Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Dealph.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Steve. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Professionally, I’m Leadership Coach and Organizational consultant. I work with leaders and their organizations to help them be their best; whatever the circumstances…large company or start-up; technology, healthcare, entertainment or manufacturing; huge change initiatives or simply trying to improve the quality of the way they work.
My background is just as varied and I believe it has been helpful in bringing a unique perspective to the services I provide and how I relate to my clients and the community I am part of.
As a child, I lived up and down the east coast before settling in the midwest as a teenager. I went to high school and college in Indiana, where I earned a degree in Business and Marketing.
I went to graduate school in Ohio and earned my M.A. in Adult Learning Theory and Higher Education Administration. I spent the next 17 years advising students in higher education at universities such as Northwestern University in Illinois and Miami University in Ohio.
In 2006, I made the leap from Higher Education to the corporate world. I literally left my job and became a barista at a Starbucks to help sustain me during my transition (great coffee and great benefits for part-time employees!) and, along the way, stumbled into some work supporting process improvement training in the auto industry.
The part-time facilitation and barista work afforded me the opportunity to look for opportunities in corporate organization development work on the west coast. And, in 2007, I began working at Warner Bros. Entertainment, right here in Burbank. At first, I was part of implementing an ERP system in the company’s Home Entertainment division but eventually moved into a role on their enterprise-wide organization development team where I worked with several parts of the company.
I later went to Disney Consumer Products where I led and facilitated several leadership initiatives. Working in the consumer product division gave me the opportunity to work with truly creative and talented people in product development, retail, publishing and interactive games. I also had the opportunity to work with and coach leaders at all levels of the organization.
I should point out that during much of this time, I also had the opportunity to work with best-selling leadership author Steve Farber. I was able to collaborate with him on developing a leadership workshop based on his book, “The Radical Leap,” and became a master facilitator for the workshop.
All of these experiences have led me to my current role as an independent consultant and coach. Although anchored in Burbank, I work with clients all over California and the US.
I am passionate about helping others, both in their work and in their communities, and my current work allows me the opportunity to do both. So, in addition to working with great people and great organizations, I also get to be involved in my local community through activities such as volunteering at our animal shelter and the Special Olympics World Games when they came to LA a few years ago!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course, there have been challenges. It’s hard for me to say “struggle” because I see people all the time who have had it harder than I have.
I lost both my parents by the time I was 16. While this was hard, I was also blessed to have a family that I lived with under their guardianship. They continue to be my family and, along the way, I learned to develop responsibility, resilience and self-reliance, but also the responsibility I have as part of a community to be part of making it better.
I put myself through both college and graduate school and worked to be able to do so.
It didn’t always feel “smooth” but, in hindsight I have grown from every challenge, and I take that approach into the way I do my work with others.
Two of my favorites mantras are “Appreciate the Struggles” and “Mistakes are Precious.” We learn and grow from the bumps in the road and they help us value what we have because we’ve had to work for it.
Dealph Consulting Partners – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My specialty areas are in leadership and organization development. So people come to me when they are looking for individual coaching–to help them develop leadership skills when taking on a new role or leading a team or organization. And they come to me when their organization needs to be more effective, so I might develop and facilitate skills workshops for their employees, or help them develop their strategy for the future, or improve their current systems or processes.
Although I am an “independent” consultant and the sole proprietor of my company, it was important to me when I named it Dealph Consulting Partners to include the word “Partners.”
The word “partner” means a number of things to me. It’s both the way I approach working with a client…we are in this together for our mutual benefit.
But, I also saw taking on my current role as an opportunity to work again with colleagues. I really enjoyed working with in the past. So, although I am my own company if the opportunity to work with a colleague arises–especially if it brings added value to a client–I welcome that.
And I love when a client tells me that they really felt like I personalized the work I did for them and made it about them; because that’s what I do. The work I do needs to meet them where they are so we can move on to being their best.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
By far, the thing that I am most proud of are my repeat clients or referrals to others through clients. That’s the greatest compliment I can receive. It means they got value out of our partnership and enjoyed working with me.
My friends and colleagues tell me that I’m a good networker. But, for me, networking is all about real, authentic relationships and partnerships. So, sometimes, it’s not even about the work I did for a client, but connecting them to someone else who I know was the best to help them. I love connecting people and resources to each other so everyone comes out at a better place!
And, talk about a full-circle experience! I’ve been honored to have some of the students I advised over 20 years ago reach out to me now that they are leading companies and want to work with me again. That’s been the greatest compliment of all and it brings all my years of experience together!
Contact Info:
- Website: DealphConsulting.com
- Phone: 513/889-9568
- Email: [email protected]
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dealph-consulting-partners
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