Full Circle Consulting – SF Bay
Do key people in your enterprise need more skills for motivating others to succeed?
Do any of your teams have conflicts that interfere with productivity and performance?
Do any of your teams flounder instead of giving consistent high-performance?
These are problems Full Circle Consulting – SF Bay will collaborate with you to turn around quickly and effectively.
Who We Are
Pieter Kark is an experienced consultant and executive coach. He and Full Circle Consulting – SF Bay are differentiated from others in the field by this background:
Pieter has unique abilities to
Do key people in your enterprise need more skills for motivating others to succeed?
Do any of your teams have conflicts that interfere with productivity and performance?
Do any of your teams flounder instead of giving consistent high-performance?
These are problems Full Circle Consulting – SF Bay will collaborate with you to turn around quickly and effectively.
Who We Are
Pieter Kark is an experienced consultant and executive coach. He and Full Circle Consulting – SF Bay are differentiated from others in the field by this background:
- learned medicine at Oxford and Harvard,
- certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
- trained in a robust and well-validated technology of consciousness and transformational leadership (the Avatar ® Courses)
- which includes results similar to mindfulness and meditation. But more rapid - more profound - on broader aspects of life
- being a Trainer of Trainers (facilitator) in the AMA-RW Johnson Foundation (now NW University) EPEC Program;
- more than 30 years of
- creating consensus from organizational conflicts,
- aligning groups into high-performance teams,
- coaching key people to polish interpersonal skills
- to inspire their peers and reports to succeed.
Pieter has unique abilities to
- discern the underlying nature of problems,
- create constructive suggestions,
- facilitate exciting workshops,
- motivate alignment and success.
Coaching skills Identifying and improving time and savings processes
Saved medical center hundreds of thousands of dollars annually by reducing patient re-admission rates from 20 per month to almost none, by organizing 10-member team using modern treatments:
In starting an independent inpatient and outpatient neurological service at a regional medical center, I discovered that patients there with epilepsy were suffering from outmoded treatment and needing costly monthly readmissions. To change this, as part of my work in creating an effective clinical team of physicians, nurses, therapists and social workers, I introduced modern approaches: using brand-name anti-epilepsy drugs, using new drugs for specific epilepsies; measuring levels of drugs; adjusting doses so levels were in therapeutic ranges while avoiding side effects; using seizure calendars as guides, and following the patients regularly in the clinic. This gave patients better treatment and better quality of life, essentially decreased readmissions to none and saved the medical center several hundred-thousands of dollars annually.
In starting an independent inpatient and outpatient neurological service at a regional medical center, I discovered that patients there with epilepsy were suffering from outmoded treatment and needing costly monthly readmissions. To change this, as part of my work in creating an effective clinical team of physicians, nurses, therapists and social workers, I introduced modern approaches: using brand-name anti-epilepsy drugs, using new drugs for specific epilepsies; measuring levels of drugs; adjusting doses so levels were in therapeutic ranges while avoiding side effects; using seizure calendars as guides, and following the patients regularly in the clinic. This gave patients better treatment and better quality of life, essentially decreased readmissions to none and saved the medical center several hundred-thousands of dollars annually.
Advocated and negotiated resolutions through neutrality
Enabled improvements in State laws for the terminally ill by creating compromises for numerous divisive disputes on Bioethics Committee of the Medical Society of the State of New York:
In the mid 1990’s, medical ethics emphasized patient choice and autonomy especially in quality of life and nature of care in the last months of life. NY state laws were decades out of date and forbade removal of artificial hydration and nutrition even when the patient did not want them and even when the treatments were harmful. The bioethics committee of the state medical society had debated the issue hotly. The committee consisted of 30 physicians, from academia, private practice; researchers on medical ethics, lawyers, administrators, and religious leaders. A few key members, from very conservative groups, were adamant that the law could not be changed. A year later, the state legislature and the Governor were interested in revisiting the law but needed approval from this committee. In re-opening the debate, I got conservative members of the committee to admit that they often took subtle cues from individual patients and then ceased artificial support. The conservative members could not imagine such subtleties enshrined in law. The majority of the committee felt the law should be changed. I got unanimous consent from the committee to state this entire position to the government, testified about it before the legislature and the Governor’s staff; and the law was changed to allow patient or approved proxies to withhold unwanted or harmful care.
