“We have worked with Steve Dealph for many years with great success. He has helped us build a solid strategic planning process and has facilitated our annual strategic team meetings using this process. He took time to understand our business and offered unique insights into the development of our Mission and Vision that have evolved into our guiding principles. Steve’s breadth of knowledge and experience made it possible for us to utilize his talents in a variety of diverse projects in support of our strategic goals.“
Articles

Whether they’re about giving tough feedback, addressing conflict or navigating sensitive issues with stakeholders, having difficult conversations is an inevitable part of leadership. How you handle those moments can either build trust and alignment or quietly erode them over time…

We recently had the chance to connect with Steve Dealph and have shared our conversation below. Steve, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview….

Being caught in a cycle of negative thinking can diminish not only one’s energy levels, but also the ability to make clear decisions. Thankfully, as the members of Forbes Coaches Council know, there are a number of helpful books available that can serve as practical guides to reframe a pessimistic outlook.

Hiring an internal bench of talented individuals doesn’t automatically translate into having a cohesive, high-performing team. In fact, strong personalities and individual goals can sometimes clash rather than complement each other.

Becoming a successful leader requires clarity, humility and guidance from other successful leaders. Thankfully, the wisdom of a trusted mentor can help a professional who aspires to lead uncover blind spots, develop critical skills and gain confidence in navigating complex challenges.

Pursuing certain unconventional career paths—entrepreneurship, law enforcement or military service, for example, among many others—can feel daunting. However, these professions can also deliver growth, impact and satisfaction that so-called “safer” options may not offer.

As an employee, “managing up” can help you work more effectively with your manager and other leaders in your organization. In practice, it might look like anticipating leadership’s needs, aligning communication styles and positioning yourself as a trusted partner.

Whether you’re aiming for a leadership role, planning a career pivot or simply want more clarity into which direction you want to grow, setting intentional goals is key to long-term success. However, you need more than ambition to execute the most effective career plan—it also requires structure, reflection and strategy.

As Gen-Z enters the workforce in greater numbers, their impact is already undeniable. From demanding purpose-driven work to prioritizing mental health and authenticity, this generation is challenging traditional workplace norms and redefining success on their own terms.

Leading a startup requires founders to make tough decisions, manage uncertainty and keep things moving—often with limited resources and high stakes. It’s no surprise that even the most capable entrepreneurs can question or doubt themselves from time to time.
Our Clients Say It Best

