Greater Washington, D.C. Area
Co-Founder and Chairman
Ed is passionate about helping CEOs, executives and leadership teams shift their mindsets, perspectives, and practices to do what’s best for their people, their businesses and society.
Ed is a purpose-driven, trusted confidant and thinking partner with a calm and supportive demeanor. Ed’s work is rooted in data and inspired by stories. He draws on his many years of business and leadership experience to help clients improve their leadership skills and plan for their futures.
Ed is the co-author of a book with Catherine Allen titled, Conscious, Capable, and Ready to Contribute: A Fable–How Employee Development Can Become the Highest Form of Social Contribution.
“Misery is optional.” The full quote is “Pain is inevitable; misery is optional.” I learned this from a mentor when I was in my late twenties. I was going through a rough patch and had a bit of “woe is me” attitude going on. She pointed out that we all have difficulties in our lives. It’s how we choose to react that makes all the difference. I can’t say I practice this well every day, but I sure try!
Playing in the 1988 U.S. Amateur with 20-year-old future PGA Champion David Toms.
Literally bumping into the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia in my apartment elevator in 1978. He had just completed an interview at the progressive radio station WHFS. Forty years later and I’m still “on the bus.”
Embrace the opportunity to grow your brand and reputation as a company that truly invests in helping employees grow their capabilities – even and especially during an employee off boarding experience. When viewed through the development lens, this is a valuable opportunity for employers to learn and improve organizational and people development practices, build brand ambassadors, and enable departing employees to reflect on gains in skills and capabilities.
“Build it so they will want to come, flourish, and stay, knowing that someday they may leave.
Thus, it is imperative to define what you want them to say about their growth experience with your organization and what you want the outside world to say about how you invest in and contribute capable people to society.”
-Ed Offterdinger & Catherine Allen
Conscious, Capable, and Ready to Contribute. (p. 173)
Integrate practices, principles, and tools to better evaluate a candidate’s orientation to continuous learning and development as a factor in their overall fit for a position. This provides:
