Category Archives: Meetings

Annual Networking/Social Meeting
and “Gold Elephant Book Exchange”

Meeting Goals:
 – Connect: get to know one another better – personally & professionally
  – Learn: share knowledge informally during the book exchange
  – Enjoy: fellowship + creative responses (and humor) of the game

Please bring a gift-wrapped book that is meaningful to you — perhaps a book from your own library to ‘pay it forward’ or one from a second hand bookstore. Don’t spend a lot of money – it’s the thought that counts!

The game will be similar to a traditional white elephant gift exchange — each person in turn will unwrap a book or ‘steal’ one that someone else has already opened. Unlike ‘white elephants’ (which are often useless), the books are ‘gold elephants’ that will contain some unique nuggets of wisdom when opened (or stolen) by the right recipient! Discovering those golden nuggets will be part of the game as people talk about the books they give (and the ones they get)!

Handout/Procedure for the ‘Gold Elephant Gift Exchange’

Presenter / Facilitator: Jim Jameson

(Please join our LinkedIn Group if you haven’t yet done so, and comment on the discussions.)

Schedule for Thursday Evening:
–  6:30  Intros / Networking / Food
–  7:00  Announcements / Program
–  8:45  Closing and evaluation

Meeting Location:  American Airlines Headquarters *
   4333 Amon Carter Boulevard, Center Port 5 (6 Story Building)
   Fort Worth, TX 76155

>> Click for Satellite Map of the building and parking (with lat/long)
Note: Take Hwy 183 to Amon Carter exit; Go south to Sovereign Rd (SW corner).

Parking  is plentiful, free, and very close to the door (see map).  ADA accessible.

Cost:   No charge for members ($60/year).  $10 for guests.

Facilitator BIO:      
Jim Jameson is a Principal at Noah Consulting LLC (a firm specializing in Master Data Management for the Upstream Oil & Gas industry). His role is to improve the success rate of technology adoption projects, working mainly in the areas of Change Management, Collaboration, and Communications. He believes that focusing on the people side of technology change is the key to improving ROI on transformational ‘IT solutions’.

 Program Planning for 2017! 

• What topic in the OD field are you most interested in?
• What information do you need to know in order to stay current?
• What is a strategic issue that you would like to learn more about?
• What is a major challenge that you are facing in your work?
• What is a new program idea that you would like our chapter to try?
• What topic would help you succeed in your work?

We have been blessed with interesting and informative monthly programs during 2016!  Let’s make our 2017 programs even better!  Bring your ideas, energy and a spirit of collaboration!  Consume copious amounts of pizza and non-alcoholic beverages!  Network with your professional colleagues!  Learn more about what’s going on in our profession!  Learn several facilitation methods and techniques!

Facilitator:    Logan Renfrow  (see BIO below)

We look forward to seeing you November 10 at the University of Dallas in a great new room in a brand new building!  (See directions below.)

Schedule for Thursday Evening:
–  6:30  Networking / Food / Intros 
–  7:00  Announcements / Program
–  8:45  Closing and evaluation 

Meeting Location:  

University of Dallas – SB Hall, Serafy Special Events Room *
   Campus: 1845 East Northgate Drive,    Irving, TX 75062     (972-721-5000)

Facilitator BIO:

Logan Renfrow is a global corporate development professional with strong entrepreneurial leadership skills and the proven ability to develop and apply strategic insight. He spent five years in China and Singapore successfully managing organizational change and growth initiatives for an international manufacturer of electrical power systems for the shipbuilding and oil and gas industries.

Logan is currently working for a Dallas-based firm providing cross-cultural training programs where he develops the material for individual and group sessions and advises clients on Chinese business culture. He received his undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University and completed his master’s degree in Organizational Leadership at Gonzaga University.

 Effectiveness & Engagement

Have you noticed that almost every organization now has a significant “virtual” component?  While virtual organizations offer many potential advantages they also come with many challenges.  Reaching the full potential for virtual work will usually require a new or different approach to leadership and engagement at all levels.  In this session we will focus on the special needs that are unique or especially difficult for virtual teams.

We will explore a framework for analyzing the differences and needs of virtual organizations, along with some possible strategies for addressing the key challenges.  We will also tap into the wisdom and expertise of the attendees to validate the proposed framework and further develop some actions and practices based on our own experiences.

Spoiler Alert:  Some face to face interaction is always beneficial!  So despite the irony, it’s OK that we are meeting in-person to discuss virtual challenges!  Please join us and contribute your insights and/or approaches to this timely discussion.

Facilitators:  Jim Jameson, Dave Reazin, and Marilyn Sutherland

We look forward to seeing you on September 8 at University of Dallas in a great new room in a brand new building!  (See directions below.)

