Monthly Archives: October 2012

Athena Alliance Members –
A Closer Look at Lee Godfrey

Since I started the Athena Alliance blogtalk radio show I have had the opportunity to share with our listeners the expertise of our diverse group of trainers, facilitators, coaches and consultants.  Each member has a profile featured on our website and for upcoming blogs I will share with our readers a more personal look at some of our partners and in no particular order.

Lee Godfrey

Lee was also one of the first people to join my alliance.  I was introduced to her by Claire Sookman.  Lee and Claire had worked on many projects together and Claire thought there was value in us meeting.  We agreed to meet for breakfast and I can remember thinking to myself “I hope she understands I am not technical in any way and that I didn’t understand any computer jargon.”

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy Lee was to speak with and felt an instant connection with her. In fact, by the end of the meeting I was fondly referring to her as an “un-geek.”    Lee has proven to be an excellent resource for the clients I have introduced her to. Most recently she has been working with a large retail chain helping them design and implement their learning management system.  This client said she knew within five minutes of speaking with Lee, that she was the perfect fit for their project.

Lee also provides training for Microsoft Offices program (Excel, Word and PowerPoint).  Customers consistently comment on her approachability and thoroughness in her programs. I Whenever a client is looking for support on creating e-learning program or any instructional design work, Lee is the first person I call.

To review Lee’s Profile click here:  www.athenatrainingandconsulting.com/alliance-partners/lee-godfrey

Athena Alliance Members –
A Closer Look at Scott Kress

Since I started the Athena Alliance blog talk radio show I have had the opportunity to share with our listeners the expertise of our diverse group of trainers, facilitators, coaches and consultants.  Each member has a profile featured on our website and for upcoming blogs I will share with our readers a more personal look at some of our partners and in no particular order.

Scott Kress

When I first sat down to determine the types of training that I would need to offer though my alliance, I knew immediately that team building was something I absolutely must have.  I started asking around to the other trainers and coaches I knew if they could recommend anyone.  Within one week I had four people recommend Scott Kress.  I immediately called Scott to set up a time to meet.  He was clearly passionate about what he did.  Before meeting Scott I really didn’t fully understand the depth that a properly designed team building program could produce.  Scott and his team deliver showcases several times a year so people can actually experience their programs.  I found out the date of the next showcase and registered.

The morning went fast and I was amazed at how effectively he facilitated all the activities to real life experiences.  I brought Scott into the alliance the following week.  A few months after I brought Scott and his team on board, I got a call from a client who was having challenges with his inside and outside sales teams.  During the assessment I discovered that the inside sales people thought the outside sales people didn’t really work (mostly smoozed and played golf) and the outside sales people thought the inside people were slow and incompetent.  The manager shared that these attitudes were having a negative impact on customer service and sales in general.  He asked for my recommendation, and I recommended an high ropes course with Scott’s team.  I made the introduction and Scott delivered an exceptional program.  I got a call from my client and he said that Scott and his team moved his team forward at least six to eight months in only two says.  He said he could have looked for days on the internet and not found a better connection.

Scott has been with me since the beginning and now also teaches Leadership, and Organizational Change for the Rotman School of Management, Odette School of Business and the Edinburgh Business School.

As if he wasn’t busy enough, Scott was the 51^st  Canadian to summit Mount Everest  and the 18^th Canadian to climb the 7 summits (the highest mountain on each of the 7 continents).  He brings his climbing experience to all that he teaches.  Scott is no ordinary facilitator!!!!

To review Scott’s Profile click here: www.athenatrainingandconsulting.com/alliance-partners/scott-kress

Athena Alliance Members –
A Closer Look at Claire Sookman

Since I started the Athena Alliance blogtalk radio show I have had the opportunity to share with our listeners the expertise of our diverse group of trainers, facilitators, coaches and consultants.  Each member has a profile featured on our website and for upcoming blogs I will share with our readers a more personal look at some of our partners and in no particular order.

Claire Sookman

It was almost eight years ago when I first met Claire.  I had just started Athena Training and Consulting and was actively attending many different trade shows and networking events.  It was actually really funny because every place I went there she was.  We would have a chuckle and accuse each other of following one another.  I can remember thinking to myself when I was dressing and preparing to attend the next networking event “I wonder if Claire will be there today” and sure enough there she was!

I was still learning about my new business and wasn’t sure how Claire and I could work together but I was clear we needed to explore it.  I didn’t totally understand Virtual Team building and I set up a time to meet one-on-one so she could explain how it worked.  I had never thought about what challenges a manager would encounter when they had to manage a globally dispersed team.

During our meeting Claire shared that her programs were often based on the DiSC assessment tool.  Now that I understood!  The rest is history as they say… it was clear we were aligned and have worked together ever since.  In fact only two weeks after she joined the alliance I had a client request a DiSC assessment to be performed for their management team. This client still has Claire deliver a DiSC program annually.  Claire continues to work with virtual teams and she is continually raising the bar in the level of service she provides for our customers.

To review Claire’s Profile click here: www.athenatrainingandconsulting.com/alliance-partners/claire-sookman

Athena Alliance Members – A Closer Look at David Boyce CSP

Since I started the Athena Alliance blogtalk radio show I have had the opportunity to share with our listeners the expertise of our diverse group of trainers, facilitators, coaches and consultants.  Each member has a profile featured on our website and I thought for upcoming blogs I would share with our readers a more personal look at some of our partners and in no particular order.

David Boyce CSP

I first met David when we both worked for an experiential training company.  He was one of the first members of my alliance and continues to delight customers with his legendary customer service, supervisory skills programs and he is also my video grapher for our “Make Your Point” presentation skills program.   He also works with organizations when they need support in creating more effective sales teams.  He was one of the first sales people to achieve the CSP (Certified Sales Professional) designation through the Canadian Professional Sales Association.

David and I share the belief that training can and does make a difference in performance, job satisfaction and bottom line results.  David has a very diverse background and has worked as hands on manager in his past positions, which gives him a deeper understanding of the situations our customers face every day.

David is one of those people who is extremely flexible and very easy to work with.  One of the first customers he worked with as an Alliance Member was a funeral services company.  He was contracted to deliver customer service tips training in Toronto offices.  Originally this client was going to run the program for a select few employees and later decided to have the entire company participate in the training.  I remember calling him one day and he was on his way to the grave diggers to gain a better understanding of their roles and responsibilities so he could design their part of the program to address the areas where the needed the support.  Now that’s dedication!

In addition to facilitating for corporations David is a certified coach, conditioning sports trainer and participates in adventure racing and travel. David lives in Oakville with his wife and teenage son.

To review David’s Profile click here:  www.athenatrainingandconsulting.com/alliance-partners/david-boyce