Testimonials

Every year, we have the opportunity to assist great organizations with the design and implementation of talent development and performance improvement initiatives. These organizations range from Global 100 to small independent businesses. Many have provided us with feedback on our work and the outcomes they have experienced. Here are a few examples of what they had to say:

After going through the Supervisor Development Series, I was able to identify some personal deficiencies in my approach to management, as well as some constructive ideas to better interact with coworkers, producing a higher level of performance.  I would highly recommend CMOE’s Supervisor Development program to anyone who wants to develop their management skills and take teambuilding to the next level.

Kevin M.

Sales – Pest Control Services

I just wanted to send you a quick note to thank you for everything this weekend! It exceeded any expectation I had… by far. Every member of CMOE that we encountered was positive, encouraging, knowledgeable, and eager to help us in any way they could. The training was an eye-opening experience that will benefit us all for years to come!

Taryn K.

Accounting Manager – Global Audit, Tax, and Consulting Firm

“They [CMOE] are a great vendor. Their instructors gain excellent rapport with all the students, agents, inspectors, and others. We are quite pleased and happy with our partnership with them. Coaching Skills is a super course and has the highest rating of all the courses we offer.”

Ruth White

Leadership Institute Program Manager, Law Enforcement Agency within the US Department of Justice

Bottom Line Leadership was outstanding! This was the highlight of the week. This training had very useful information and I wish it could have been 2 days.

Ling W.

Director of Operations – Technology Company

“We have experienced a 16% increase in productivity for six straight years after implementing the Coaching Skills, Teamwork, and Facilitation Skills training programs from CMOE in alignment with their lean manufacturing principles.”

Dave Pfeifle

Former CEO, Global Manufacturer and Seller of Hydraulics and Electronic Systems

“The two most common comments we receive from this particular evaluation was that this workshop was the most valuable workshop they have ever attended, and that they believe all leadership individuals should attend a CMOE workshop.”

Mike Gurr

Workforce Planning and Development, Retail and Grocery Supercenters

The Applied Strategic Thinking program created a lot of buzz among participants after class, and several participants wrote to the VP sponsoring this training to express how helpful the training was and how it has helped them to think and plan differently. The VP said that in all her years here, she had NEVER had anyone thank her for sending them to a training, so she understands that this has been a powerful and important event for this group of 29 leaders.

Dick H.

Director of Organizational Development – Global Financial Investment and Management Company

“I continue to believe that CMOE and its staff are all about class and quality.”

Phil De La Torre

Organizational Training and Development Manager, Oil and Gas

“Here is a summary of the process we took to determine that CMOE was the best vendor to use for our unique training needs: Training-Need Analysis (managers, supervisors and employees) for 5,000 people. The airline completed more research than ever before with any other training program in identifying and selecting a program. Determined that coaching skills was a high need – had to have a positive focus, applicability, and be easy to use. Began with sixteen vendors and then narrowed the vendors down to six. Pilot workshops from all six vendors were conducted. Pilot group consisted of participants from six major work areas within the airline carrier – Flight Attendant, Technical Operations, Aircraft Loading, Customer Service, Airline Reservations, and Training. Evaluating the pilot workshops: Real-time evaluations – done immediately after the course Two week follow up evaluations CMOE workshop was rated #1 in both types of evaluations.
Coaching Skills was identified as most usable, applicable, and easy to understand. Coaching Skills was also the best liked and most remembered Many trainers have been certified inside the organization and they have taught the program to more than the initial target of 5,000 people.”

Wayne Wallace

Learning and Development, International Airline Carrier

“Dear CMOE staff,

What an absolutely spectacular retreat we had this weekend. I would like to compliment you all for the very hard work and effort that it must have taken to plan, coordinate, supply and make this retreat happen. Absolutely a great job! My team got to do something that few professionals will ever experience. I truly believe that you not only have made a lasting impression on them all, but in fact have changed the lives of a few.I would also like to congratulate you for meeting all of the requirements I had requested for this retreat:

Beautiful, remote, and rugged landscapes
A mentally challenging experience
Physical hardship that stretches each team member
A good balance of action versus reflection and learning
Superior professional guides
Medical support staff
A very tough assignment, which you delivered on each and every count! We also very much appreciate the splendid weather that you arranged! I’m not sure how you’re going to top this one, it was an A+. We had a blast. Thanks for helping us grow as a team.”

