INSPIRING INNOVATION
In these challenging times, organizations in all sectors are rethinking how they remain relevant and responsive to their clients. We can no longer afford to focus on short-term results – survival and resilience depend on taking a long view of our organizations. This includes answering critical questions like:
- How do we modify existing products and services to respond to the ‘new normal’?
- How do we develop new and creative products and services?
- Most importantly, how do we encourage and support our employees in offering new ideas that keep us relevant?
Shona and her team have spent years being innovators in the corporate, public and not-for-profit sectors. In recognition of this deep experience, Shona holds certification as a Chief Innovation Officer® through the Global Innovation Institute.
INNOVATION CERTIFICATIONS
Shona has partnered with BEVA Global Management, one of only two Authorized Innovation Certification Providers in Canada, to offer 4 Innovation Certifications:
- Certified Innovation Professional (CInP®)
- Certified Innovation Strategist (CInS®)
- Certified Design Thinking Professional (CDTP®)
- Certified Chief Innovation Officer (CCInO®)
DEVELOPING INTRAPRENEURS – YOUR INTERNAL ENTREPRENEURS
Intrapreneurs are internal entrepreneurs, employees who consistently have great ideas, want to push the limits, and genuinely want to make a contribution – and they want to make that contribution to your organization rather than in their own business. Unfortunately, intrapreneurs can become your most frustrated employees if they feel they don’t have a voice, an opportunity to try out ideas, and a supportive leadership environment that sufficiently tolerates managed innovation risk.
The good news is we’ve spent years working on and researching retention and innovation issues, particularly when it comes to intrapreneurs.
The really good news is we’ve developed a learning and organizational development program, Mentrapreneurship ™, that helps you build a culture supportive of innovation, harness the ideas of intrapreneurs, and grow leaders that can take your organization to the next level. It also includes our unique Big Three™ approach to developing powerful presenting and public speaking skills.
Engaging workplaces support and value the contributions of each employee. We all want to do that. And yet year in and year out, studies show that employment engagement improvements are at best minimal and at worst, stagnant. That’s bad news for retention – and really bad news for innovation. Why not start today by creating environment that harness the amazing insights of your most valuable asset – your employees?
SHAPING SPEAKERS
Being able to communicate and gain support for innovative ideas is a valuable skill for employees and leaders alike – presenting a compelling Business Case is critical in allowing great ideas to move forward. Whether it’s about innovation or any other topic, employees and leaders represent their organizations every day. The image of your organization is therefore reflected in how they present themselves.
Our speaker training programs are designed to address discomfort and lack of experience with speaking in public or to punch up the abilities of already-skilled speakers. We offer strategies to build on the basics of presenting for inexperienced speakers and techniques for experienced speakers to get Wow! responses from audiences.
Confident public speaking skills are extraordinarily valuable skills that support innovation, enhance leadership abilities and can infuse any career with a competitive advantage. We’ve developed our own exclusive Big Three ™ approach to speaker training we’ve introduced to audiences the world over!
ABOUT SHONA
I’m an award-winning speaker, writer, and learning designer with 30 years of leadership experience in innovation and public speaking. In between writing numerous books and articles on a variety of leadership and training topics, I’ve been fortunate to work with organizations around the globe in every sector imaginable. Together, we’ve improved leadership, ramped up innovation, and turned numerous people into truly great communicators and presenters. I have a Master’s Degree in Adult Education (Workplace Learning), am a Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL), a Certified Coach Facilitator (CCF), and a Certified Chief Innovation Officer (CCInO®).
The greatest sense of satisfaction I get is when employees and leaders tell me “Your programs have completely changed my thinking – and maybe even my life!”. Like everyone else, I need to make a living – but to be able to make a difference is what really drives me.
My insights and programs come from being an intrapreneur myself. I spent many years searching for the right ‘home’ for my ideas and energy. Most organizations are fantastic at hiring creative, enthusiastic, visionary intrapreneurs. The trouble is, they don’t know what to do with them once they’re hired! So I developed the Mentrapreneurship Program™ to help employers not only identify and support intrapreneurs, but grow leaders that know how to do that too.
I’ve also competed in – and won! – numerous advanced public speaking competitions. One of the greatest lessons from those experiences was that the process of learning how to be a powerful speaker teaches you many key leadership skills critical to supporting intrapreneurs. That’s why our unique speaking programs often form part of the Mentrapreneurship Program™ but can also be taught on their own.
HOW WE WORK
Our first meeting is always about you: Your particular challenges, issues and concerns with regard to innovation and/or presentations and speaking. I draw on a team of highly skilled and experienced professionals that work with me to deliver a program or programs that are right for you.
