Leadership Speaker, Change Management

These are our most requested presentations, workshops, and webinars. And they all are part of our Driving Intentional Change philosophy. With good goal-setting, research, analysis, processes, and communication, you can affect positive change management in the workplace, build community and trust, and create the kind of workplace where everyone thrives.

 Does it feel like you and your team have a completely different understanding of what you are trying to accomplish? Are they duplicating effort? Going in different directions? Taking action that seems counterproductive to your needs? Do you wish you could pay more attention to your goals with the limited resources you have? Target Your Goals. Learn how to frame your goals to keep the team on the same path. Clarify how the team can maximize their efforts and make progress. Get the most out of your time and resources with indicators of success - so you know you're making progress as you're working. When you Target Your Goals, you're doing more than saying the same thing - you're making every action have the desired impact. For leaders, managers, team leads, HR professionals - anyone tasked with implementing a strategic goal, operational change, or new program/initiative. 

Takeaways:

1. 10 questions to define goals in tangible terms.

2. Vocabulary to consistently communicate about the goals, so team members focus their activities appropriately and effectively. 

3. Performance indicators and measurements of success tailored to the goals to benchmark progress at any stage.

(30- to 45-minute, webinar, virtual presentation, or online class)

Through a marketing and business development audit, Coffman Engineers, Inc. found a path to bring marketing representation to the C-Suite. Katherine Robinette and Skip Bourgeois, VP of Marketing at Coffman Engineers, Inc., co-present this story of intentional inquiry that led to a wondrous big, hairy, audacious goal (BHAG). For mid-level leaders and managers who want to learn a way to introduce a big change to their organization.

Takeaways:

1. Four questions to ask to get a more objective picture of your current program/department.

2. Three steps to make space for big-picture thinking. 

3. Two ways to elevate your department and influence change. 

(90-minute, in-person presentation)

Leaders at all levels are facing the same challenge: too much to do, not enough time, and a deep desire to lead better. They're committed to building a team that’s focused, capable, and energized and they want to lead them with intention and clarity.

They want to:

• Get the important schtuff done
• Motivate and engage the team
• Delegate in a way that energizes and empowers the team
• Juggle multiple priorities without losing focus on what matters most
• Reclaim time for strategic, growth-focused work
• Lead by example, with consistency, calm, and direction

This session is for thoughtful, people-first leaders who care deeply about their team — and want a practical way to lead with purpose, not pressure. This talk isn't theory. It's the same practical approach I've used for myself and others for more than a decade, tailored for people who care about doing good work and supporting their teams along the way.

Takeaways:

 ✔ A simple way to set daily priorities — even in the chaos
✔ Tools to protect time for focused work without guilt
✔ A framework for resetting expectations around meetings, messages, and interruptions
✔ A strengths-based approach to delegation your team will actually respond to
✔ Tactics to create clarity and momentum — starting this week 

(1-hour, keynote or workshop; in-person or virtual)

So, you've taken a personal assessment and learned some really cool things about yourself. Now, how do you apply that to improve relationships, set and maintain boundaries, and communicate better up, down, and across the company? This workshop leads new staff and mid-level leaders and managers through exercises and self discovery to develop implementable action items that are tailored to their core strengths so they can thrive in the workplace. 

Takeaways:

1. How to use your assessment to communicate your needs, preferences, and boundaries effectively.

2. How to increase your success by advocating for more of what you do well and enjoy. 

(3.5-hour, in-person workshop)

Everyone has their own filters - their own way of seeing, hearing, and interacting with the world. Figuring out one boss is difficult enough, but what if you work with multiple people in a supervisor/employee dynamic? This workshop engages new staff and mid-level leaders and managers in exercises for finding common ground, getting clarity, and communicating effectively with diverse personalities.  

Takeaways:

1. Identify your own communication style and preferences.

2. Assess someone else's communication style and preferences.

3. Find common ground and bridge communication gaps.

(2.5-hour, in-person workshop)

This presentation highlights what employees really need and crave when working remotely and how managers and the team can build better community, increase productivity, and achieve greater success. 