Dirk Jones

Business Unit President, International Food Provider

“Dear Matt, In January, I identified the necessary criteria for a coaching workshop. I actually didn’t expect to find one that included everything; however, CMOE’s Coaching Skills Workshop did this. The staff at CMOE worked with me to answer any concerns and to ensure that the workshop addressed all of my needs. I believe that CMOE’s Coaching Workshop is successful because it is based on research, is developed around adult-learning theory, and contains these components:

-Coaching model
-Assessment instrument to identify individual’s baseline of coaching skills
-Guided practice
-Ability to build on our performance-management system
-Customizable with our examples
-Coaching behaviors defined
-Action plan to ensure behavior change

How do I know that there has been a behavior change in the attendees? I’ve seen supervisors, who previously wouldn’t address difficult issues with employees, address these issues; end up with a plan for change; and obtain buy-in from the employees. They did this by using the skills and tools from CMOE’s workshop.

I feel confident that CMOE’s Coaching Skills Workshop is the very best available. Thank you for supporting me in the implementation of this training.”

Cindy A. S.

Manager Employee Development, Manufacture of Insulation Materials

“Friends, I hope you are having a great Wednesday. I recently attended a workshop that was wonderful. It was really for upper management and how to manage people and projects. The workshop was held by CMOE (Center for Management and Organization Effectiveness) and was titled, “Coaching Skills.” The workshop centered around people in management who have projects assigned to them and their departments. The workshop shows how to effectively delegate projects, and how to get people to complete their projects successfully and on time.I know that I sound like a commercial for the company, but I just thought it was a great workshop for people who manage people or projects.”

T. Edwards

Manager, Marketing Solutions Company

Phase III of the Leadership Academy was more than any of us could have imagined. I have seen managers step up over the past several months and it has been very humbling to be a part of the transformation. I feel that my biggest gain from the academy so far has been awareness of true leadership abilities and the cross-pollination of the different business units that make up our special team. The Leadership Academy truly opens your eyes to valuing differences and understanding strengths and weaknesses. My personal goal has become to find the strengths in all team members from the bottom to the top and add their value to the bottom line. We have found that communication is key, empowering is inevitable, and strategic intent guides the path we take to get there.

Jon S.

Fabrication Superintendent – Global Food Processing

I wished I had this training when I began my management career 15 years ago.

Paola A.

Sales Leader/Workshop Participant – Biotechnology Company

“Win-Win Partnerships works! I have used it and have seen others use it effectively. The material is sound, the coaching model is excellent, and its application will result in greater personal satisfaction, greater organizational success, and a more harmonious society for the 21st century.

Randolph Pohlman

Dean, School of Business and Entrepreneurship, Private University in Florida

Since the training sessions, we have taken weekly overtime hours from about 3800 to less than 800 in just four weeks. Looking at our last scorecard rankings, we have moved up to 6th place in the global team and see more improvements coming. We have been very structured in the use of daily and weekly reports and have filtered this all the way down to the front-line supervisor level.

Manny M.

Plant Manager – Global Food Processing Company

“I wanted to let you know that the managers and partners who have been through the Strategic Leadership program continue to give this program high rankings and see it as highly applicable to their jobs and functions. They are beginning to create a consistent platform and way to define strategy which is causing people to act differently and see things strategically at all levels of the business. This is exactly what we need.”

Tony Herrera

Director-Leadership Development, Schreiber Foods

WOW! We changed some people’s lives this week. I’ve gone a lot of places and done a lot of things, but this outdoor team retreat was definitely one of the top things I’ve ever done. From a professional development standpoint, it stands alone at the top.

Bill R.

Vice President, Supply Chain – Global Conglomerate

When we began our selection process, we found that some programs focus only on certain aspects or niches of coaching, while others simply lacked fundamental skills and necessary concepts. We found CMOE’s Coaching Skills to be the best approach for us and saw that it addressed multiple angles and objectives with coaching and was backed by research. More specifically, we could see it being used for:

– Addressing performance problems or issues
– Everyday development and engagement of employees
– Developing already high-performers further
– Increasing employee engagement
– Mentoring discussions, as well as performance plans and reviews

Julia M.

