"I expected Dave could help me organize my time, keep me accountable for results and show me how to bring my ideas to life, but our journey together had taught me so much more than that.
Dave really knows me--how I think, what I do, where my limitations are and which personality assets I can employ to achieve my goals. He has taught me how to develop my leadership potential by showing me how to lead my growing team through practical advice and hands-on training with my employees. I've learned how to organize my team and reporting structure to increase my efficiency and now I have a company that truly operates without me having to tend to every detail myself. Since I started working with Dave my company has tripled in size and now I can finally spend my time working on my business, planning for the future and developing new ideas rather than doing all of the work myself. I have a team that's top notch (which Dave has helped me build) and I can rely on those people I've hired to manage the day-to-day business that took all my time just two years ago.
Dave and I continue to work together and I cannot imagine not having him on my advisory team. There is always more to learn and more to do and the time I spend with Dave continues to show me how I can be even more effective and productive than I ever imagined. "
Brian A. Spitz, Founder & CEO, Big State Home Buyers, LLC
"The management team that I thought would move us forward was crumbling and I brought in a new guy over them. I knew we had to quickly work on team building and personal coaching to help them overcome their egos and begin to work together to see the larger picture. Thanks to your help, they are working together beautifully."
Linda Strickland, Founder & Chairman, Certified Safety Specialists
"Dave, you have applied your skills to help open lines of thinking that I never explored before. It has been a significant help for me in managing relationships in my partnership, and developing leverage for better understanding of the dynamics involved."
Kevin Gardner, Partner, Cresa Partners
"I wanted to take this opportunity to again thank you for your assistance in our endeavor to provide leadership to our firm and employees. Your commitment and accountability for the owners of our firm provided to be the difference in settling and reaching some short and long term goals needed for our group."
Chris Hines, Partner, Trademark Construction
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"I brought Dave in to work with my company professionally because I believe he understands what it's like to work with so many different skill sets, personalities and egos in a small organization. In about nine months we've experienced tremendous results in building an effective and cohesive leadership group.
We had a great organization, but weren't operating at our full potential. Dave taught us communication skills, provided tools to guide us through the tough economic and competitive challenges we face, and raised our level of awareness. Everyone is now moving in a productive fashion, implementing new ideas and achieving new levels of success.
Moss Landscaping is in a better place because we have a direction and format by which to achieve our main goal of creating a truly unique landscape company. It's clear to our leadership group that we would not be where we are without Dave helping us build our company in a more productive and cohesive manner."
Gary P. Moss, President, Moss Landscaping, Inc.
"My business partner and I first hired Dave to work with the two of us through some road blocks in our business. After one year our partnership had become so successful we decided to have him work with our entire management team. The next year we decided the entire office should have an opportunity to work with Dave. The changes within our entire company have been amazing. He helped us build a healthy environment throughout our entire company.
Dave is our coach and advisor when filling key positions and making our toughest decision. He works well with the entire staff as individuals and together to create a dynamic team. He makes the extra effort to understand our company and what it takes for us to be a successful business while maintaining a healthy work to life balance.
I thoroughly enjoy working with Dave and consider him a key part of our business."
Ken Newberry, AIA, LEED AP, Founding Principal, Newberry Campa Architects, LLC
"I want to personally thank you for your efforts done on our behalf for the BP Carson Project. Our client was very pleased with the results. The turnaround project that had typically taken them 70 days to accomplish in the past was cut down to 43 days. We believe that the work you did with our team along with the members of the BP contingency and the other contractors helped us perform a more successful project. You have helped us realize the value of having the persons involved in the project commit to accountability and the value of having everyone buy into the goals of the project."
Whitney Strickland, VP-Chief Marketing Officer, AltairStrickland
"Dave calls himself a personal business coach. I think of him as more of a "change agent", disguised as a personal coach. He has a way of asking incisive and probing questions without making those being questioned feel uncomfortable.
The most significant and sensitive project Dave tackled was developing my senior executives into a highly effective team. This task was made particularly difficult by my recent hiring of a president from outside the company.
In short order, the team members knew Dave could be trusted in competence and character. Dave's skills as a personal coach and his Birkman certification and training were put to the test. Twelve months later, we got the right people on the bus and on the right seats in the bus, and they know where the bus is headed. Not an easy task!"