Takeaways:

1. Identify what motivates us at work, and why remote work makes it hard to connect.

2. Learn how to determine what the team is really thinking and feeling.

3. Three ways to enhance the work experience for greater engagement and productivity.

(60-minute presentation, in-person or webinar)

Starting a new job? Meeting a new client? Reconnecting with an old connection? The coffee chat is an informal process to develop new business relationships, or rekindle a relationship that has gone cold. Learn the secrets from an experienced leadership speaker on how the brain forms positive connections to others and the techniques for making a meaningful first - and lasting - impression. 

Takeaways:

1. Ten questions to learn the most about people in a short period of time.

2. Three repeatable behaviors to solidify connections.

3. Breaking bad listening habits. 

(60- to 90-minute presentation, in-person or webinar)

You are sitting on a secret formula for boosting your company's employee retention: Marketing! Uncover the little steps that have big impact on nurturing a positive company culture, invigorating hybrid workplaces, and increasing employee engagement. Build an applicable, actionable plan to ratchet up your employee retention. Geared towards mid-level leaders and managers, these insights are excellent for anyone with responsibilities for employee engagement, change management, and company culture.

Takeaways:

1. Identifying your retention gaps.

2. Applying marketing approaches to engagement strategies.

3. Three things you can do today to make your retention efforts more effective.

(2-hour, in-person workshop)

Specifically for high school, college, and young professional audiences.

Confidence doesn’t show up first, courage does.

In a world that pressures young adults to have it all figured out, be picture-perfect, and never make a mistake, this keynote offers a powerful alternative: show up as you are, take action anyway, and lead from a place of authenticity.

With humor, honesty, and straight talk, Katherine dismantles the myth of perfection and gives a refreshing new framework for that empowers brave choices. Audiences will learn that showing up messy, uncertain, or scared isn’t a failure, it’s how strong leaders are made. Drawing from her years in theater, Katherine highlights the parallels between acting and showing up courageously.

This talk is especially effective for student leaders, youth conferences, schools, and young professionals focused on resilience, leadership, and mental well-being.

Takeaways:

1. Giving yourself permission to start before you're "ready"

2. Applying courage as the first step to confidence

3. Making brave choices aligned with your values

4. Strategies to ask for help

5. Making mistakes IS the job

(60-minute keynote; in-person or virtual)

Often, we face change not of our choice, prompting us to armor up for battle. Katherine Robinette helps individuals and teams reframe change as an opportunity for growth, connection, and innovation. With more than 20 years of experience in administration, employee engagement, marketing, and business development, Katherine specializes in building systems that help organizations thrive. Carmen and Katherine talk about building trust, clarity, and lasting success during change. Meaningful change isn’t about armor, it’s about bringing everyone to the table.

Leading Intentionally with Carmen Paredes

 Are you ready to challenge conventional leadership wisdom and empower your team like never before? In this video, we explore the groundbreaking principles from First, Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman. Learn how the best managers unlock individual potential and transform workplace culture.  Joining me is Katherine Robinette, a speaker, consultant, and change catalyst with over 20 years of experience in marketing, business development, and employee engagement. Together, we discuss actionable strategies for building stronger, more innovative teams by breaking the old rules of management.  What You'll Learn in This Video:

✅ How to hire for talent over experience

✅ Why focusing on strengths leads to greater success 

✅ The power of defining outcomes and empowering team autonomy

✅ Practical tips for boosting employee engagement with Gallup’s Q12 

First, Break All the Rules: The Coaching Network

In this live coaching session, LauraAura helps Katherine, a strategist and speaker, navigate the delicateness of balancing intuition, strategy and intellect. Katherine shares her struggles with relying too heavily on logical, strategic thinking while feeling disconnected from her natural empathetic and intuitive abilities. Together, they uncover ways to integrate both approaches to create a powerful and aligned way of working and living. 

