I have worked with Christine Silver for more than 2 ½ years and the time I have spent with her has been invaluable.  I have had monthly one-on-one sessions throughout that time, and have also attended an 8 month Management Development Program with Christine at the helm.

I had no previous management experience prior to working with Christine, having just been promoted within my department, and was sort of lost in the woods.  I knew how to do my job as I had already been here for more than 5 years, but I hadn’t the first clue about managing people, nor about managing the new varied workload I was taking on.  Concepts such as interviewing to hire smart, giving negative and positive feedback to my employees, writing SMART goals, and resolving conflicts in my group were all completely foreign to me.  I also had a very hard time letting go of many customer service duties and stepping fully into my management role.

One of the first things I learned was that “coaches are doers, but doers are not coaches”.  I’ve learned to delegate and give my customer service reps the tools and training they need to trust that they are fully capable of taking things off my plate.  Christine has given me so many tools and has really coached me on how to be a good coach!

With Christine’s help, I wrote my first SMART goals which were said by many to be the best first draft of SMART goals they had ever seen.  Some said that they were even better than the goals put out by managers who had been doing them for years!

Handling personnel issues used to be a daunting responsibility, but using the structured feedback tool takes the horror out of the situation.  I can now approach an uncomfortable conversation with confidence and little fear of emotion when using a method that focuses specifically on facts and observations and removes any mixed messages, and opens up a means of communication and problem solving.

I’ve learned the true power of brainstorming in problem solving to inspire my team to come up with their own solutions rather than dictating how things should be done.  People are much more willing to get a job done when they have decided how to do it.  I have put it into practice and got 100% buy in from my team to get done an impossible task in less time that the deadline they were given…because it was their idea!  How genius is that?

I have the tools I need to continue to grow as a manager and be a better asset to my team and our company.  Christine has given me the confidence I needed to lead with assertiveness and gain the respect of my new level of peers.  She has truly been an amazing mentor and I am an honest to goodness success story of the benefits of her guidance.

Kelly Copeland, Applied Thinfilm, Fremont CA.

‘As a new manager, the performance coaching development program has been a very positive experience. I now have a much stronger set of tools that have already benefited me. I have navigated some difficult performance situations with great success and clearer communication. Christine’s thoughtful guidance has been a huge plus for me as a manager.’

Craig Bouchard, Manager The Nature Conservancy.

‘I very much appreciate your candor, encouragement, and practical teaching style. You are able to create such a comfortable atmosphere for learning and sharing. And you just gotta love an instructor who’s not too stuffy to giggle and snort! ‘

C. Ong, Regional Operations Manager The Nature Conservancy.

‘If a person needs to hire or manage somebody they should absolutely take this class. I guarantee that you and your company will be rewarded.’

M.Okagaki, Manager Quality Control, Depomed,Inc.

‘I have had the pleasure of attending a number of Christine’s training classes. She brings a vitality to her presentations that keeps them lively and interesting. I was never tempted to ‘nod off’ as I have been in most other training classes. Highly effective transfer of information and a cut-to-the-chase, no-bull style that was really refreshing.’

Duane Strong, Strong Engineering LLC

‘How effortlessly you control a crowd – and no crowd too large! We estimated 160 people in attendance at the peak of the evening. Thank you for your key role in making this event a success. What a spell you cast on the crowd! They were on track and from our perspective, easy, responsive, and engaged.’

Partners in the CEMEX Redwoods Community Forum and Land Trust of Santa Cruz County