About Mary

My philosophy

I live with a few basic assumptions about leadership:

  • Great leaders create what matters most because of a strong set of internal assumptions that drives their behavior.
  • Great leaders tend to be competent in 5 areas: they achieve results, they are aware of how systems work, they are authentic, they are self aware, and they relate well to other people.
  • When we seek to comply with others, protect ourselves, or overcontrol situations, we are missing huge opportunities to lead.
  • What you focus on is what you create.
  • Leaders grow other leaders.  

 

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My Education and Training

 

While there have been lots of ways I’ve learned over the years, here’s my formal training:

Amherst College:
B.A. English 1981
http://www.amherst.edu/
 

Yale School of Management:
M.B.A. Organizational Behavior 1988
 http://mba.yale.edu/

Coaches Training Institute (CTI) :

(CTI is the oldest, largest, and most highly respected coach training institute in the world.)
-Trained and certified as a “Certified Professional Co-Active Coach” (C.P.C.C.) 2007 http://www.thecoaches.com/certification.html
-Completed the CTI Leadership Program 2008 

http://www.thecoaches.com/leadership.html

Center for Right Relationship (CRR):

(CRR is the worldwide leader in relationship systems intelligence.)

http://crrglobal.com/

 -Trained in Organizational and Relationship Systems Coaching 2008

The Leadership Circle

http://www.theleadershipcircle.com/

-Certified to administer the The Leadership Circle Profile (TLCP) and the Leadership Culture Survey (TLCS), the two most highly validated and respected 360 assessments on the market. 2009


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My Professional Background

Lots of different work experiences have influenced my coaching. After graduating from Amherst College in 1981, I taught English at Northfield Mount Hermon School, and conducted research about women and work at the research institute, Catalyst, in New York City. After returning to school to get an MBA at Yale in 1988, I worked as an internal organizational effectiveness manager and human resource development manager at Cummins Engine Company and G.E. Capital for six years. I then set up my own organizational consulting practice, and consulted for a dozen years to elementary schools, principals, and educational change organizations throughout Connecticut on leadership, organizational change, and school improvement issues.  Along the way, I also provided career coaching and counseling to students at the Yale School of Management Career Development Office.

In 2006, I began a journey to augment the coaching, advising, and consulting I had done for many years by getting extensive professional coach training (see My Education and Training). In the years since, I have been coaching leaders and organizations that are committed to furthering environmental and/or social sustainability in some way, shape, or form. They are highly educated professionals who are leaders in sustainable development, energy conservation, biofuels, cleantech, renewable energy, education, sustainable food production and distribution, journalism, consulting, and nonprofits. Their success and fulfillment has been and continues to be what thrills me most.

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On a Personal Note

My husband and I have two wonderful daughters who keep us honest and keep us laughing. As a family, we try our best to walk the talk of sustainability in our daily habits, our work focus, and our volunteer activities. My husband, Jon, has been working in the green tech, energy conservation, and renewable energy fields for over 30 years. (See www.greenmediaventures.com ) Corny as it sounds, we really enjoy partnering with others to co-create a world that our kids, everyone else’s kids, as well as all species can thrive in and pass on to many generations to come. We sure as heck can’t do it alone. But through my coaching, trying to be a good parent, providing organizational assistance to those who are starting a new CSA farm in our community (see www.massarofarm.org ), teaching a class of children some conflict resolution skills, supporting our local public schools, contributing to various Green initiatives locally and globally, I do what I can. And when confronted with the enormity of the global environmental and social issues that Bill McKibben and many others speak of so eloquently, I’m really grateful that there are a lot of other people doing what they can too.

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