Director of Talent and Organizational Development – Media and Entertainment Company

“I am still hearing VERY POSITIVE FEEDBACK from the entire company on the strategic thinking simulation and the overall learnings from the event. I don’t think I truly gave you all enough ‘props’ publicly when I took the mic but it really got people thinking and affirmed the things we are doing (AND DOING WELL) to create a high performance culture here.”

Adrienne B

Vice President – Human Resources, Global Asset Management Company

Just a quick note to say that we completed our AST training session this afternoon and I could not have been more pleased. Thanks for all of your work behind the scenes. As I mentioned, the facilitator “knocked it out of the park”. In fact, I had numerous compliments about Chris and the fact that it “was the best training session that they had ever attended.” Thanks again for your leadership and you can rest assured that we are going to talk up this class with the rest of the organization.

Robert D.

Regional Director, Business Development – Food Manufacturing

“The programs offered by CMOE are the most well received programs by Solvay Employees. The courses provide a very practical approach and are easy to learn and remember the concepts. The way CMOE staff conduct and facilitate is remarkable, progressive, engaging, and very enjoyable.”

Anne de Beer

Director – Global Management Training, Solvay

“To this day, we are still actively score keeping at all levels of the organization and the scorecards are used routinely and often to coach, give feedback and improve our operations. As a result of the Bottom Line Leadership process, we were able to reduce re-work and scrap, increase yield and flow time, and improve overall plant efficiency by over 15%.”

Brad James

Plant Manager, Manufacture of Transportation Products and Services

“The following is from participant ratings, data, and feedback on the overall training sessions consisting of five topic areas. Excellent facilitators, great energy and focus. Cordial, respectful, kept it fun! Excellent facilitators with great communication skills. Great personalities/openness/very collaborative/excellent positive attitude. It is clear that these people love their jobs; they are very enthusiastic.” Marcia Drysdale, Country Training Coordinator, International Food Provider “In today’s chaotic business environment, leaders need new tools to be effective. In this book, Win-Win Partnerships, Starcevich and Stowell have provided us with a systematic approach for coaching employees to higher performance levels. It’s a must-read for leaders at any level of the organization. The Coaching Model is a real tool for real leaders that really works.”

Carol A. Otto and George Benskey

General Manager and Area Manager, Telecommunications Provider

“Members of CMOE are skilled practitioners and have the unique ability to combine their years of experience, knowledge, credibility, intuition, and keen insight in the classroom to ensure their learning events are nothing short of perfect.”

Jim Wilcox

COO, Sauer-Danfoss

There was never a dull moment during the two days, and every section covered in the clinic had a “take-away” that impacted me in a positive way. That is not easy to do, as teaching an old dog new tricks takes a master. From the very opening comments to the final story that left us all realizing how important we can be in the most subtle ways to others on a daily basis, the presenter continually kept my senses tingling and a wanting to soak up more of his knowledge. I appreciate my company for recognizing the need for this course, and kudos to them for making this an integral part of my career.

Morley W.

Workshop Participant – Multinational News Network

Since rolling out the Selling Skills and Sales Coaching programs to our field force, we have seen a 7% increase in sales over the past 12 months. It is a direct correlation of people putting the skills they learned into action. The practice opportunities made all the difference in getting people to try and test what they learned. Once they get it, you can see their faces light up.

Stephen P.

Vice President, Sales – Industrial Robotics

“I was one of your participants with [Anonymous Organization]. I just wanted to say that your program was absolutely fabulous. It was really great to get a better understanding of who we are and the different behavioral traits we all have.”

George Smith

Southeast Region Manager, Manufacturer of Towing and Recovery Equipment

This was the best training event I have ever attended in the 12+ years I’ve been with this organization. This is a real-world, hands-on training that is critically relevant and immediately applicable in our daily jobs. This training is essential for all levels of management and is an excellent first step in making “leadership” a company-wide priority.

Y.L. Chen

Workshop Participant – Retail Market & Grocery

I just wanted to reach out to you and let you know I received EVEN MORE positive feedback regarding you and the program experience last night! They specifically mentioned your ability to maintain the teams’ engagement, and of course the workshop content as well. Please pass this on to the CMOE team as I would like to thank them for their extra assistance.

Suzanne S.

