To ensure your business survives our current crisis and all future crises, you need to step up your leadership, your offerings, and your quality of work.
TTI Success Insights did just that; as a response to stay-at-home orders and the changing workplace, we created and released the Working From Home Report. This free assessment gives people a snapshot of their behavioral style, and shares that information in an easy to understand format. It also gives everyone best practices for communicating with other behavioral styles.
Three of our Value Adding Associates went above and beyond in sharing this resource with their networks. Their work to make this transition easier for their clients is part of the reason why they are truly Value Adding Associates. Meet the three top users of the Working From Home Report and learn from their expertise!
Meet Dr. Robert Sicora
Dr. Robert Sicora is the President and CEO of Sicora Consulting. After 20 years in the human resources field, he went independent to found his own practice in 2009.
He also does civic work with emerging student leaders at the high school and college levels.
His nonprofit work has been with service dog nonprofits.
Build Trust and Safety With Your Team
When TTI SI released the Working From Home Report, Dr. Sicora and his team hit the ground running. “It came at a time where people were forced to be at home, and we’re trying to help the community that we serve,” he told us.
“A lot of the big ‘aha moments’ came from their ability to recognize others and understand exactly where they’re at. Having that awareness gives you the ability to make positive changes and build trust and safety with others on your team.”
“We have a very community based approach to what we do. We’re all about nurturing and sharing information. Basically what I did was send out an invite to participate in my network and individuals took advantage of that. We were also able to send our contacts their previous Talent Insights reports results, so our contacts could see their past results with the new design and comparative information.”
Dr. Sicora also hosted webinars to share how they could use the report and take the information even further. “People are incredibly appreciative of being seen and understood. Learning how they are under stress, pressure, transformation— that’s huge. A lot of the big ‘aha moments’ came from their ability to recognize others and understand exactly where they’re at. Having that awareness gives you the ability to make positive changes and build trust and safety with others on your team.”
On Building Your Network
Dr. Sicora’s advice for consultants looking to step it up in the new normal? Come from a place of service. “By connecting with those that already know you and asking what’s going on in their world, you can offer a real opportunity to help!” he said.
Ask for support from your network as well. Get feedback on your approach and debriefing method with different reports, and don’t forget the power of word of mouth marketing. Offer others a benefit and recognize the benefit you get in return: the benefit of their perspective.
Meet Suzann Foerster
Suzann Foerster is the CEO of Suzann Foerster Leadership Coaching, and has been making waves in the consulting industry for over 20 years. She established her leadership coaching business in 1999 after realizing her career as a corporate trainer just wasn’t the outlet her entrepreneurial spirit needed.
She described her coaching approach as ‘compassionately blunt’, since an important aspect of their coaching relationship depends on their ability to have direct conversations about difficult topics. “We help leaders unearth and face the difficult challenges of leading people and the business,” Foerster told us. “With 20 years experience in our toolbox, we work beyond any one model and can provide insights and content that is proven effective and specific to the leader's challenge.”
A Strength-Based Strategy
Foerster’s clients needed support when transitioning to a virtual work environment.
“The Working From Home Report gave my clients specific strength-based strategies to use when communicating with their teams and customers remotely,” she told TTI SI. “Clients come to us for many different reasons: when they want to grow their business and know they need to elevate their leadership, when dealing with a major change or crisis, or they want to get an edge on their competitor by enhancing their leadership performance,” Foerster told us.
While her focus is mainly on CEO and C-Suite Leadership and Executive Leadership Team Coaching, she also leads a team of 5 coaches that assist in coaching leaders at all levels, along with comprehensive leadership training programs. The Working From Home Report is applicable to leaders and team members at every level.
“The Working From Home Report gave my clients specific strength-based strategies to use when communicating with their teams and customers remotely.”
On Honesty and Integrity
Foerster’s advice for new coaches and consultants? “Don't need the money or the client to meet your needs. I learned this very early in my career. The best way for me to be fully honest and put the client's best interest first, I had to have a high level of reserves, both in money and affirmation, so I could coach at my highest level of integrity.”
Meet Kathy Ball-Toncic
Kathy Ball-Toncic is the President of the 262 Group, Inc. She worked on Wall Street for 18 years, managing global teams and supporting large investment firms and banks. She left that world to create a career that was fulfilling, inspiring, and driven by her deep passion for helping teams and individuals be the best they can be.
Since 262 Group Inc. is a small and agile organization, they’re able to pivot to new ways of working which is critical in our current climate.
Learn, Unlearn and Learn Again
Ball-Toncic knows that we’re living through an extraordinary moment in history.
“Noticing how much my own world changed, it became clear to me that we are all so impacted by relating to and working with others in a virtual world,” she told us. “Under stress, none of us can adapt easily, if at all! The WFH report helps us see how our colleagues, friends and families are experiencing social distancing and lack of connection, right now.”
“My clients find it comforting to see that many of their reactions are related to how they are ‘wired’ and that the reactions of others are not something they should take personally.”
While working with teams and individuals, she starts with level-setting to learn how they are coping, what is most difficult for them, and what they can do to support themselves and those around them. “My clients find it comforting to see that many of their reactions are related to how they are ‘wired’ and that the reactions of others are not something they should take personally,” she said. “Tips on how to work with other styles are warmly welcomed by all.”
On Moving Forward
She wants to let her clients know that she and her team are in this with them, alongside them. “Together, we will navigate these changes; we will learn, unlearn, and learn again. I work to guide and partner with our clients until we create what they need for their people and their business.”
How Can Your Step Up Your Consulting?
Right now, consultants and coaches need all the help they can get, so they can help their clients. TTI SI is the partner you need to make it all happen.
If you’re in our consulting network, there’s a few ways you can level up your business, right now. First of all, make sure you’re using the Working From Home Report to generate new leads and captivate current clients. Get creative with your report-usage! If you’d like a brainstorming session, just contact your Business Development Consultant. We’re here to help you!
If you're not a member of the TTI SI network, we still have resources to help you. Learn more about our most popular assessments and tools here:
DISC: What You Need to Know
12 Driving Forces: What You Need to Know
Benchmarking: What You Need to Know
Emotional Intelligence and the EQ Assessment: What You Need to Know
We’d also like to invite you to our Flip the Script Webinar. If you’re an ambitious, strategic professional who needs a premier partner and provider of research-based behavioral assessments, you’ve been looking for TTI SI. We’re also looking for you!
This webinar is free, but spots are limited. Learn more here. Reserve your spot today!
If you have more questions about TTI SI, learn more about our mission, founding, assessments, and offerings here.
Create the new world of work! All the necessary tools are at your fingertips; are you ready?