Mike Jeansonne, Chairman & CEO, The Turnaround Management Company
"Our team's experience with Dave was transformative. He helped us identify our strengths and needs as individuals and a group, and he challenged us to hold ourselves to a higher standard of accountability. We regularly reference our learning with Dave, even a year later. And we are all proud of the new meeting culture Dave helped us develop. Our meetings are the envy of other departments!
Today we have a strong, cohesive team that can weather changes in operations and personnel. We achieve excellent results because our team culture demands them, supports them, and celebrates them. Dave was an integral part of making this happen, and we all appreciated the chance to work with him."
Anneliese Davis, VP of Development, Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas
More Team Development Results [ + ]
"We initially hired Dave to collaborate with us on a comprehensive market survey in preparation for the relocation and re-branding of our retail business. This was to be a three-month engagement. However, the resulting success of this project showed us that, clearly, we had much more work to do. Since then, Dave has assisted us with strategic planning, creative problem solving, as well as helping us better understand the human dynamic within a diverse organization. His insights, training, and support have been invaluable.
Dave has also worked individually with key members of our organization. This has been particularly helpful in selling our mission and achieving our growth goals. He is always prepared, professional, and available. At the same time we started with Dave, our company was in the midst of an emotional succession. Of all of Dave's contributions, none has been more important than his personal mentoring and coaching with me. His work guided me through this very trying time to a seemingly impossible positive outcome. Dave has had a valuable and dramatic affect on both my personal and business journeys."
Murry Penner, Partner, M. Penner
"Dave has the unique talent for quickly reading people and getting to the end goal. He is perceptive, caring, and works very hard for his clients. His warm personality, diversified experience, and analytical skills are great assets for himself and his clients. I highly recommend Dave for any individual or company who needs objective coaching."
Chris Viviano, Principal, Houston Capital Mortgage
"Steitz Partners guided me through a valuable process that resulted in the development of a strategic plan for my business. Dave brings creativity, real world experience and a sincere interest in the well being of his clients."
Randy Butler, Principal, Butler Mediation
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"Dave worked with The Marion group and showed us how to develop our staff, management and always keep an eye on the bottom line, profits. He is a successful and motivational professional, a marketing genius. He'll train your group to be excited about their products and services."
Charles Freeman, Partner, Marion Group
"Dave was very helpful in creating the original brand for Page Partners including creation of our name, graphics package, website and marketing materials. Dave is creative and dependable. In my opinion, he will not take on an assignment unless he knows he can provide an exceptional end product."
Ed Page, Principal, Page Partners
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"Dave is an excellent coach. He helped guide me through the sale of my business and a career transition with great insight. He helped me stay focused and on track with his questions and guidance. I highly recommend him."
Clayton Spitz, CMO, Chief Outsiders
"It was a great pleasure to work with Dave during the recent start up of my consulting practice. His mentorship and guidance was very beneficial in helping me establish clear goals and timelines for the tasks required. By having Dave's steady support I found that reaching out to a new business model was more comfortable and less daunting.
I especially enjoyed his candor when providing needed positive criticism and his intuitiveness on my roadblocks. I'm thankful for the way-finding and the push to get things moving."
Tom Forney, Owner, Forney Construction
"Dave has provided me solid advice that was based on thorough questions and a real understanding of my particular challenges. He provided valuable and concise recommendations in a timely fashion. I'd highly recommend his services."
Rick Wellinghoff, Director of Business Development, Rite Response
"With Dave's regular attention, his insight, and his wisdom, I was able to get clear and confident about myself and the direction of my business, as well as my long-term aspiration to write and publish a book through a publisher. In Dave's usual, clear-cut manner, he helped me to get perspective, get focused, and I'm proud to say, get it done.
My daily marketing guide, "365 Ways to Stir the Pot and Put Marketing Into Action" was real and tangible within a few months of working with Dave. And, my new book, "Think Like a Marketer: What It Really Takes to Stand Out from the Crowd, the Clutter, and the Competition, hit bookstores through Career Press in the summer of 2009."
Lauron Sonnier, President, Sonnier Marketing & Communications
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