TESTIMONIALS

Our organization’s growth was stagnant, and we were stuck in a malaise of going through the motions of being in business. The executive team needed a “guide” to take an honest look at our strengths and weaknesses and to identify opportunities to improve our communication, trust, and focus. Ron helped us identify opportunities for improvement and then helped us create a framework to move forward towards excellence. Director of Human Resources

at a global developer of technologies with annual revenue of $40 million USD.

My team was getting ready to be reorganized into a totally different division; this change was going to be big. If things didn’t go well, our group would have been absorbed and obsoleted by another group. Ron helped me create a direction for the team. In short order, the team was able to work better together — no longer arguing about direction, priorities, and responsibilities. Zeb Fitzimmons, Director, Business Operations

Cait Drury

Executive Director Talent, Team One Advertising

My team was getting ready to be reorganized into a totally different division; this change was going to be big. If things didn’t go well, our group would have been absorbed and obsoleted by another group. Ron helped me create a direction for the team. In short order, the team was able to work better together — no longer arguing about direction, priorities, and responsibilities.

The tools you use are simple and impactful!

We had had some negative experiences in the past with consultants. But Ron was completely different. He used a discovery process that was inspirational and impactful. We soon trusted that whatever help he provided would be in keeping with the very best of who we were.

Ron successfully directed and mobilized our Strategic Input Committee through one of the most important internal transitions our company has made in 25+ years. Through his leadership and understanding of cultural shifts, Ron was able to excite leadership staff and help us create effective communication throughout the process of our transition. Amy Mackinnon, Director of Office Services

L.J. DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, MICROSOFT I was tasked with designing an event for 150 of Microsoft’s senior leaders to design, and engage in, a new three-year strategy. With Ron’s help, we produced a fun, high energy environment in which to create a future together. The event received the highest possible ratings and I personally observed engagement levels beyond what I had ever seen before. I was tasked with engaging multiple organizations within Microsoft to accept and move forward with a change initiative. Ron helped me enroll the organizations in the planned change. He helped me frame the change, and define possible options for next steps to drive the change agenda forward. Helped us to see where we were missing core elements needed for successful change, defined actions to address this, and identified risk levels — and how to mitigate those risks.

When my boss told me I wasn’t performing at the necessary level for my new role, Ron helped me realize that ‘not knowing’ wasn’t bad, it was an indication of an evolution in progress. He helped me get clear on the steps I needed to take to proactively manage my life. Because of my work with Ron, I have expanded my capacity to design, lead, and land change. And, my new ability to show up as my full, authentic self, has had a positive impact on all my relationships; I am better at connecting with others and deepening my bonds with them.

Our CEO had a vision for the organization’s change. But there was substantial resistance within the organization to that change. Put simply, the future of the company was at risk — our ability to innovate and launch new products and to cultivate future leaders was at stake. Ron helped our CEO come to his own conclusions by setting up an environment where the CEO could see all of the issues happening in front of his own eyes. Ron’s services have been invaluable in encouraging the need for change, open and honest communication, collaboration, empowerment, and accountability.”

The executive team wasn’t aligned behind a unified strategy for our recently-merged organization. Ron helped us demonstrate the need for a central strategy so everyone could rally around it —- and then helped us figure out how to manage that strategy as a team.

Ron has helped us successfully steer our executive team in a more focused and specific direction. He helped us assess their engagement levels, skill sets, and openness to change — while encouraging open and honest communication above all else.

Ron brings a balance of both analytical and “soft-touch” to his work. Some of his tools are analytical and some of his discussions are around “soft touch” issues like communication and empowerment. This balance gives everyone something they can gravitate towards in Ron’s sessions, making it easier for analytical people to accept the “soft” stuff and for people more comfortable with the “soft” subjects to engage with the analytical stuff. EVP and General Counsel

at a global developer of technologies with annual revenues of $40 million USD.

If I imagine a visual symbol to summarize the transformation Ron has created, the ‘before’ scenario is a group of people milling around with no direction. But today, I see us climbing Mt. Everest — walking up the Hillary Step.

Our entire culture has changed. Work is more fun. People want to come to work; they want to solve problems and want to create the next new thing for the organization.

Before our work with Ron, three years went by without delivering one new product. In the 12 months since our work together, we’ve delivered three new game-changing technologies.

Honestly, things were so bad, I wasn’t sure we could solve it. But the results have been amazing. COO

at a global developer of technologies with annual revenues of $40 million USD.

These were valuable managers. They’d been with us a long time. But I thought it was going to be like giving people therapy they didn’t ask for. Maybe one or two would get some benefit. But, as it turned out, we ended up saving all three!

Work is more fun than it was two years ago. And, people want to come to work and want to solve problems and want to create the next new thing for the organization.

Everyone’s comfortable with Ron. He can work with the CEO down to the shipping clerk.

After working with Retriever Advisors, we experienced an immediate impact in our results. Our newly-empowered team is constantly breaking new ground in performance excellence.

In a hierarchical culture, the way to approach ‘errant’ managers would be something akin to ‘shape up or ship out.’ But Ron’s way was to see it as an opportunity for them to improve. Before working with Ron, I would have thought this was too touchy-feely. But Ron’s results speak for themselves.

One of the many things that was impressive about Ron was how quickly things changed. He made progress with the first meeting! Vice President of Operations

at a global developer of technologies with annual revenues of $40 million USD.

General manager

Other consultants have a bag of tricks. Or they say, ‘Here’s this skill I’m going to teach you.’ Ron helped me find my own inner balance so I can perform at a higher level and be perfectly comfortable there.

My new boss was one of the highest-ranking executives at Microsoft. Ron helped me find my inner balance so I can perform at a higher level and be perfectly comfortable there.

Ron helped me find my own inner balance so I can perform at a higher level and be perfectly comfortable there.

I used to get embroiled in dialogs that took two hours with negotiators or 10 hours with attorneys. Now I come in from my balanced, authentic self and say, ‘Here’s what I need; here are the issues…and here’s our common ground.’ It all gets resolved in the context of a conversation that lets all parties find a healthier solution without the gamesmanship.

No matter what I’m up against, I can still bend like a reed and respond without anxiety. Unexpected situations happen all the time — but they don’t catch me off guard; I’m comfortable in them all.

If I could give Ron a title, it would be Executive Sensei. Working with Ron was like working with a martial arts master. He taught me how to find my inner balance and to stand in that place — strong and flexible — no matter what comes at me.