Susan Pyles is a Senior Consultant and Trainer with ERC where she specializes in assisting Northeast Ohio organizations with a full spectrum of performance, training and leadership projects and programs. Susan’s primary areas of focus are talent management, performance management, organizational development, leadership development, retreat facilitation, HR metrics and employee engagement.
Susan has a diverse professional background that includes 16 years of business experience in management, learning and performance management. Prior to joining ERC, Susan spent 10 years working in the award-winning, nationally acclaimed training department of AmTrust Bank (formerly Ohio Savings Bank), most recently leading the department as Vice President of Learning & Performance.
During her tenure at AmTrust, Susan led a variety of leadership development and human capital initiatives, including a talent profile project designed to assess the bank’s leaders, an initiative to build a sales culture in the bank’s branches, an entrepreneurial leadership series, and division-wide management development programs. Susan was directly responsible for the creation of AmTrust’s in-house corporate university, and she has designed, facilitated, and evaluated a wide variety of employee training programs, and conducted various assessments and surveys measuring client satisfaction, performance, and culture.
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Client Testimonials
"Susan did a great job correlating to real life situations."
"Susan is a good, knowledgeable facilitator." |
Susan holds a Master of Arts in Communication Studies from Kent State University and a Bachelor of Business Administration with a Major in Management and Minor in Communications from Ohio University. She carries half a dozen certifications including Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), DISC, Registered Corporate Coach (RCC) by the World Association of Business Coaches, Langevin Training Generalist, Talent+ and Zenger/Folkman’s Extraordinary Leader 360 Feedback Tool. Susan is a national member of the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD), is a sought-after speaker and has been published in Communications Research Reports, and featured in The Plain Dealer, Training Magazine and American Banker.
Speaking Topics
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Skills Coaching
Through one on one coaching or small groups, Skills Coaching provides ongoing support for managers and supervisors who are working to change behavior in the workplace, but just need a little additional support.
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9 is for New Ways of Thinking
We all know the saying…what got us here won’t get us there. In these days of doom and gloom, bad news, more bad news, and troubled times, the power of thought, perspective, focus and vision is more critical than ever. This talk reminds us of the power of mind…what we focus on expands; if we think we can or think we can’t, we’re right; change our thoughts and we change our world. Come explore specific techniques for training the mind and changing our thought patterns. Learn how to set new ways of thinking in motion and watch your outer experiences change for the better. This presentation is geared toward those who are ready to create positive outcomes in their work and in their life by trying something new and sticking with it. Attendees will walk away equipped with practical strategies and the enthusiasm to put them to work!
Dust Yourself off and Brush up Your Skills
Today’s circumstances are calling for many of us to pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off. But then what? Jobs are disappearing and the competition is heating up. We’ve spent so much time asking “What’s behind Door #1?”…The Career Development door. Maybe it’s time to start asking “What’s behind Door #2?”…The Professional Development door. How much time, energy, focus, money have you put towards your professional development in the last three years? Have you taken a course, learned a new skill, earned a certification, read best selling books in your field, submitted an article to a trade publication, volunteered your time, taught a skill to others, formed new partnerships??? In this talk, we explore how to maximize “down time.” We’ll discuss how to uncover the next phase of your career and we’ll explore ways to prepare for an effective transition. This presentation is appropriate to any person, group or company at the four-way stop.
Leveraging Employees in Lean Times
It’s true what they say… we all need to drive our own career. But isn’t there something we can do as leaders to tap into the ever-elusive employee potential? The answer is…YES! As leaders we have countless opportunities (responsibilities even) to tap into and leverage the raw talent in our own organization. During these challenging times, it’s more important than ever to align employee skills with organizational needs, establish new expectations, build a business case to make room for new possibilities, etc. We’ll explore practical ways to position employees to thrive and achieve more. Then, we’ll discuss how to coach and empower them to stay the course, expanding their contributions and enjoying the ride! This talk is appropriate for companies in need of motivating employees to do more with less.
Leadership…Which Style Will Get You Through?
Tough times call for great leaders. Are you cultivating them in your organization? There are so many theories and models out there today. How do you know which practices to adopt…and which will work for you? If you’re looking for a way to sift through it all and emerge with a few practical pearls of wisdom, look no further. Learn the truth about leadership and engage in a condensed leadership review that:
*simplifies popular leadership theories and concepts
*reveals effective strategies anyone can use
*isolates behaviors that get results
Finally, we’ll learn how to recognize our own leadership niche and leverage our leadership strengths back on the job. Regardless of whether you have been in a leadership role for 15 years or 15 minutes, you will walk away with new ideas for sharpening your leadership skills and practical tips you can apply right away!
Amp Up Your Value…Managing Up, Down and Across
Managing up is an important skill…especially when leaders are asked to make the tough decisions about who to retain and who to let go. Could your boss sell his/her boss on your value? Does your boss know your value? How about your peers…are you the bridge or the weak link? The key to any successful career is building great partnerships and getting things done with and through other people. With today’s workforce getting leaner every day, we all need to learn effective ways to appeal to our boss, our peers, and our direct reports to get more done. Getting people to cooperate with you is a lot different then inspiring them to support you, and the work you are charged with doing. In this talk, we will delve into inspiring and conditioning your direct reports to achieve even more than you imagined. We will explore techniques for being a lifeline for your boss and an ally to your peers. This is not about selling and negotiating. Rather, we will discuss practical tips and tricks for forming a bond with your boss and peers through which mutual support flows freely and everyone’s needs and goals are met.
Turning Recognition and Reward into Reinforcement and Results
Rewards and recognition…we all know how important it is, but who has the time? Right? Sustainable R&R programs are built on a strong foundation. We’ll explore how to isolate results and behaviors to be reinforced, how to identify no cost/low cost rewards that appeal to your employee population, and how to build practical use of recognition and reward into daily work processes. We all know effective R&R programs pay dividends, but here are some benefits you may not have pondered…
- More engaged employees – engaged employees tend to stay with their employer longer
- Increased awareness of desired results and behaviors, followed by increased demonstration of them
- Enhancements in group performance
- Insight regarding informal leadership and potential emergence of informal leaders
- Expanded view of compensation and reward among employees
- Recruiting selling point which will appeal to top performers
- This is the year to make rewards and recognition a part of the way you do business!
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