Elisabeth Swan

The Conscious Leader

Become a leader people want to follow.

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Do you ever struggle with the soft stuff? We might have total mastery over the hard stuff—we may not plan on resistance, but it’s still there.

How do we know? Mistakes. Not just our mistakes—the mistakes of others. Having discussed mindset with human resources professionals, traded innovation techniques with engineers, gathered tips on communication from customer service experts, and received productivity techniques from marketers—it’s obvious that most of us learn the hard way.

Having worked in the continuous improvement industry for 30+ years, it’s clear we all face intangible challenges regardless of our titles and day jobs. And we often learn best by hearing how others stumbled. Are you looking for a roadmap of what works—and, what doesn’t?

You can be a better leader at work, home, and in your social circles by following The Conscious Leader Model. It’s all about exploration and experimentation.

Problem solving is something every human being—and every leader—engages in every day.

The true challenge, however, exists in the humanity underlying the efforts.

No one is simply a practitioner. Each of us is a flawed human being trying to be our best selves and make good choices. We may follow the right steps and still see our efforts fall short.

That’s where the intangibles of leadership make the difference.

Play

Elisabeth has appeared on a number of Lean and Leadership podcasts. She recently joined Mark Graban on his “LeanBlog” podcast to to discuss her new book. She also spoke with Patrick Adams on his “Lean Solutions” podcast, and she appeared on the “Lean Leadership” podcast with Chris Burnham to discuss what makes continuous improvement work.

Speaking

Need a keynote that inspires with insights people can use? A background in improv, storytelling, and dose of humor make problem-solving solutions come to life.

Consulting

Need a transformational strategy that builds momentum and acceptance into the roadmap? Keeping people at the heart of problem solving is your key.

Workshops

Onsite or online—the best teaching requires less lecture, more engagement, and immediate practice. Meeting people where they are equals success.

“Elisabeth Swan designed an experiential workshop for Amazon’s Customer Service Leadership with the goal of driving essential habits of change management and process improvement in new leaders. The workshop has had excellent feedback as we continue the roll-out worldwide - new leaders appreciate the hands-on approach and exposure to accessible, on-the-job tools and techniques. I’ve brought Elisabeth in many times and I keep her on speed dial because she consistently exceeds my expectations!”

"I've worked with Elisabeth Swan since the late 1990s. I have immense respect for her deep knowledge of Six Sigma, project leadership and training design and delivery. Her ability to transform complex concepts into concrete, usable information is a gift."

"The class was by far the best remotely delivered training I ever attended. Elisabeth's style was very conducive to keeping everyone engaged throughout. When you work with Elisabeth Swan, you can expect nothing less than the best return on your investment! Her knowledge of Six Sigma and wealth of experience is phenomenal."

“Working with Elisabeth Swan directly on the development of our Innovation Team’s strategic Plan was a game changer for our innovation efforts. Elisabeth helped us envision the program we wanted to build and to align the work of our team towards a cohesive strategy that is already producing results and propelling us forward. I highly recommend working with Elisabeth on your next strategic plan or to help serve as a vital thought partner to any change or process improvement effort!”

Take the Assessment

Want to find out where you fall on the intangible leadership spectrum? Take his quick assessment, derived from the micro-lessons in Picture Yourself a Leader, and check your progress. The higher the score, the stronger your influence, and the more likely it is that people want to follow you. Take the quiz and you’ll get your results along with tips based on your score.

Purchase the Book

Picture Yourself a Leader: Illustrated Micro-Lessons for Navigating Change is full of digestible, humorous, nuggets of insight. The stories and accompanying illustrations, address the people-centric challenges facing all of us regardless of title. The book surfaces recurrent hurdles, sparks inspiration, and provides simple, approachable pathways to success.