Schedule for Thursday Evening:
–  6:30  Networking / Food / Intros 
–  7:00  Announcements / Program
–  8:45  Closing and evaluation 

Meeting Location:  

University of Dallas – SB Hall, Serafy Special Events Room *
   Campus: 1845 East Northgate Drive,    Irving, TX 75062     (972-721-5000)

Facilitator BIOs:

Jim Jameson is a Change Management Consultant at Noah Consulting.  His work is mainly in the areas of Change Management, Collaboration, KM, and Communications. He believes that focusing on the people side of technology change is the key to improving ROI on transformational ‘IT solutions’.

Jim earned a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from Louisiana Tech University, along with an MS degree in Information Systems and post-grad certificate in Knowledge Management, both from George Washington University.

Dave Reazin is an Environmental Protection Specialist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Region 6. He is a member of the Community Infrastructure Section that provides federal grants to state agencies to improve water and wastewater utility infrastructure. He also promotes energy management practices through workshops and webinars.

His organizational development interests are in building high performing teams and organizational change using internet technology. His academic background includes a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Geology from Indiana University and an MBA in Management from The University of Texas at Arlington.

Marilyn Sutherland, PHR, is a Communications and Change Management Consultant for Noah Consulting.  Her OD work at Noah focuses on Change Management in the forms of Business Readiness, Project Implementation, and Sustained Deployments to ensure project benefits are achieved where success depends on adoption.

Prior to joining Noah, Marilyn was an independent organizational development and human resources consultant for 13 years. She also held consulting roles at Accenture and IBM.  Marilyn received her M.S. in Organizational Learning from George Mason University and her B.S. in Psychology & Sociology from The University of Pittsburgh.

How do you go about understanding what is going on in an organization and why?

This session is intended to get your head in gear on this basic competency of any OD Consultant.

Come explore approaches to understanding culture — or oh wait, is it climate we are measuring, and does it make a difference? Do we use instruments and if so what instruments? If not instruments, what methods will give us insight? How much effort will be required to get what results? Are we sure about what is being measured? If it is climate, will that provide us with insights into an organization’s culture? And, what about fragmentation?

Come enjoy this discussion of a foundation of our business from easy to heavy. Let’s see if we can simplify the understanding of culture.

Facilitator:  Ed Savage, Director of Training & Development at L-3 Mission Integration

We look forward to seeing you on July 14 at University of Dallas in a great new room in a brand new building!  (See directions below.)

Schedule for Thursday Evening:
–  6:30  Networking / Food / Intros 
–  7:00  Announcements / Program
–  8:45  Closing and evaluation 

Meeting Location:  

University of Dallas – SB Hall, Serafy Special Events Room *
   Campus: 1845 East Northgate Drive,    Irving, TX 75062     (972-721-5000)

Speaker BIO:

Ed Savage  is the Director of Training and Development for L-3’s Mission Integration.

Ed has been an OD consultant for a wide variety of mergers and acquisitions where understanding organizational culture was important to the success of such ventures. He is an experienced OD Consultant who holds an RODC from the ISDOC, an SPHR from the HRIC, and an SPC from the SHRM. He has a doctorate in Organization Change and Masters in OD from Pepperdine University.

Ed is a long time member of the DFW OD Network.

Executive Coaching & OD Consulting:
Allies for Professional Development 

How could coaching build on your OD skills and competencies? What are the challenges that executive coaches solve and face? What does it take be a successful Executive Coach?

Come explore the answers to these questions at our March DFW OD Network meeting. Jude Olson, President-Elect, and Kathleen Klaviter, Ambassador, from the International Coaching Federation of North Texas (ICF-NT) Chapter will introduce you to the rewards and responsibilities of executing coaching.

Come discover for yourself how executive coaching and OD consulting can partner for success!

Speakers:   Dr. Jude Olson  and  Kathleen Klaviter  (See full Bios below)

We look forward to seeing you on March 10 at University of Dallas.  (We’re back in the nice room we used in the first half of 2015!)

(Please join our LinkedIn Group if you haven’t yet done so, and comment on the discussions.)  

Schedule for Thursday Evening:
   – 6:30  Networking / Food / Intros
   – 7:00  Announcements / Program
   – 8:45  Closing and evaluation

Meeting Location:
University of Dallas – – Catherine Hall, Room 11  {New!} *
   1845 East Northgate Drive,  Irving, TX  75062   (972-721-5000)

Catherine Hall is #20 on the UD Campus map.    [Google Map for Nav]
>> Click for Satellite Map of the building and parking (with lat/long)

Note:  Catherine Hall is on the east end of the campus, just off Tom Braniff Drive (map).  Room 11 is on the first floor, just to the right of the front door.  (Much easier to find than our old room.)  

