August 15, 2019

Earlier this month, our Advance program participants convened for a session entitled Teams and Managing Up. Beth Smits, Vice President of Customer Success for Intuit’s Consumer Group, kicked off the program by sharing her insights and “Advocate, Assist, and Act” strategy for managing up and around to deliver great outcomes. Former LEAD Board member Garry O. Ridge (16), CEO of WD-40 Company, teamed up with his colleague, President of the Americas Patricia Q. Olsem, to share insights about their company’s culture of inclusiveness and building successful teams based on trust and respect. One of the key takeaways from the talk with WD-40 was their belief that there are no mistakes, only learning moments. That shift in thinking is just part of what makes their company culture so unique. Life and Career Coach Quinn Paglierani of Crestcom SoCal presented on the importance of having effective crucial conversations. Class participants learned about the 3x3x3 Method for productive conversations with direct reports and the Dialogue Method for fielding conflict effectively. Participants got to put what they learned into immediate practice by testing out the conversation skills on each other in mock tough conversations. And retired U.S. District Judge Irma E. Gonzalez shared her wisdom about the art of negotiation from many years on the bench and in private mediation practice. Many thanks to WD-40 Company for hosting the session at their headquarters!