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About Us
Leader's Edge CA, founded in July 2003, is a
privately owned consultancy located in San Jose, CA — the
Capital of Silicon Valley. We serve the technical community by
providing information products, services, and the
Technical Leadership Online Resource Center™ (TechLORC™)»
that help technical
professionals become effective leaders within their organizations.
Our services include:
- Leadership and career coaching
- Conflict mediation
- Meeting and team facilitation
- Education in communication, coordination, and people skills
- Custom course development (online and classroom)
- Corporate and public speaking on leadership and communication
Our website,
www.leadersedgeca.com»,
hosts the Technical Leadership Online Resource
Center™ (TechLORC™), a valuable resource that
techies can consult 24/7 while
exploring and broadening the scope of their skills in leadership, project
management, and communication.
Our Mission
Leader's Edge CA is dedicated to helping technical
professionals advance their careers and become effective leaders
within their organizations. We accomplish this by providing a firm foundation
of guidance and support through practical and professional coaching,
facilitation, and experience-based education.
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Who We Serve
Although we work with individuals from varied backgrounds
and industries, we have chosen to focus most of our attention on technical
professionals in the engineering and scientific communities. Unlike firms whose
expertise is rooted solely in Training and Development or Human Resources,
Leader's Edge CA
was founded by an engineer with over 25 years experience in engineering
management, coaching, mentoring, and leadership facilitation. Our founder,
Yvonne T. Ryan, understands
the challenges faced by techies and their leaders because she has
experienced them firsthand. It is this "insider's perspective"
that has shaped our company's approach and services.
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Yvonne's Vision
Without key coordination and people skills,
technical professionals are often handicapped, frustrated, and less
effective than they could be.
I have always wanted to promote a better caliber
of leadership among those technical professionals ("techies")
who, through their creativity and innovation, are the backbone
of our technological advancement as a society. I believe that techies
can do more than simply survive in the often foreign territory
outside their labs and cubicles — they can prosper.
Contrary to popular belief, techies
can learn to lead and manage others effectively
when given the opportunity, the education, and proper support.
In general, I prefer to work with
team leaders, and first- and second-level managers (a.k.a.
"middle management") who have had little or no access to the
type of coaching and support that is commonplace at executive levels.
My approach facilitates the learning of leadership concepts through practical
on-the-job application accompanied by on-going individual and group coaching.
My goal, in supporting this approach, is not to supplant or replace the role of upper
management in supporting their techie leaders and managers. My goal is to
augment management's efforts through
unbiased, experienced, and timely support unfettered by company, project, or
client demands, and/or by corporate politics.
I expect Leader's Edge CA
to be a resource for managers and corporations to call upon
- when first promoting a techie into a leadership role,
- when transitioning a techie manager from one type of leadership role into another,
and/or
- when aiding an existing techie leader to expand or elevate his or her leadership
skillset.
I also expect
Leader's Edge CA
to be a resource for individual techies who see leadership as the next logical
avenue for expanding the scope of their careers.
Leader's Edge CA offers
a necessary service. Most techies do not receive any education in
leadership»
while pursuing their technical degrees. Math and science are just not enough.
To be a better than average leader of technical people, you also need excellent
communication»,
coordination», and
people skills».
After all, a true techie is rarely satisfied with being simply "average"
at anything. Wouldn't you rather be among
the elite?
Most of us weren't born with all of these skills, but
luckily they can be learned
(if you're willing to make the effort). Through the resources and services
provided by
Leader's Edge CA,
I will continue to
explore and demonstrate to you how the very technology and innovation being created
by techies (maybe even you and your team) can be used to facilitate the
learning and application of these incredibly valuable skills in a timely manner —
that won't break your bank!
So, in short, I intend to make
Leader's Edge CA
the resource that you, and other techies like you, will want to
consult for practical, no-nonsense education, guidance, and support while
striving to take your leadership to the next level.
Whether you are already a leader, a person embarking on a career
transition, or simply someone who wants to make greater strides
in your career, take a look at what I and
Leader's Edge CA have to offer.
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