Speaker
Author
CEO
Tom Willis believes we are all born with unlimited potential. As a former classroom teacher, he also believes in the power of life long learning. These beliefs have shaped his primary goal in life: helping others uncover their talents so they can reach their Potential.
Prior to joining Phoenix, he had the great honor of serving as; CEO for Cornerstone; a consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers; and an engineer with the Intel Corporation.
Along the way, he was fortunate to earn degrees from the University of Michigan and the University of Notre Dame (MBA). He thanks God every day for his amazing wife and three wonderful children.
The Great Engagement
THE GREAT
ENGAGEMENT
TOM WILLIS
BRAD ZIMMERMAN
KEN BLANCHARD
Author of The One Minute Manager® Over 28 million books sold in 47 languages Amazon's Hall of Fame - Top 25 best-selling authors
The Great Engagement by Tom Willis and Brad Zimmerman is all about servant leadership in action.
The leadership aspect of servant leadership is about aspiration: what is your vision for yourself and your people? Once that’s clear, you move to the servant aspect of servant leadership, which is about empowering your people: giving them the capacity to use their talents to make a difference.
Reading this book will help you make a difference in the lives of the people you live with, work with, and care about!”
Areas of Expertise
Culture
Transformation
Keynote Speaking
CEO Mastermind
Forums
Keynote Speaking
Customized based on audience’s needs
Servant Leadership in 2024
Supportive Accountability
Keynote
Unlock Peak Performance: 3 Tools to Building Engaged Teams with Transformational Leadership
Imagine a world where your team:
Thrives, energized by their work and purpose-driven to achieve extraordinary results.
Innovates relentlessly, fueled by a culture of collaboration and trust.
Stays resilient through challenges, united by a shared vision and unwavering commitment.
This is the power of engagement. But in the post-Great Resignation era, 49% of employees are considering quitting, leaving leaders scrambling
Tom will share an equation for engagement and 3 pragmatic tools you can implement right away.
This isn't just a presentation, it's an interactive workshop. You will leave with actionable strategies, a renewed perspective, and the tools to build an exceptional culture where engagement thrives.
Together we will:
Tap into the brain science of novelty.
Discover how to ignite passion and ownership, the drivers of engagement.
Reconsider the three most powerful and practical tools to foster an engaged team and culture.
Wrestle with real-world challenges like burnout, talent retention, and accountability.
Tom Willis
BREAKOUT SESSION
01
Flip the Script on Accountability: Build a Culture of Trust, Growth and Thriving Teams
02
Unlock Hidden Potential:
A Crash Course in Building a Coaching Culture
Accountability is a key ingredient to the success of any organization. But accountability is often misunderstood, leading to fear, blame, and stifled performance
Join us in this session as we break free from the traditional "blame game" and explore a positive, transformational approach to accountability.
We'll dive into:
The counterproductive view of "accountability as punishment.
A productive view of accountability as supportive of one’s success.
The mindsets behind motivation and learn how to cultivate a culture of intrinsic responsibility.
Fostering personal aspiration in your team members, the essential and frequently missing foundation for accountability.
10 Steps to implement Supportive Accountability.
In this session, you will not only understand the "why" of supportive accountability, but also walk away with the "how."
Breakout Session: Part 1
Flip the Script on Accountability: Build a Culture of Trust, Growth and Thriving Teams
Breakout Session: Part 2
Unlock Hidden Potential:
A Crash Course in Building a Coaching Culture
Coaching is powerful if, and only if, you create a culture rooted in a desire for personal growth, psychological safety, and trust.
Join us for an interactive and engaging crash course in coaching.
In this session, we will explore:
The Missing Key: Discover the most overlooked yet essential ingredient for successful coaching.
The power of Transformational Coaching: not just solving problems but unlocking potential and unleashing hidden talents for lasting growth and development.
How to get in the Coaching Game: Hone your coaching skills through interactive exercises and practice sessions.
Building the Ecosystem: Learn practical steps to foster a coaching culture within your organization – from identifying internal coaches to creating space for open dialogue and feedback.
In this session, you will not only understand the "why" of supportive accountability, but also walk away with the "how."
Percentage of CEOs who perceive that they received value that exceeded their investment
“100 times over.”
“Yes absolutely and that is evidenced by my going back and hiring them again.”
“We will keep getting dividends each year.”
Dr. Daniel Nerad
Superintendent of Schools,
Birmingham Public Schools, Birmingham, MI
Thank you very much for the work you are doing with me. I think the best way I can express myself is to share with you that I appreciate you serving as both a mirror and a window for me with my leadership work. The mirror involves you helping me see what exists in the data about my leadership work, but more importantly helping me see the blind spots that seem to have developed in me as a leader (I believe this is true for all leaders).