In the mid 1990’s, medical ethics emphasized patient choice and autonomy especially in quality of life and nature of care in the last months of life. NY state laws were decades out of date and forbade removal of artificial hydration and nutrition even when the patient did not want them and even when the treatments were harmful. The bioethics committee of the state medical society had debated the issue hotly. The committee consisted of 30 physicians, from academia, private practice; researchers on medical ethics, lawyers, administrators, and religious leaders. A few key members, from very conservative groups, were adamant that the law could not be changed. A year later, the state legislature and the Governor were interested in revisiting the law but needed approval from this committee. In re-opening the debate, I got conservative members of the committee to admit that they often took subtle cues from individual patients and then ceased artificial support. The conservative members could not imagine such subtleties enshrined in law. The majority of the committee felt the law should be changed. I got unanimous consent from the committee to state this entire position to the government, testified about it before the legislature and the Governor’s staff; and the law was changed to allow patient or approved proxies to withhold unwanted or harmful care.
Understanding final goal and coached individual groups focus on attainment
Improved NY driving regulations about health by resolving bitter conflicts on Medical Advisory Board to DMV so as to produce effective, timely reports:
NY state laws and driving regulations regarding eyesight were based on outmoded and ineffective techniques. The state legislature was considering forbidding patients with certain illness to drive because of over-publicized instances of car crashes. For example, diabetics, because of speculation recent crashes were due to low blood sugar from excess insulin. The Medical Advisory Board was deeply divided. This was largely because non-medical members (AAA representatives, lawyers, and people from the Department of Aging) thought standard caveats and denials in discussion sections of key research papers meant the authors were not convinced of the validity of their results, whereas the caveats and denials were in fact conventions required in scientific papers and standard signals foreshadowing new research grants. By listening at length to the individual opinions of both sides and exploring in great detail what individuals did and did not understand in each instance, I was able to get unanimity on all these issues and to write clear, definitive reports to the DMV that ensured new regulations compatible with current medical knowledge, regulations that permitted a large number of citizens to drive safely who would have otherwise been home-bound.
NY state laws and driving regulations regarding eyesight were based on outmoded and ineffective techniques. The state legislature was considering forbidding patients with certain illness to drive because of over-publicized instances of car crashes. For example, diabetics, because of speculation recent crashes were due to low blood sugar from excess insulin. The Medical Advisory Board was deeply divided. This was largely because non-medical members (AAA representatives, lawyers, and people from the Department of Aging) thought standard caveats and denials in discussion sections of key research papers meant the authors were not convinced of the validity of their results, whereas the caveats and denials were in fact conventions required in scientific papers and standard signals foreshadowing new research grants. By listening at length to the individual opinions of both sides and exploring in great detail what individuals did and did not understand in each instance, I was able to get unanimity on all these issues and to write clear, definitive reports to the DMV that ensured new regulations compatible with current medical knowledge, regulations that permitted a large number of citizens to drive safely who would have otherwise been home-bound.
Achieving merger goals through strategic planning pre-during and post event
Inspired key people to collaborate in merged Chapter of the American Red Cross by resolving conflicts between people from two former chapters during merger:
In 2008 two chapters of the Red Cross had to merge in a few months, chapters whose cultures were so different that numerous conflicts began to arise between their people. The smaller chapter had a tradition that activities and projects were carried out by volunteers (who were present or retired “C”-level executives, VPs, or successful entrepreneurs). The staff of that chapter found a need, asked the volunteers solve it, and provided office and logistical support. In the other chapter, most activities were carried out by the staff with volunteers (often from lower-level white or blue-collar work) doing step-by-step what the staff directed. The time for merger was too short for staff and volunteers to be comfortable with changes. The Executive Director of the merged chapter wanted to adopt best practices including practices from each chapter and rightly wanted to keep the talents of excellent staff and excellent volunteers. There were clashes between volunteers from the smaller chapter and what they saw as authoritarian demands from the staff of the larger one; in addition, many people had the usual aversion to change. I was able to resolve several key conflicts by listening at length to the two sides, clarifying underlying issues of the conflicts, and suggesting ways the opponents could work harmoniously. The conflicts were resolved; critical needs for the merger were met, and the cultures of the two chapters have morphed into one that reflects best practices, old and new.
