Organization Development Consulting
We worked with The Professional Development Group for over a year as they led us through a large restructuring within our association. It’s proven: if you have the right people with the right skill sets, and you engage and lead them, that creates greater growth, profits, and dividends. The Professional Development Group is absolutely worthy of the investment that you will make.
Wayne Whipple, VP Business Development
Kristy is dynamic, strategic, and has an incredible ability to read any business situation. Growth cycles are her niche as she can adeptly adjust to changing environs and demands. Kristy's keen foresight and vision allow her to see beyond a given scenario to the core elements of a business challenge. I would welcome the opportunity to work with her again in any setting.
Kimberly Rhodes, VP, General Counsel & Secretary
Coaching for Growing Leaders & Star Performers
Shawn is a gifted coach who has the rare ability to deeply listen and understand, while applying practical solutions guided by her extensive experience in business, leadership, and development. My utilization of Shawn's advice proved it to be practical and effective. She is a coach with the highest level of integrity, commitment, and insight.
Robert Haracz, CIO & COO
After working with Shawn as a coach, I finally understood what the right role and culture would be for me. Now I’ve had the opportunity to grow with my organization and build a team – and I know the people I’ve hired are in alignment with their jobs, too. As a result, we are able to focus on where we want to take the company and how to grow to the next level.
Jim Szakacs, Chief Administrative Officer
Working with Kristy as a coach has accelerated my professional development by leaps and bounds. Using spot-on observations and an innate ability to problem solve, Kristy clearly illustrates how individuals can harness their talent to lead and develop better teams. Having Kristy as a resource has been invaluable and I look forward to continued growth with her support.
Courtney Johnson
I’ve worked with Shawn Kent Hayashi for the past six months. The impact that coaching has had on my leadership prospects and my ability to project a more confident style has been astounding. If your company gives you the ability to work with an executive coach, jump at the opportunity to work with The Professional Development Group.
Marketing Executive
It was incumbent upon every leader in our company to increase our leadership skills so we could be more effective at achieving our growth objectives. Since working with Shawn as a coach, I’ve been able to take on several large, challenging projects and bring them to fruition. From a business perspective, I see myself having more impact now as a result of working with The Professional Development Group.
David Rees, Principal
Shawn has coached me for professional development since 2012. I found her knowledge, experience, and skills to be superb. I have had opportunities to be trained and coached by many professionals since, but I would rate Shawn the best for my career development.
Amy Sun, MD, Ph.D.
Thank you for coaching me to learn how to organize my space to be more effective and to have systems in place to produce the results I am committed to. My ability to see all the projects I am responsible for at one time has enabled me to know when to say ‘yes’ and when to say 'no.' I am delegating and trusting that my people will deliver results because I now have a system to follow up.
VP of Public Relations
Your coaching gave me the ability to see my own strengths and blind spots, to communicate more clearly with all my team members, and to step up and lead more directly. For the first time in many years, I now love the work I am doing.
Director of Operations
Team Workshops, Training & Retreats
The High Performing Team Retreat is the best thing we have ever done for our staff in my 24 years at the Association!
Cindy Wallett, VP Member Relations & Administration
I don’t know how any manager creates an effective team without this information! I’m so happy that I had the chance to learn about these topics early in my career so that I can use them as I grow and help others to grow. Shawn’s disarming style and laser-precise communication helps participants open up and gain self-knowledge. I’m immensely grateful for these powerful tools.
Jasmine Surti, VP
Talent@Work® is an exceptional experience designed to educate for personal and professional development by building greater “people awareness. Applying and sharing the concepts and takeaways in the workplaces has been incredibly rewarding.
Thea Seveland
Thank you for using your validated assessments to match our mentees and mentors for our mentoring program! You led an engaging kickoff meeting that generated lots of buzz for this program. This is just what our group needs for creating meaningful and impactful mentoring relationships.
Debbie Lynch, PhD, SPHR, CHRO
Kristy is a wonderful facilitator. She explained the process concisely and kept it focused, moving, and on schedule. She listens extremely well and was able to deftly manage a very talkative and outspoken group of executive leadership staff. Kristy is a pleasure to work with, fun, and engaging. I highly recommend Kristy and her work.
Michael Brody, CEO
Talent@Work® was the best seminar that I’ve ever experienced!
Wayne Whipple, VP Business Development
At the recent National Sales Meeting, Shawn led a Team Building Event that was the best I have participated in. Great presentation.
Toni Senno
We’ve done plenty of staff development workshops, but this one really engaged our staff in a way others have not. The ability to carry the momentum and energy beyond the workshop by using your book and EQ Circles is also a tremendous asset. They say it takes 30 days to form a habit: your 30 day journal should help everyone form healthy habits around EQ!
Mary Terp, HR Director
Cynthia’s training was exactly what we needed. The reviews were great and the ROI was right on target.
Organizational Development
Working with Cynthia is a refreshing way to inspire yourself and your staff to implement methods that will make all of you efficient. Each one of my staff came and thanked me for having Cynthia in to work with us.
