Mark Lord

Mark specializes in facilitating and designing experiential learning and change programs, including outdoor challenge and wilderness-based retreats. He customizes and facilitates business simulations, using a skillful blend of experiential and didactic modalities, for groups to gain insight into their current challenges and opportunities.

He also helps people gain the self-awareness they need to become more effective. A big part of that is giving them the time to stop and think. "Business today is focused on coping with rapid changes, increased competition and shifting markets. There is very little time for reflection. I create opportunities that give people the chance to slow down and reflect on what's working, what isn't, and how they might approach things differently."

Some of Mark's recent engagements include:

• Facilitating a joint vision and strategy session for two teams from a software company, engineering and marketing. Mark helped this disparate group develop a cohesive vision of the goals they wanted to attain in the six months after their company went public. They defined their desired future state: what they wanted their product and their company’s culture to look like, the kind of leadership they wanted, and how they wished to interact with their customers and the rest of their company. The group took away a dynamic strategic plan as well as a deep sense of confidence in their ability to work together productively.
 
• Designing and facilitating the kick-off event for a three-day Offsite for a geographically-dispersed bioscience company. Mark facilitated an experiential exercise that enabled members to honestly assess both their strengths in working together and the areas that still needed development. Team members gained a clear sense of their place in the larger organization and an understanding of how they could most effectively work with their new CIO.
 
• Coaching an executive in a high tech start-up company to increase her personal effectiveness. Mark used Productive Dialogue and the principles of Appreciative Inquiry to help this manager identify developmental areas and determine new leadership strategies. The manager reported:
• increased personal satisfaction and a better sense of how to leverage strengths
• substantial performance improvement in meetings and interactions, and tackling performance objectives with colleagues and others.
 
• Facilitating 5-day leadership retreats in the back country for seasoned leaders who have reached success in their chosen disciplines. Participants walk away from these retreats with a very different sense of themselves and of what they can do to make a difference in their world. Leaders often report that the leadership retreat was the single most powerful learning experience they've had in years.

Mark lives in Santa Cruz, California and has authored several guidebooks on mountain biking. He also enjoys snow sports and mountaineering, writing poetry and short stories, and spending time with his daughters.