In 2008 two chapters of the Red Cross had to merge in a few months, chapters whose cultures were so different that numerous conflicts began to arise between their people. The smaller chapter had a tradition that activities and projects were carried out by volunteers (who were present or retired “C”-level executives, VPs, or successful entrepreneurs). The staff of that chapter found a need, asked the volunteers solve it, and provided office and logistical support. In the other chapter, most activities were carried out by the staff with volunteers (often from lower-level white or blue-collar work) doing step-by-step what the staff directed. The time for merger was too short for staff and volunteers to be comfortable with changes. The Executive Director of the merged chapter wanted to adopt best practices including practices from each chapter and rightly wanted to keep the talents of excellent staff and excellent volunteers. There were clashes between volunteers from the smaller chapter and what they saw as authoritarian demands from the staff of the larger one; in addition, many people had the usual aversion to change. I was able to resolve several key conflicts by listening at length to the two sides, clarifying underlying issues of the conflicts, and suggesting ways the opponents could work harmoniously. The conflicts were resolved; critical needs for the merger were met, and the cultures of the two chapters have morphed into one that reflects best practices, old and new.
Organizational and leadership success planning
Motivated failing Toastmasters club to succeed by inspiring members to align purpose, mission, and activities; and coached a club that had failed with an earlier coach to achieve Select Distinguished status, the second highest club award:
These two matters are presented together because the methods I used were similar.
1) In 2008, I was Area Governor for a group of Toastmaster Clubs in Palo Alto, CA. One club was failing; had only two committed officers who took most roles in meetings and were burning out; and had new members not carrying their load. I attended several meetings and established rapport. With permission, I took half an hour at a meeting, to get input from everyone about what was important about a Toastmaster club and why, making no comments myself. The process inspired members to take on roles, to run and work hard at offices; and it inspired the exhausted officers to continue but to delegate. I gave special training for the officers, continued to attend club meetings, and when asked, made suggestions from which they could choose solutions. I arranged for key members of adjacent clubs to participate in meetings to set examples also arranged for joint meetings with two adjacent clubs. By the end of the year the club was succeeding and now, 18 months later, it is flourishing.
2) In late January, 2010, I was asked to coach a club that had failed and that then had failed to improve despite nine months’ work by another coach and Division officers. Clubs should have 20 members; this one had only four and needed at least 13 to continue. Again I established rapport, then asked what was important and why; set an example at meetings of how to carry out roles without saying I was doing so; and when asked, made suggestions from which the club could choose. By late June, 2010, the club had 15 members and was Select Distinguished, the second highest level of excellence.
These two matters are presented together because the methods I used were similar.
1) In 2008, I was Area Governor for a group of Toastmaster Clubs in Palo Alto, CA. One club was failing; had only two committed officers who took most roles in meetings and were burning out; and had new members not carrying their load. I attended several meetings and established rapport. With permission, I took half an hour at a meeting, to get input from everyone about what was important about a Toastmaster club and why, making no comments myself. The process inspired members to take on roles, to run and work hard at offices; and it inspired the exhausted officers to continue but to delegate. I gave special training for the officers, continued to attend club meetings, and when asked, made suggestions from which they could choose solutions. I arranged for key members of adjacent clubs to participate in meetings to set examples also arranged for joint meetings with two adjacent clubs. By the end of the year the club was succeeding and now, 18 months later, it is flourishing.
