ASSOCIATE EXECUTIVE COACHES

Steven P. Ober, Ed.D.
Dr. Steven Ober is a senior executive consultant with a wide range of experience in Leadership Development, Executive Coaching, Organizational Learning and Change, and Executive Team Learning. He has worked successfully with senior executives and managers in high tech, business and industry, finance, health care, government, and education. The focus of Steve’s work is helping individual executives, executive teams, and their organizations achieve outstanding results in complex systems, especially in periods of major change. Steve’s clients have included Microsoft Corporation, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Merck Pharmaceuticals, U.S. Steel, Visiting Nurse Services of New York, Monitor Group, Boston Consulting Group, and Inland Paperboard and Packaging. 

Steve has led large-scale organizational change projects and has conducted coaching and training sessions for executives in Leadership, Team Learning, Systems Thinking, Leadership Storytelling, and Program Management. Synthesizing models from family systems and systems dynamics, he has done pioneering work in Human Systems Consulting, and he recently created a powerful approach to executive coaching—Creating Your Leadership Story--that helps clients dramatically increase their effectiveness by examining and transforming their current situations, life long patterns, and deeper story.

Steve was a Vice-President and Partner at Arthur D. Little (ADL) and a key member of the ADL Strategy and Organization Practice (1996-2002); a Principal at Innovation Associates, the world leader in organizational learning (1990-1996); and a Management Education/Customer Executive Consultant at Digital Equipment Corp. (1983-1990).

Steve’s extensive coaching and consulting accomplishments include the following:

• Coaching high potential leaders, facilitating learning circles, and providing leadership training to managers and executives in a major high technology company. Results included successful kick offs of peer support networks across several businesses within the company. (Microsoft).
• Coaching a project team of Latin American leaders in a major high tech company regarding solving major systemic business problems in their organization and provider networks. Results included a comprehensive solution set delivered to Sr. Management of the Latin American Division. (Microsoft Latin America).
• Leading a successful multi year organizational transformation project for a federal R&D Agency. Created a positive client relationship and a collaborative multi-provider project team. Outcomes included new strategic alliances, business-like management of R&D projects, a strategically focused research portfolio, and client ability to resolve tough, previously un-discussable issues. (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).
• Leading Product Development and Coaching in Innovation Associates highly successful Team Learning Practice.
• Coaching CEO and Executive Team of a major paper company through a multi-year company turnaround. Outcomes included an empowered executive team, company vision and strategy, alignment among major business divisions, and a new business model. (Inland Paperboard and Packaging).
• Coaching CEO of an international consulting firm through a difficult period of re-organization. Client described coaching relationship as truthful, focused, very helpful in managing tough political issues, and effective in helping start new initiatives (Arthur D. Little).
• Coaching President and Executive Team of an international manufacturer of processing equipment regarding managing change, strategy, and high performance teaming. Results included the first truly aligned executive team in the company’s history (APV).
• Coaching and training large numbers of senior and mid-level international consultants in change management and human systems consulting. Results included an increase in the consultants’ capabilities to deliver systemic change consulting (Arthur D. Little, Innovation Associates, and Digital Equipment Corp).
• Coaching Senior Project Managers of multi-million dollar construction projects regarding leadership and coaching. Results included increased leadership capacity in project managers (Wm A. Berry & Son).

Steve has authored numerous articles, book chapters, and professional guidebooks, including Human Systems Consulting (Arthur D. Little, 2000) Encouraging Enrollment: Personal Stories as a Vehicle for Change, (Prism, 2000), Lies about the Learning Organization (American Society for Training and Development, 2006) and Interaction Archetypes, Keys to Group Difficulty and Productivity (Jossey Bass/Wiley, 2010).

Steve earned his Doctorate in Education (Focusing on Organizational Studies) from Boston University, his Master of Theological Studies from Harvard University, and his Master and Bachelor of Arts from Baylor University. He is a consultant member accepted by the council of Trustees of the Society for Organizational Learning and a member of the American Psychological Association, the Organization Development Learning Group, and the Boston Facilitators Roundtable.

Steve is known for his collaborative approach; his frankness, openness, and honesty; and his ability to unravel very difficult individual, team and organizational situations.