Services
Values and value are not mutually exclusive. We help bring them together.
Leadership Coaching
Through our retained Leadership Coaching model we'll help you refine your leadership style for your organization and its unique needs. We'll build out your presence, provide tactical advice and guiding frameworks, and level-up your bench of leaders for long-term growth.
As a leader, do you react to what's happening around you, or are you able to see around the bend and plan for the future?
Through our retained coaching model we'll help you develop a successful leadership style.
- Your Leadership Brand We help you develop your messaging and leadership presence. We provide perspective and empathy, help you build belonging inside your organization, and build comfort in conflict in order to reach your best decisions.
- Key Decision AdvisingWe provide needed perspective on scaling your business. Why, how and when might you grow? Get key questions and insights on your growth strategy before you dive in.
- C-Suite Consulting We help you create, assess, and develop your leadership team. What's you're superpower, and what's your cryptonite? Who should you bring into your organization to amplify your strengths and support your areas of weakness?
- Accountability Tools We give you the tools to develop a culture of accountability. Learn to align your leadership team with a shared vision and mission. Build the foundation of psychological safety for your organization. Explore decision making frameworks that allow for self-driven and autonomous teams. Develop and maintain Human Capital systems that reward and recognize collaboration and other high performing behaviors.
What people are saying
"I've been working with Heather as my coach for 6 months, and have really benefited from her guidance. Heather sees the big picture and the small details. She is both firm and kind, helping me see where I need to be clear and where I need to exercise care. She has been flexible with my tough schedule, and provides a lot of value in a short amount of time."
Mark Yoon
Engineering Manager, Reverb
"Rather than shy away from the hard discussions, Heather knows how to front-load difficult conversations so problems get solved quickly. Quoting Brené Brown, she often reminds that "clear is kind; unclear is unkind." Yet she never lets go of empathy, and even constructive criticism is always given in a careful and collaborative manner, with concern for psychological safety."
Brad Ediger
Technical Expert 8th Light
"Heather is the consummate professional who excels at driving herself and her team to success. I often sought her advice on challenging staffing, organizational, and cultural issues as did many other senior leaders."
Tyler Jennings
CTO, Provi
Impact your business & culture today
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Mindful Managers Program
Our Mindful Managers series is grounded in the emotional intelligence framework and can be customized to your organization's specific expectations of a manager.
How can I successfully manage a team as people, not as resources?
In our Mindful Manager Training Program we create a psychologically safe space for learning and experimentation where you’ll learn and grow with a cohort of fellow managers.
- Create psychological safety and trust on your team We engage in developing emotional intelligence and team goal frameworks to make the implicit explicit.
- Develop high performing communication systemsLearn how to deliver human centered developmental and performative feedback using tools that map to your culture.
- Develop yourself while developing othersTransformative leadership in today's world means introspection and self awareness. In our DEIB work we explore our personal journeys so we might develop empathy for our teammates with different knowledge, perspective and experiences.
- Align your leadership skills to your business needsUnderstand the nitty-gritty of management responsibilities in today's ever changing organizational structures.
What people are saying
"I've really appreciated having this as both an opportunity to learn and as a framework for collaborating and ideating with the other managers in the cohort. The homework and conversations have driven a lot of collaboration that has made me a lot more confident about being a new manager."
Summer 2021 Graduate
“I'm grateful for the inclusive structure/format that allowed for both written/verbal participation, pre reading, lunch eating, and catching up when I missed sessions.”
Program Graduate
Impact your business & culture today
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Growth Strategy
Inflection Point: (in math) a point of a curve at which a change in the direction of curvature occurs. (In business) a time of significant change in a situation; a turning point. Our Strategic Growth Advising practice will help you plan for these moments of change, and execute them with grace. Whether it's a merger, an acquisition, or an aggressive hiring plan, your business is at a turn point. We help you zoom out and see the future of your business clearly. We scope out a vision for your future, and an actionable plan to get there. And then, we stay in the boat with you and help you make it happen.