Director of Talent Management – Industrial Components Manufacturer

The High-Performance Teamwork program was such a great experience that my residents have asked when we will be doing it again. Our facilitator was even able to get my less interested residents engaged in the process. Given the success of this event, we have scheduled to hold another teambuilding workshop for me with my new group later this year.

Sarah S.

Residency Program Director – School of Medicine

In between sessions, a supervisor made it a point to find me and tell me how much People First Leadership has meant to him and his career development. He highlighted the “Touch and Go” process as being a relationship-building skill that is being practiced all over the plant since these training courses started. He said it is the best thing that he has seen for business and the people in his 25 years with us.

Sam P.

Training Manager – Precision Manufacturing

I just wanted to thank you again for an absolutely phenomenal couple days of training. Trust me when I say that I needed this course desperately, as I have been far too tactical and frankly in the weeds. I sincerely enjoyed my time and again cannot thank you enough for your time and energy. I already sent a note to the Sr. VP of Human Resources letting him know how relevant this training was and endorsing the continuance of the program for all VPs, DMs, GMs and Directors.

Ryan C.

District Manager – Transporation Services

For what it’s worth, I think that CMOE should have had a bigger role in our retreat last weekend. Not to detract from anyone else; I just think very highly of your approach to helping leaders sift and work through the complexities of their jobs. We’re in a better position now because of your training.

Nicholas W.

General Counsel – Global 500 Company

I’ve experienced success where I wasn’t expecting it. I have been dealing with a difficult employee, but by following the Coaching TIPS model and truly emphasizing the steps, I have seen drastic changes. There has been a complete turn-around in this person’s attitudes and actions for several weeks now! I’m really liking this… thanks for the program and the help.

Bob A.

Supply Chain Manager – Global Food Corporation

“You can’t move on to something new until you have decided to let go of something old.”

“Obstacles are things a person sees when he/she takes his/her eyes off of the goal.

— E. Joseph Cossman

“To say the right thing at the right time, keep still most of the time.”

— John W. Roper

Overview of Course Feedback

Here are some comments provided directly from multiple workshop participants who were all managers for a global communications organization:

  • Good course. Could target “types” of coaching to the personalities/professional level.
  • Very entertaining, could be expanded with more time.
  • Gary was fantastic; it was amazing to watch his interaction to the content to fit our needs at the time. Outstanding materials. The best instructor of the week, a true professional, morphed his presentation at a moment’s notice to fit our skill sets.
  • The best presenters by far. Exercises were very useful. This class should have been 2 days.
  • Excellent class, very valuable skills, well presented. Should be two day course.
  • This is a useful course, the material is very good, the instructor’s group exercise was nice. Can be used right away.
  • Good instructor, very helpful information. This information was relative to everyday situations, most useful for the complete course.
  • Outstanding, this was the highlight of the week. Very useful information. Should be 2 days.
  • Good class.  This one should have been two days. Covered the aspects of management I can’t learn by taking an online class. Excellent speaker.
  • Excellent instructor, good topic.  Should probably be 2 days.
  • Very good material. Very enjoyable speaker, 2 days better.
  • Very good stuff, would not mind seeing this expanded to 1 or even 2 days.
  • This was a great class. I learned a lot of new skills that I will definitely use when I go back to work. Gary kept the class lively the entire time; he was a great teacher.
  • Excellent; should be 2 days.
  • By far the best presentation of the week and most relevant to my day-to-day work experience. I wish this module had been longer with additional practice sessions. Presenter was knowledgeable and approachable. Managers/supervisors at my level require more of this training.
  • Fabulous.  Great teacher, materials, and use of time.
  • Terrific class. Role playing was very effective. As a manager, this addressed the area that I struggle with the most.
  • Highly energetic and motivating session. Covered a simple, but powerful model. Role playing was highly beneficial. Good presenter.
  • A fun, energetic presentation that involved good class discussion. Gary infused what really should be a 2-day class with real examples. Coaching in an area many managers need to improve. The role play exercises went surprisingly well too. A thorough overview of a very effective coaching model. My compliments
  • This was by far the best day yet. I only wish it could have been longer.
  • Gary was outstanding and the material was extremely useful.
  • Gary has a great sense of humor, which captures the attention of everyone. He certainly makes the course more interesting. I think this course would be beneficial over 2 days.