Episode 219: Balancing Intuition and Strategy

In this episode, Katherine Robinette joins host Keelin Cox to discuss the challenges of initiating change within organizations, emphasizing the importance of clearly defining goals before embarking on any project. They talk about the process to follow for change management and common scenarios where individuals may feel hesitant to start due to uncertainty or anticipated resistance. They discuss the importance of clear communication throughout the process to mitigate resistance and foster engagement. If you want to know how to really get SCHTUFF done right, listen to uncover strategies for building trust and bringing everyone along in the journey of change. 

Episode 112 AEC Marketeer

Coffman Engineers is known for having some of the most talented, long-standing, happy marketers in A|E|C. And Chad Heimbigner, COO, and Board Director, is part of the reason why. From his heartfelt servant leadership to collaborative partnerships to lifelong learning, Chad embodies the best traits of a strong technical leader who stands by the team. All leadership speakers, Deirdre Booth of TankGirl Marketing, Katherine (Kate) Robinette (formerly of GO Strategies), and Chad talk about what makes a leader advocate and how to build an intentional, positive marketing-BD-leadership culture. 

Episode 271 The PSM Show

Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give to your younger self? Deirdre Booth and Katherine (Kate) Robinette swap professional and personal advice in this fireside chat.

Episode 270 The PSM Show

Two theater kids walk into an AEC firm… Kathryn Ness visits Kayla McCause from Dragonfly AEC and Katherine (Kate) Robinette, formerly of GO Strategies, about how they apply their performing arts training and experiences to their work in marketing and business development. These three get serious about play and the transferable skills of unusual backgrounds. Enter, stage right.

Episode 269 The PSM Show

Why is being a manager almost as scary as speaking in public? And why are we struggling to do this well? We’ve seen the research – people don’t leave their jobs, they leave their managers. But what if managing others was a team effort? What if it worked like a theater production and you are part of an ensemble cast? Join Mary Abbajay, leadership speaker and author of “Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss” as she and guest host, Katherine (Kate) Robinette, talk about where to start, the roles we play, and how to make work relationships work.

Episode 237 The PSM Show

Like most of us, Katherine (Kate) Robinette came to A|E|C through a circuitous route. But hers was an intentional path, made by consciously placing stones to learn her strengths, educate herself, fill holes, and gain advocates. Deirdre and Katherine talk about being different, bringing strengths to a conscious level, and dragons in this humorous and deep dive conversation.

Katherine's top 5 tips to grow your career:

1. Know your strengths and get use to talking about what you do best and how you bring value.
2. Look for things you want to do and find ways to make that happen.
3. Ask lots of questions and ask for help.
4. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. (Change happens outside your comfort zone.)
5. Do informational interviews.

Episode 225 The PSM Show

Staff are often separated by miles and time zones. Yet, they’re required to work with the same efficiency as team members in the same office.

How can you forge productive long-distance relationships? How do you help your team grow and develop? During this webinar, learn how to foster collaboration, productivity, fun, personal development, and a healthy culture across multiple offices and different levels of influence.

SMPS On-Demand Webinar

As firms struggle to recruit and retain engaged employees in an increasingly competitive environment, you can stand out.

Explore the connection between marketing and culture and come away with ideas for improved resiliency. Learn specific ways your marketing team can optimize the investments in change management, employee engagement, and culture initiatives while being mindful of the marketing workload.

ACEC On-Demand Webinar

Most of us are in a hybrid workplace with a portion of employees working in the office and a portion working remotely, and the research says this model is here to stay for a long time. The hybrid workplace is already creating canyons in our organization’s culture, and the divide feels like it’s getting wider. How can we support our teams when they are physically split? How can we keep both sections of the hybrid model engaged and committed? Whether you are executive, mid-level leaders and managers, or staff, you can build the bridges that connect your organization. 

SDA Webinar