Visual Communications Manager
I participated in the Women's Leadership Mentoring Program Kick-Off and learned a great deal, especially about myself. I really appreciated and enjoyed your energetic session! It helped me look beyond my current goal. I will continue to learn, adapt, and improve my communication style to be better at communicating both professionally and personally.
Mentoring Program Participant
The 24/7 Leadership Training creates a system and common language for building high performing work teams and the leadership skills to successfully grow and maintain collaboration. It provides a solution for every business problem I have come across in 13 years as a leader. It allowed us to take the time to think about what is needed to take our organization to the next level. The program ensures the key stakeholders are all on the same page. It taught basic management and advanced management skills to the next generation of leaders. It offers unique solutions to what turn out to be not so unique organizational challenges (ours is conflict resolution, many that grow from ill defined Key Accountabilities). This program is taking upper management and leadership training to a world class level.
24/7 Leadership Training Client
Keynote Speaking
Your session was the highlight of the SHRM conference!
Lisa Duff, HR Director
Shawn was a wonderful addition to our conference line-up. As our closing keynote, she left our attendees with thought-provoking take-aways on how to creatively think about the future and train themselves and their teams to be flexible and forward-thinking. The information she provides isn’t just interesting – it’s sticky – the kind of stuff you think about for months afterwards and you see the moments in which it can be applied to your day-to-day. I can’t tell you how many attendees are still talking to us about how her presentation resonated with them!
Sarah Perkins, Community Director, Specialty Graphic Imaging Association
The content Shawn delivers inspires conversation that continues after she leaves the stage, and is a testament to her ability to create a lasting legacy with her message.
Marie McDonald, Senior Director
I recently saw Shawn present and it was wonderful! The presentation was insightful and I walked away with a better understanding of how to interact with difficult people in a different way. I highly recommend you attend one of Shawn's presentations!
Julie Kinkopf
Shawn proved herself to truly practice what she preached. She was accessible, friendly, and gave the group plenty of useful tips. Not only did I connect with peers during the session itself, I felt comfortable reaching out and setting up a few lunch dates that will help me strengthen my personal networking map.
Chante LaGon
Shawn is one of the foremost thinkers in the area of executive communications and effectiveness. I gain deep insights and new epiphanies every time I listen to her.
Jeremey Donovan, Group VP of Marketing, Gartner
Shawn's incredibly positive presentation provided our team with a magic carpet vision. Who would have thought that a few words would empower us all to such heights? Great results, success, prosperity… Shawn can show you how it can be yours! Dare to dream it into reality. Hey, Shawn: ‘Thats for me!’
Lisa Borrell
Assessments & Job Benchmarking
These key assessments are critical in our hiring process and have made a huge difference at The Victory Bank. Understanding how people behave based on their preferred communication styles and motivators has made our company a much more enjoyable place to work. We perform more efficiently because we understand how to motivate each other and seek to cover each other's blind spots. We no longer take things so personally or form rash judgements. We have a much deeper understanding of how to work together in ways that are cohesive and we understand the “why” in each other. I love that these assessments are grounded in science and I use the knowledge every day. The value is immense.
Shelly Stockmal, Vice President HR
Shawn worked with our internal coaches and taught us how to use assessments as the foundation for developing our high potential employees. We now have our own internal assessment center as a result. Very powerful tools!
VP of Talent Management
Professional Development Plans
Your coaching gave me the ability to see my own strengths and blind spots, to communicate more clearly with all my team members, and to step up and lead more directly. For the first time in many years, I now love the work I am doing.
Director of Operations
Conversations that Get Results & Inspire Collaboration
This book will increase your influence and success rate by the end of the first chapter.
Alan Weiss, Ph.D.
Conversations for Creating Star Performers
If you want more top performers on your team, read this book!
Jill Konrath
Every organization has star performers; however, not every organization is successful in developing them. Shawn Kent Hayashi artfully leads you through how to engage in effective conversations with your employees to provide them with valuable feedback and development plans to obtain peak performance. A must read for anyone who wants to cultivate their star performers!
Kelly Morello
Shawn Kent Hayashi asks a profound question: ‘Are you inspiring?’ Then through practical, real-life examples, she demonstrates how leaders can develop from being motivational to inspirational through the power of conversations. Shawn’s energy, enthusiasm, and passion for developing star talent comes through in a practical and impactful guide for leaders at all levels.
Meghan Seybold
Want to maximize your employee's performance? Want to create high engagement? This is a must read!
Dr. Debra Gmelin, Corporate Director
How to Improve Your Emotional Intelligence at Work & in Relationships
We’ve done plenty of staff development workshops, but this one really engaged our staff in a way others have not. The ability to carry the momentum and energy beyond the workshop by using your book and EQ Circles is also a tremendous asset. They say it takes 30 days to form a habit: your 30 day journal should help everyone form healthy habits around EQ!
Mary Terp, HR Director