Kristin Powell, Ph.D., Organizational Consultant

11/03/2022

I believe that it is my personal and professional responsibility to help create more inclusive and equitable spaces. Because of this understanding, I am continuously doing the hard work of examining and interrupting my own personal biases as I strive to help leaders do the same.

My colleague Martha Anne Rich, PhD shares this commitment; thus, we have joined forces to create a new leadership coaching program called Culture Advantage. We know that our personal work is never done, and no one else’s is either. We are committed to helping leaders and their organizations see things from new perspectives, and to create and maintain diverse teams, inclusive cultures, and equitable policies and procedures.

Culture Advantage takes place on Zoom and in person in Birmingham, Alabama, over six sessions between January 18 and April 5, 2023. If you’re interested in learning more about Culture Advantage or in registering for the program, message me or complete the form below.

05/16/2021

This past year has brought a lot of things to light, including the differences in how men and women approach their job search.
Here are 3 things that women are looking for during their job searches in 2021:
1) Employers who take a stand on racial and gender equality,
2) flexible and remote work options, and
3) professional development opportunities

Last year brought to light even more differences in what men and women are looking for in their employers and how much of an impact those differences will have on their job search decisions.

04/17/2021

I enjoy team building because it builds trust, mitigates conflict, encourages communication, and increases collaboration. Effective team building means more engaged employees, which is good for company culture and boosting the bottom line.

02/19/2021

02/19/2021

Bias shows up in many forms, including in meetings.

“Manologues,” “mansplaining” and “manterrupting” are hallmarks of the conference room.

11/13/2020

This may be the question of the year:
Is it possible to fully dedicate ourselves to the causes that we are passionate about and remain focused on our careers?

Isaias Hernandez, creator of “Queer Brown Vegan,” shares his advice.

04/08/2020

We are definitely out of our comfort zones right now. By this time, most if not all of us, have been directly or indirectly impacted by COVID-19. We need great leaders to rise up- in our homes, workplaces, and communities. I hope that you find these tips and words of encouragement helpful. We are in this together!

03/17/2020

It is really important that we identify and support the needs of our communities and families right now. As a working mom and Psychologist, I provided my perspective on Coronavirus and Family Self-Care.

What are your thoughts on these questions?
1. How are these changes impacting our working families?
2. What are common emotional and behavioral responses from stressful events like this?
3. As adults, how do we take care of ourselves while caring for our children?

01/21/2020

Enjoyed the opportunity to conduct leadership training at Westrock this week.

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. ”

01/11/2020

Many leaders avoid crucial conversations with their team and thereby miss critical opportunities to engage and empower them.

The GROW model can be very helpful during coaching conversations. Here is a simple video introduction.

The GROW Model is a simple abbreviation for the four stages of the decision making. It is considered to be a gold-standard framework for structuring coaching...

01/11/2020

Does your 2020 vision involve developing leadership skills?

One way to become a better leader now is to learn how to be a coach, which involves listening and asking the right questions. Even the best coaches fall back into directive mode, at times because it feels easier and faster.

Whose agenda are you following? How well do you listen? Do you ask leading or open questions?

Leading questions come from your agenda. When we take over with our agenda, there is a risk that the employee/team member can become frustrated from not being listened to, which can lead to a lack of focus and a decrease in performance. Moreover, the employee’s commitment to the task is likely to be lower as the questions which were empowering the employee have now stopped.

On the other hand, when the coach has followed the employee’s agenda all the way by listening and asking open questions, the employee now owns the learning as they discovered it themselves. This can lead to an increase in their self-belief and improved performance.