Steve Lamb
President at Mizuho OSI
“I had the pleasure of working with Steve at The Walt Disney Company. Steve was a trusted partner that not only helped create meaningful training and development opportunities for my teams, but really worked to help personalize development for each member. He is thoughtful, engaging and builds trust and rapport with people right away. I have had a variety of teams with very different personalities, and Steve was always able to meet them where they were at and deliver really successful training. I miss working with him on the development of my teams. He is amazing!”
Beth Ritchie
Senior Finance Executive
“I have witnessed Steve’s work in leadership development for over 15 years having attended several institutes he has led for undergraduate and graduate students. Steve has a broad and deep understanding of the elements of leadership and a knack for teaching in an accessible and inspiring way. Most recently, I hired Steve to lead a leadership retreat for my law students – a discerning and demanding audience. Steve did a fantastic job of putting the students at ease, challenging their predisposed ideas, and encouraging them to embrace the nuances of how leaders can maximize their influence. The session was very well received and an important success for our blossoming leadership program. Steve’s experience, knowledge, and caring approach is well-suited for any group and I recommend him highly.”
Jennifer Espinola
Student Affairs Professional
“Steve possesses a rare blend of academic knowledge, practitioner experience, and strategic foresight. He is a sought after thought-partner because of his uncanny ability to identify underlying issues and root causes. He has a reputation for generating creative, yet practical solutions to address client’s needs. I always learn something new by watching him, whether it’s facilitating, developing programs, or aligning talent management strategies.”“
Jose Torres
Talent Management Innovator
“Steve is a collaborative, organizational development leader that invests time in learning the business, its processes and the team. He is strong communication, with a calm demeanor and takes initiative to advance the teams skills set by being able to ‘see around the corner’ to ensure the team is prepared.“
Stephen Teglas
President, Hybrid Digital
“Steve is the most effective L&D professional I’ve ever worked with. I first met him in a 6 month Executive Development program that featured several different speakers and the best content by far came from Steve. He stays on top of the research in the field and understands how to translate theory into practical tools that work. Great communicator, partners well with everyone, and a champion for smart ideas!”
Sung Lee
Vice President Strategy
“Steve led the change management initiative at C&D Technologies/Trojan Battery Company in joining the two companies together. Steve has a unique skillset in figuring out the climate of an organization and creating actionable items for the management team to focus on. He was quick to jump in and learn the business and help devise end goals. Thoroughly impressed and would highly recommend! Looking forward to partnering with him again.”
Shelly Stratton
VP, HR - Global Operations at C&D Technologies/Trojan Battery Company
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Steve on three separate engagements. Ranging from workshops to improve inter-departmental communication, facilitation of the improvement of executive team dynamics, and most recently an intensive multi-day strategy development session, Steve has been instrumental in facilitating deep conversations. Always organized, Steve has a strong capability to interact with leaders at all levels and keep the discussions on track and oriented towards the defined goal. But it is really Steve’s ability to understand and deeply identify with his client companies that really impresses me. With Steve, you have someone who is sensitive to company needs and culture and works to bring about change consistent with company objectives. Leaders at Mizuho who spent time discussing objectives with Steve were able to contribute in a more meaningful way to strategic discussions as a result..I look forward to working with Steve in the future, and recommend his firm, but more specifically I recommend Steve for any change initiatives involving organizational dynamics, communication or development.”
Mark DeSilets
Senior Medical Devices R&D Executive
“I highly recommend Steve for your project and/or change management initiatives. Steve served as the Global Project Lead for the Astellas Global Engagement Survey. It was a heavy lift since we changed vendors and many of our approaches. In particular, he navigated the privacy and compliance requirements with persistence, dedication and precision. He managed the vendor relationship, was a great thought partner, and tirelessly kept our team on track. We are grateful for his leadership.”
La Toya Smith
Global Pharma Company
“Steve and I worked closely on a major employee engagement survey for a global organization. (We both were independent contractors with our own separate companies) Steve was technically the project manager but he went well beyond that role to become a full partner in all aspects of the development, implementation, analysis, and action-taking/organizational change aspects of the initiative. He was thoroughly adept in working with various aspects of a very decentralized organization from the technical HRIS folks to legal, ethics/compliance, HR, communication, US and international corporate executives, and the works councils of various European and Asian countries. His comfort and effectiveness at working across cultures and global time zones always impressed me. At every turn, Steve exceeded my and our client’s expectations. I give him my highest recommendation and sincerely hope that we can work together again in the future.
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Josh Schwarz
PhD, Schwarz Analytics
“I had the pleasure of partnering with Steve on a strategic communications/change effort for one of Emergent’s merger-integration clients. During our time working together he supported two CHROs as well as other cross-functional senior executives. My client appreciated Steve’s ability to listen “between the lines” and provide thoughtful insights and recommendations that furthered the company’s integration objectives. He has strong organizational development skills which came in handy with this particular client as well. Steve is a natural collaborator – very personable, easy-going, with a great sense of humor. I would welcome the opportunity to work with him on future client projects.”
Jesse Jacoby
Founder & Managing Partner, Emergent LLC
“Steve’s great strength is that he communicates with empathy, is always on your side, but doesn’t pull any punches. He highlights areas that need development but doesn’t do so with a critical lens, rather with compassion and as an advocate. He excels at identifying what might be blocking both personal and organizational growth and is relentless about making progress. He understands certain obstacles are harder to move than others and recognizes timelines are not fixed. He’s also excellent at vision work. I’ve often seen him collaborate on what a paradigm shift can do for people — including me. He’s a kind, highly intelligent, natural advocate and coach”
Paul Falzone,
Managing Partner, Manifest Investment Partners
“I had the opportunity to work with Steve over several months in 2019/2020. I worked with him both individually and as part of a group. I found he quickly built trust and an understanding of team dynamics. He struck a great balance of making suggestions and driving us to take actions, while maintaining his role as a facilitator and coach. He helped me build confidence, navigate conflict, and he was truly rooting for our team to come out stronger on the other side. I would recommend Steve to teams and individuals looking for self-reflection, improvement, and growth.”
Jane
Tech Start-up Executive










