About
My fascination with workplace culture undoubtedly started in the woods of western Montana, that summer, between my junior and senior years of college. I wondered how it was that my fellow workers were just so happy. We laughed together and socialized after work and our few complaints were short lived. In the office environment following college, the mood was different. It was challenging, rewarding work, but the joviality among colleagues was never quite the same.
Why? How could the difference be so stark? Could people learn to love their jobs?
Holding these questions in the back of my mind, I embarked on a Masters degree that would lead me into the world of training and development. Because training is always the answer, right? I trained hundreds of people, many in Fortune 200 companies, some in small business, and others in civil service. During that time, I discovered that there are process gaps training simply cannot fill. The greater challenge in filling those gaps is in cultural change, and changing culture requires an understanding of the culture’s components – people, environment, and beliefs.
I discovered that coaching is a powerful tool to analyze and affect change and in turn, to grow happiness and satisfaction in people. (In case you’re wondering, coaches are truly trained and certified. Yes, it’s a new field, and there are several schools of thought on how it’s best conducted, but serious coaches undergo their own process of values-discovery, then learning, practice, and certification.) Through the Coaches Training Institute (CTI), I learned to expand on clients’ strengths and dance in their truths. I was certified by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) in 2015 and continue to pursue excellence in my craft.
I still do a lot of consulting in organizational development, and frequently it morphs into team coaching and then coaching individuals. I utilize several contemporary models, and hold focus groups for organizations in search of solutions. I facilitate meetings, and discovered a few years ago the power of graphic facilitation to hold the attention of and make much better use of individuals’ energy in those meetings. It’s amazing to watch.
All of the services I offer through Van Diest Associates are meant to make the world more purposeful. Sometimes even more meaningful.
My dog. She’s a beagle-Jack Russell Terrier cross named Clancy Primrose. Clancy is intermittently my walking buddy, my executive assistant (she has a bed in the office I call her “cubicle”), and the reason I shampoo my carpets every few months. She’s full of energy and sharp as a tack.
TED Talks. I’ve only attended one in real life, and it was wonderful. I keep the TED app on my computer, my Kindle, and my phone and absorb ideas all of the time. The zillions of creative brains out there that make earth-shattering discoveries is humbling and moving. TED talks always restore my faith in humankind.
Great coffee. Seriously. I wish it didn’t have caffeine, so I could drink it all of the time. A “great day” is one that starts with a delicious cup my husband makes for me, and ends with coffee and its two best friends – dark chocolate and berries – on the patio in my backyard.
The work of true change requires
a readiness of spirit
A willingness to be challenged
and to let go of expectation
A desire to step onto the path
of designing a life that truly reflects
the core of who you are
The beautiful question being
Are you ready to become
~A. Lemieux