Dr. Thomas Mahoney
Superintendent ~ Community Unit School District #220, Oregon, IL
We have achieved a greater than 25% increase in academic achievement over last year. More evidence of the impact of our work with Phoenix Performance Partners.
Jodi Landers
Chief People Officer, Certified Executive Coach, Seasoned Facilitator, Leadership Consultant
I had the opportunity to work with Tom a couple of years ago, and it proved to be a life-changing experience for me.
My place of employment contracted with him to take our leadership team through a program as well as provide 1:1 coaching to all of the team members.
Dave Gehm
CEO ~ Wellspring Lutheran Services, MI
Wellspring has been working with Phoenix Performance for several months, including an intensive off-site retreat with me and my team. I’ve been CEO of Wellspring for 25 years, and have been through several “programs” to increase effectiveness and capacity. I can honestly say I have never experienced the kind of results we’re beginning to see with Brad and Tom – particularly around two elements:
1) the personal growth I am experiencing (even after all these years) and the same I’m witnessing in my team (by their disclosure) is unlike anything else I/we have ever done
2) the efficiency of the team, the clarity of our work together, and the overall impact on our organization are already evident.
I am witnessing spontaneous acts of accountability.
That said, be careful what you wish for – they will challenge you and push you and poke you into discomfort, only because they are really good at what they do and they genuinely care about the folks they serve. Extraordinary.
Tasha Blackmon
CEO ~ Cherry Health, Grand Rapids, MI
Executive coaching from Phoenix Performance Partners has been an extremely edifying and invaluable way to sharpen my skills and build new skills. They have helped me to work through a variety of challenges with no judgment. After each coaching session, I have felt extremely empowered and refreshed, even if what I heard on the other line challenged my way of thinking, or made me realize how I might have contributed to a situation or circumstance.
Rashod R. Johnson, PE
President & CEO,
Ardmore-Roderick, Chicago, IL
As a naturally skeptical person and engineer who needs lots of data and information, I was a little uneasy if we would really get the amount of value that I wanted from Tom & Brad (Phoenix Performance Partners).
However, this work has completely exceeded my expectations, and frankly, we now have a significantly better team as a result. The work we did with you enabled us to grow 3 fold over the last 3 years. Phoenix has exceeded my expectations, and we now have a significantly better team as a result.
I am confident that we are going to be a national engineering firm by 2025, and now we have the tools needed to make that goal a reality.
David Guth
CEO ~ Centerstone America, Nashville, TN
In my nearly 30 years of executive leadership, I have never encountered management consultants in Phoenix Performance Partners’ league. They are smart, insightful and truly committed to the success of their customers. Their work has been enormously beneficial to the organization, and to me, personally.
Dennis McDavid
Superintendent of Schools,
Berkley, MI
This is the best investment I have made in my time as Superintendent. Phoenix is as committed to our kids as we are. And their approach is different from anything I’ve seen in my 30 years as a professional. People have an increased level of confidence in themselves and their teammates. We will continue to work with them to build capacity within our organization to intentionally grow and develop our school Principals and all of our people.
Daniel Varner
President and CEO Goodwill Industries
Tom is a great guy--thoughtful, intelligent, hardworking, positive, and honest. I recommend him to others without reservation.
David Breen
Managing Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
Tom is one of the best leaders I have worked with. He is a builder of teams with a strong sense of mission. The thoughtful, open and honest approach to issue management results in high performance.
Mike Rambarose
President & CEO at Whitney Center, Inc.
In The Great Engagement, Tom & Brad have created an extraordinary resource of pragmatic frameworks and practical tools that are proving to be essential in our organization's transformative leadership journey toward a truly empowered culture! Highly recommended for any leader seeking to inspire their people to contribute their very best, individually and collectively, to a shared vision.
Jean M. Phelps
Chief Executive Officer at Incompass Human Services
Hands down, the best book for leaders seeking to grow in their own potential. The Great Engagement takes the reader on a journey of self-awareness and “engagement” in identifying one’s own purpose. I have many years as a seasoned executive leader to my credit, yet there was much for me to explore and discover about myself in reading this book. Concepts presented are relevant, meaningful, and useful. The book challenges the reader but is easily read and understood. Is provocative and eye opening without preaching. With their book, Brad and Tom meet you where are and help move you toward a better version of yourself.
Lenora Hardy-Foster
President/CEO at Judson Center
I have known Brad and Tom for a number of years, and they are exceptional leaders. The Great Engagement is a must read for all leaders and for those who inspire to become leaders. I have truly enjoyed reading this book which has enhanced my leadership skills so much that I have purchased a copy for my executive leadership team. It is such a great resource that my team and I will study and learn together.