Bio
Otis Woodard provides an intensely practical approach to leaders determined to reach the next level of leadership. His passion is to help individual leaders and their teams achieve a breakthrough in the results they produce and the way they produce results.
His approach is grounded in experience. Supporting leaders in reaching the next level of leadership has been his focus since 2002 when he began his independent consulting and speaking career. Prior to becoming a leadership and business consultant Otis was a General Manager of a large division of Automatic Data Processing, ADP, a Fortune 100 company, and a Certified Public Accountant and management consultant with Ernst & Young.
His perspective is broad. Working at Ernst & Young with some of world’s largest corporations, he learned the pragmatics of what makes the bottom line work. At ADP, he learned about turning around and running large, complex operations and about working with people. During his consulting career, he has studied emotional intelligence and is certified as a Values and Behavioral Analyst by TTI, Ltd. He is equally at home discussing financial statements, operations, relationships or a needed behavioral shift. He has the perspective to see the connections between them all.
His experience is diverse. He’s covered the range from auditing in the Fortune 10, working for the Fortune 100, and consulting with mid-size, closely-held, start-up and solo entrepreneur businesses. He has worked in a variety of industries, including healthcare.
He works with his clients in three interrelated areas. One is teaching practical skills and providing concrete, no-nonsense tools for producing better results. Secondly, he works with his clients to right relationships and a culture supportive of breakthrough performance. Third, he provides a practical approach to developing the leader by increasing emotional intelligence.
A particular focus area for Otis is sustainable business and regenerative leadership. Sustainability is becoming the watch-word in business, with many large corporates hiring top-level executives to head up their efforts. That momentum of beginning to lower costs by lessening resource consumption while increasing attractiveness to consumers who are increasingly demanding “green” is carrying into the need for a new form of leadership. Regenerative leadership is the type of leadership that not only accomplishes the sustainability mission, but actually repairs damage already done.
Otis’ rich personal life provides a foundation for his work. He is married to Sara Woodard. They enjoy the outdoors, hosting friends and family and motorcycle touring. They live in Oregon’s wine country outside of Portland on an 11 acre farm they share with their trusty Blue Heelers, Stone and Sol, and nature. Otis and Sara are developing the farm using sustainability, permaculture and a community-oriented principles, a continual learning which Otis aspires to plow back into his work as a writer, teacher and consultant.
