simple look at body language. Since 93% of our communication is transmitted through the way we look, move and sound, we can always learn something here. Alan and Barbara Pease's book is the most recent and well-done work on non-verbal communication.
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The Power of Personal Storytelling
by Jack Maguire
At first blush, this book appears to be less about business and more about soft storytelling. Don't be fooled. This is a great book for learning how to tell your own stories. Maguire is a wonderful guide and provides exercises throughout the book that lead you into the process of storytelling. He begins with ideas such as, "Reclaiming your storyloving self." He also explores "embodying the story," an alternative to "memorizing the story."
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Speak Like a CEO
by Suzanne Bates
As an award-winning news anchor, Bates interviewed more than ten thousand business and political leaders, celebrities, and newsmakers--and she saw them at their best and worst. Now a sought-after executive trainer with national and international clients, she is renowned for her ability to transform leaders who avoid the spotlight into bold, confident, natural speakers. In this book, she shares the techniques that have helped her clients become communicators extraordinaire.
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Words that Shook the World:
100 Years of Unforgettable Speeches and Events
Edited by Richard Greene
This is a priceless book for those of us who love extraordinary people and the words they spoke. Editor Richard Greene offers blow-by-blow analysis next to each paragraph of the speeches, explaining what it is about the rhythm and diction of the sentences that makes them so effective. Greene not only treats you with scripts and photos, but the volume includes two audio CDs of original speeches.
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Fierce Conversations
by Susan Scott
Susan Scott nails her topic. In a nutshell, both professional and personal relationships hinge on how conversations go, and the best conversations require determinedly gentle honesty and a willingness to listen. It takes a certain fearlessness to be honest. But the options are not good. Scott is levelheaded and funny. She and clearly explains her key concepts, including "obey your instincts" and "let silence do the heavy lifting." If your conversations with co-workers or family members aren't producing the results you want, this is your book.
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The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
by Patrick Lencioni
The parable style of writing doesn't work for everyone, but it works for Patrick Lencioni. His first book is also worth a read, The Five Temptations of a CEO. But teams will have an eye-opening experience with this book. It is the story of woman who, as CEO of a struggling Silicon Valley firm, took control of a dysfunctional executive committee and helped its members succeed as a team. Through this fable, Lencioni offers explicit instructions for overcoming the tendencies that corrupt teams (absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability and inattention to results).
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Death by Meeting
by Patrick Lencioni
The number one complaint we hear is about bad meetings. In Death by Meeting, Lencioni uses a parable to frame his advice on how to get value from time spent in meetings. He says meetings are like movies in that they need conflict and resolution to hold people's attention. They also require seriousness of purpose, diligent preparation, and a persistent focuss. Ultimately, he gives explicit advice about providing drama and structure to your meetings.
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Re-imagine!
by Tom Peters
Sit down with this gorgeous book and take it in. It is a passionate wake-up call for the business world, educators, and society as a whole--and it is an accomplishment in layout and graphics. Focusing on how the business climate has changed, this book explores radical ways of overcoming outdated assumptions and embraces an aggressive strategy that empowers talent and brand-driven organizations where everyone has a voice.
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Brand You
by Tom Peters
Downsizing ain't over, but Tom Peters can help you through it. Our favorite book in his Reinventing Work series is Brand You. If "free agent" individuals want to succeed, they'll need a new approach to their jobs. One way is by approaching work as a set of projects. Find out what's most interesting about each project and thrive on that, Peters advises. Become motivated with a dedication to self-presentation and the work at hand.
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The Purple Cow and The Big Moo
by Seth Godin
Seth Godin had huge success with bestselling The Purple Cow, in which he encourages you to transform your business by being remarkable. He says that every day, consumers come face to face with a lot of boring, brown cows. The Big Moo is a collection of 33 brief business sermons on being remarkable, written by everyone from Gladwell to Peters, and edited by Godin.
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All Marketers Are Liars
by Seth Godin
Every great marketer tells a great "story." But if your stories are inauthentic, you cross the line from fib to fraud. Marketers fail when they are selfish and scurrilous, when they abuse the tools of their trade and make the world worse. This is a powerful book for anyone who wants to create things people truly want as opposed to commodities that people merely need.
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The Cluetrain Manifesto:
The End of Business as Usual
by Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls and David Weinberger
This book has been criticized for romancing a utopian form of commerce, but we love it. Experienced technology users Levine, Locke, Searls and Weinberger want nothing less than to change the way the whole world does business. They believe that the traditional business of buying and selling should be replaced by genuine conversations that attempt to satisfy the needs, wants and desires of the people on both sides of the equation.
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