“I have worked with Paul for over 10 years across three different organizations. While his work with the City is often focused around strategy and/or team development it really is about bringing clarity to a situation and finding the best solutions to the right issues. Paul brings a holistic approach to whatever we ask him to do and I am always confident that he will determine what the key issues really are, spell out the gaps that need to be addressed, and point out the right levers to pull.
What I find particularly valuable is the coaching approach that Paul brings to his work. His ability to build trust with individuals and groups enables him to get to the root of the issues – which often involves the leadership and relationships that underly the processes and structures. Paul excels at creating the space and facilitating the conversations so that leaders and teams can have the sometimes difficult discussions that need to happen. He puts the hard questions on the table in a way that enables us to accept them and address them.
The solutions Paul helps us build are always concrete and practical – they can be actioned and monitored and we are clear where the accountability lies for follow up. For example, he helped us create a strategic plan with an implementation process that is streamlined and achievable. We have been following this process and keeping on track for a number of years and other areas in the City have been modelling their plans after ours.”
Paul Mochrie, Deputy City Manager, City of Vancouver
“When we started working with Paul on our strategic plan we were not satisfied with our past results and many of our Members were skeptical about its value. Paul provided us with his expert opinion based on having worked with a number of our stakeholders in the transportation industry and led us through a process that engaged the Members and resulted in a workable strategic and business plan that they support. The vision that we developed has set the bar high for us and as a direct result of this process we are more focused on the large, strategic issues that are critical to our long term success.”
Paul Devries, General Manager, BC Coast Pilots
“I worked in government for 35 years and our work with Paul was one of the few times I have seen a strategic planning process work from beginning to end. It worked because the senior leader was committed, and Paul led a process where people were engaged, the results were measurable, and things got done.
Paul has the ability to draw people into the discussion in a professional way and won’t allow them to not play. And once people got engaged, most of them stayed engaged.
People came to the planning sessions because Paul was leading them and they kept coming because they believed in what they were creating and could see that their leader did too.”
Senior Executive, Retired, BC Government
“Paul has supported me for over 10 years in my leadership roles in the Fraser Health Authority, the Ministry of Health and the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia. He has the breadth of knowledge and experience that enables him to plan and facilitate any type of process that we need and his thoughtful approach engages people and builds trust. In the last 4 years at the College he has led strategic planning and governance work with our Board of Directors; operational planning and leadership development with senior staff; and team development, culture change and engagement sessions with all levels of staff.
Bruce Kilpatrick, Executive Director - Communications + Marketing, University of Victoria
“Paul has supported me for over 10 years in my leadership roles in the Fraser Health Authority, the Ministry of Health and the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia. He has the breadth of knowledge and experience that enables him to plan and facilitate any type of process that we need and his thoughtful approach engages people and builds trust. In the last 4 years at the College he has led strategic planning and governance work with our Board of Directors; operational planning and leadership development with senior staff; and team development, culture change and engagement sessions with all levels of staff.
What I appreciate most about Paul is his ability to go with the flow. He is always well prepared but doesn’t stick rigidly to a plan and can adapt to any situation, without getting flustered; working with the group to find the direction that works best for them while ensuring that we still achieve the desired outcome.”
Bob Nakagawa, Registrar, College of Pharmacists of British Columbia
“There is no doubt that Paul is a very skilled facilitator, but what sets him apart is his uncanny knack to summarize and synthesize a complex conversation into a succinct and clearly articulated statement that captures the views and perspectives of the diversity of the group… Almost before we knew it, Paul had written our collective thoughts down on paper. We were awed….and of course delighted at how clever we had been. While we had the concepts, Paul got us to the point.”
Marion McAdam, President, 4th Wall Consulting
“Paul has worked with me on projects ranging in size and complexity from departmental retreats to care delivery model redesign. He is adept at creating and facilitating processes which get people to participate in candid and productive discussions. Paul has the courage to ask the group, and their leader, the challenging questions that often go unasked. This provokes the debate that brings us to clarity on the issues that need to be addressed and commitment to the decisions that are made.”
Lynn Stevenson, Associate Deputy Minister, BC Ministry of Health