Let's Grow togetherAs you grow and integrate new employees, are you setting the culture or letting it set you?
We help you zoom out and see the future of your business clearly.
- Organizational AssessmentWe conduct an organizational assessment that explores every area of your business and shines a spotlight on the challenges limiting your growth. Through interviews, focus groups, surveys, and research, we'll bring you an informed outsider's perspective on where you stand. No ego, just honest observations and direct feedback.
- Long Term Integration RecommendationsHow do you integrate two company cultures into one? We focus on each phase of the process, from evaluating cultural and operations systems to staff communication strategies, to the long term vision of your newly expanded organization.
- Merger and Aquisition Guidance You've found a potential partner and now you're needing due dilligence. Are you asking the right questions? 75% of all M&A fail not from business challenges, but from the lack of thoughtful cultural integration strategies considered during the transition. You're looking at the books, but you can't have a successful growth plan without considering people, culture, and finance.
What people are saying
"Heather time-and-again proves to be an invaluable business partner."
Jeff Williams
Managing Director, Waterstone LLC
"I ran a small consulting firm since 2005 which merged into 8th Light in 2019. Heather, as 8th Light's VP of Consulting, supported my transition into the company and has been my manager since. Her direction and mentorship have helped improve my own career in long-lasting ways."
Brad Ediger
Technical Expert 8th Light
"I've been super impressed with her drive, detail orientation, follow-through with candidates (and on everything) and general fun let's-go-kick-some-ass attitude. :)"
Jeff Holden
CEO, Co-Founder, Atomic Machines
Let’s build a better company together
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Inclusive Culture
Inclusive culture doesn't just mean hitting demographic hiring goals, but rather developing systems, programs, and practices that improve retention, productivity, and work product from everyone on staff. From onboarding to management training to mentorship programs, building an inclusive culture will yield more creative results and happier employees. All of our inclusivity programming begins with a diagnostic protocol to help us understand your company's culture, values, and challenges, and then interventions are suggested based on your specific needs.
Let's Grow togetherWhat type of culture are you trying to build? How do you answer that question, and what tools can you deploy to find out?
Inclusive culture starts at the top, not with transactional trainings, but with transformational change.
- Organizational Systems DiagnosticsWe begin our engagements with an organizational systems diagnostic to understand the current systems, values, norms, behaviors and artifacts that make up your culture today. Based on your culture's data, we collaborate with every layer of your organization to ensure that your DEI strategy going forward has the maximum impact for your employees AND your customers.
- Inclusive TripleR Program Development After completing the Diagnostic, we take those learnings and implement appropriate allyship training, 1:1 manager coaching, HR systems evolution, and recruiter training. These solutions are customized based on the specific results of your company, and are designed to have tangible results, like employee retention and faster time-to-hire for open roles.
- Agile Through an Inclusive Lens Real talk: Agile is great for some but... not great for others. We help your teams both acknowledge and evolve exisiting power dynamics in Agile software development methodology. We help you develop team standards where everyone can unleash their full potential. Examples of these trainings include empathetic code revews, inclusive pairing prinicipals, rewarding demos, and healthy, actionable retros .
What people are saying
"Her drive to build inclusive workplaces in no way diminishes her focus on business impact and delivering results. She understands how business works, and understands that it works better with a diverse workforce, so she seeks ways to improve “the way it’s always been done” to include more voices, tap into more ideas and produce better work."
Claudia Richman
CEO, WeGrowForward
"Heather and I have collaborated on so many projects together, from the first ERG at Groupon back in 2012 to conference talks at Grace Hopper. She is a leader in every room she is in, encouraging the hard conversations with grace, considering ideas from all points of view, and modeling how to give and receive feedback. Her unique professional background means she's both an insider and an outsider in every setting, and that perspective makes her extremely empathetic, compassionate, and kind."
Emily Moss
Director of Alumni Programs at Girls Who Code
Our coaches help you to cultivate human connection and develop cultures of belonging.
