Peg Neuhauser

Keynote speaker Peg Neuhauser is a management and organizational consultant, specializing in the areas of conflict management, organizational culture, avoiding burnout. In 1984, she established her own company and works with clients in many industries including health care, high tech, finance, and publishing.

As a speaker Peg Neuhauser,  offers practical tips for action to create a more innovative and adaptive organization. Her focus is on increasing collaboration in cross-functional teams, improving relationships among work colleagues, avoiding burnout, and strengthening the organization’s culture to focus on its goals more effectively. Her stories, case examples, and humor illustrate each idea in a way that is both entertaining and easy to remember. In addition to speaking and consulting, Peg facilitates meetings and retreats for both board and management groups.

Ms. Neuhauser completed studies in the United States and England with an M.A. in psychology and undergraduate work in sociology. Prior to starting her business, she worked at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and as an internal consultant for Hospital Corporation of America developing services and programs for both corporate and hospital clients. In addition to working as a designer, trainer and consultant, she also managed financial systems conversions that involved training and consultation in the technical and accounting divisions.

The New Normal . . .Rethinking the Way You Lead  (for managers); Moving On . . .Healing from the Turmoil and Adapting to the New Realities (for employees).

Uncertainty is the word that best captures the thinking of most individuals and organizations these days.  People say it’s like working in a fog.  Is the recession really over?  Will things return to normal?  If so, when?  If not, what will the new normal be, and how do we succeed in that world?  What do 90% of top execs rank as the critical organizational skill needed today–agility.  Here are some practical definitions of what they mean by organizational agility:

• Capacity to identify and capture opportunities more quickly than a rival does
• Combining patience and boldness
• Being ready to move the moment the fog lifts just enough so the choice is more than a crap shoot, but before things are clear to everyone including competitors

Help your leaders and employees understand the new normal in your organization and adapt as leaders and employees to these new realities.

Rethinking the Way You Lead topics:

• Resist the temptation to spread the pain evenly through the organization. Consolidate your resources.
• Beware of being too confident of your old leadership habits–challenge your own and each others logic, plans, assumptions, and behaviors.
• Rigid calendar-based budgeting or planning processes are not agile.
• Consider rewarding adequate performance with a generous severance package.  Adequate performances don’t produce agile organizations.
• Cross-functional teamwork needs to be fast and fluid.  Turf battles or endless meetings do not produce agility.
• Reward people for feeding the collective IQ–sharing knowledge and advice that help other teams succeed.
• Get honest about the “total cost of jerks” to your organization.  You can’t afford them anymore.
• Clone your “speed & agility” successes from one area of the organization to another.
• If you’re a control freak, get over it.  Control freaks are not agile leaders.  Control wisely, not constantly.