2) In late January, 2010, I was asked to coach a club that had failed and that then had failed to improve despite nine months’ work by another coach and Division officers. Clubs should have 20 members; this one had only four and needed at least 13 to continue. Again I established rapport, then asked what was important and why; set an example at meetings of how to carry out roles without saying I was doing so; and when asked, made suggestions from which the club could choose. By late June, 2010, the club had 15 members and was Select Distinguished, the second highest level of excellence.
Leveraging individual skill sets to achieve financial goals
Created Enterprise Resiliency Group by bringing 6 experts into a cohesive emergency and disaster planning team, finding an agency as a beta-test site; reported prioritized recommendations to the agency by leading team through successful test in minimal time; writing report; and made the agency resilient by aiding management and staff to implement recommendations.
Again, these sequential success used similar techniques. Solutions were needed for two problems. 1) A group of retired professionals and business people were seeking consulting opportunities. There were conflicts about roles, status, and what to attempt. 2) A non-profit agency on the San Francisco Peninsula did not seem prepared to withstand certain likely emergencies and disasters.
Six of the retired group had expertise in emergencies and disasters. Each had abilities and experience unique in the group. In June and July 2009 I brought the six together into a cohesive Enterprise Resiliency Group whose joint expertise could assess the ability of an enterprise to survive emergencies and disasters – to be resilient. I asked the non-profit agency to be a test site. As we explored the needs of the agency, largely by unstructured conversations and interviews with managers and key staff, it became clear that the expertise, knowledge and talents of the entire original group of retired people would be useful. The agency agreed.
There were conflicts in the whole group over what should be done, what to recommend, and how to report recommendations. I resolved the conflicts in part by respectful conversations with individuals and in part by getting input from the agency’s CEO. I wrote a 30-some page itemized, prioritized report, presented it to the CEO and managers in November, 2009 and then to the Board of Directors, argued for the approval of all recommendations, to which the Board agreed, and then convinced members of the enlarged Enterprise Resiliency Group to help me assist the agency to implement recommendations in prioritized order (February 2010 to present). For some recommendations, I overcame resistance from managers by using the technique of exploring importance as described for Toastmasters (above). As of December, 2010 all urgent issues have been solved, all recommendations have been addressed, progress is well underway on the few remaining recommendations, and the agency has proved its resiliency with these techniques in several emergencies.
Again, these sequential success used similar techniques. Solutions were needed for two problems. 1) A group of retired professionals and business people were seeking consulting opportunities. There were conflicts about roles, status, and what to attempt. 2) A non-profit agency on the San Francisco Peninsula did not seem prepared to withstand certain likely emergencies and disasters.
Six of the retired group had expertise in emergencies and disasters. Each had abilities and experience unique in the group. In June and July 2009 I brought the six together into a cohesive Enterprise Resiliency Group whose joint expertise could assess the ability of an enterprise to survive emergencies and disasters – to be resilient. I asked the non-profit agency to be a test site. As we explored the needs of the agency, largely by unstructured conversations and interviews with managers and key staff, it became clear that the expertise, knowledge and talents of the entire original group of retired people would be useful. The agency agreed.
There were conflicts in the whole group over what should be done, what to recommend, and how to report recommendations. I resolved the conflicts in part by respectful conversations with individuals and in part by getting input from the agency’s CEO. I wrote a 30-some page itemized, prioritized report, presented it to the CEO and managers in November, 2009 and then to the Board of Directors, argued for the approval of all recommendations, to which the Board agreed, and then convinced members of the enlarged Enterprise Resiliency Group to help me assist the agency to implement recommendations in prioritized order (February 2010 to present). For some recommendations, I overcame resistance from managers by using the technique of exploring importance as described for Toastmasters (above). As of December, 2010 all urgent issues have been solved, all recommendations have been addressed, progress is well underway on the few remaining recommendations, and the agency has proved its resiliency with these techniques in several emergencies.
