Speaker Snapshot: Stephanie Wachman

SPARK Speaker Stephanie Wachman and her company, Symetree Strategies LLC are known for delivering effective leadership programs designed to equip leaders with tools they need to enhance their culture, communication, leadership, productivity, and business development. 

“Change management and culture have become really, really important to organizations right now,” Stephanie says. “Culture impacts everything — how employees perform at work, how engaged they are at work, their retention, everything.” 

Culture is often a whispered word and it’s more than just putting your values statement on everything, Stephanie says. It’s making sure that values statement words translate to company behavior.  

“I am going to dive into change management, because change and culture really do go hand in hand,” she says. “When an organization is bringing forth any kind of change, it’s important to be sure they have a good transparent way of communicating that to their team. The biggest breakdown in a company’s culture is when trust breaks down because communication is done poorly. Even the smallest change can disrupt a team if they don’t know about it and understand why it’s happening. There is a methodology around change that I am trained in and that I believe in which provides leaders with tools to be successful.” 

The methodology is the ADKAR Model, which stands for Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement. Stephanie breaks down the steps to this methodology, shares a case study or two, and cites the research regarding its effectiveness. Stephanie explains how using the ADKAR Model can help IEC leaders cultivate trust, align culture with values, and drive behavioral shifts that lead to stronger teams, better decision-making, and long-term success. 

“SPARK participants absolutely will walk away with the ability to review their values, understand their relevance, and put them into practice,” she says. “I hope to open leaders’ eyes to be aware of what’s coming, to be prepared for the future, to deliver the right messaging, and to welcome how the next generation is evolving the workplace. We lean heavily now on positive psychology and neuroscience to understand how the brain works. Let’s be supportive and excited about the next generation and the changes that they’re bringing to the table.”