Parking:  Usually plenty of spaces in Lot P (map / map); also available in various places across the campus. 

Cost: No charge for members ($60/year). $10 for guests.

Speaker BIOs:  

Dr. Jude Olson is an accredited, professional coach providing leadership and transition coaching to individuals, teams and organizations—building on strengths for accelerated development. She is certified by the International Coaching Federation and has a Ph.D. in Human and Organization Systems from Fielding Graduate University.  She currently serves on the MBA faculty of the University of Dallas, teaching Leadership, Managing Complex Organizations, and Consulting Skills. She is a coach for local companies including Bell Helicopter, Alcon Labs and Cook Children’s Hospital.   Previously, she held roles as Senior OD consultant and Head Coach at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company in FW, TX.

Kathleen Klaviter has 25 years in training and organization development from classroom/on-line training to workshop design and facilitation. She received her master’s in Organization Development and Change Management from the University of Texas at Dallas. Her corporate experience includes work as an internal consultant at Texas Instruments and a corporate position with Hanson Building Materials. Working as an independent consultant since 2009 Kathleen now works with all sizes of companies and non-profit organizations. Kathleen’s credentials include multiple training and facilitation certifications and assessment qualifications. She holds the Professional Certified Coach designation (PCC) from the International Coach Federation.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Leadership BS —
Is the Leadership Development Industry Failing Us?

According to esteemed Stanford Organizational Behavior Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer, “. . . the continuing failure of the leadership industry in all of its forms and activities to make things better needs to be both explained and remedied.”

Pfeffer adds that after 60 years and tens of billions of dollars, the leadership industry has produced worse leaders and organizations filled with dissatisfied, disengaged employees who do not trust those leaders.  Worse yet, he says the leadership industry is teaching exactly the opposite of what it should.

If you are reading this DFWOD Network solicitation, Pfeffer is speaking about you and me. Are we failing our clients? Have we failed the organizations that employ us? Have we failed those employees? Do we need to totally change what we do and how we do it?

Come listen to Randy Mayeux’s synopsis of Professor Pfeffer’s book, Leadership BS; Fixing Workplaces and Careers One Truth at a Time, and then join the discussion as Ed Savage facilitates an introspection of Pfeffer’s writings and its impact on our leadership development activities.

Don’t miss this meeting. Your boss, leader, CEO, client may well be reading Pfeffer’s book and rethinking her work with you.

Presenter:   Randy Mayeux (First Friday Book Synopsis)

Facilitator:   Ed Savage  (L-3 Mission Integration)

We look forward to seeing you on January 14 at University of Dallas.  (We’re back in the nice room we used in the first half of 2015!)

(Please join our LinkedIn Group if you haven’t yet done so, and comment on the discussions.)

Schedule for Thursday Evening:
   – 6:30  Networking / Food / Intros
   – 7:00  Announcements / Program
   – 8:45  Closing and evaluation

Meeting Location:
University of Dallas – – Catherine Hall, Room 11  {New!} *
   1845 East Northgate Drive,  Irving, TX  75062   (972-721-5000)

Catherine Hall is #20 on the UD Campus map.    [Google Map for Nav]
>> Click for Satellite Map of the building and parking (with lat/long)

Note:  Catherine Hall is on the east end of the campus, just off Tom Braniff Drive (map).  Room 11 is on the first floor, just to the right of the front door.  (Much easier to find than our old room.)  

Parking:  Usually plenty of spaces in Lot P (map / map); also available in various places across the campus. 

Cost: No charge for members ($60/year). $10 for guests.

Speaker/Facilitator BIOs:  

Randy Mayeux is a professional speaker, educator, consultant, and writer. He gives more than 450 public presentations annually to various business and government audiences, non-profit groups and associations, and professional conferences. Randy is the Founder of Creative Communication Network, a full-service communication company offering speeches and presentations, training and custom consulting and meeting facilitation for individuals, groups and organizations.

His monthly First Friday Book Synopsis at the Dallas Park City Club now in its seventeenth year and attracts capacity crowds of business professionals from throughout the DFW metroplex.

He has authored articles in professional journals, guest columns in The Dallas Morning News, and several books. Randy is a graduate of Abilene Christian and Pepperdine University.

Ed Savage  is the Senior Manager of Training and Development for L-3 Mission Integration in Greenville. He has worked in the Leadership and Organization Development industry for 30 years. Ed holds a doctorate in Organization Change from Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology.

We look forward to seeing you there!