“If I knew then…” G. Bellman

One again, NJOD’s popular speaker Geoff Bellman stole the hearts of the audience in an after-lunch presentation at this year’s ASD.  Based on his article, “If I knew then...” (click to read the article in the NJOD Library)  the renowned public speaker shared his experiences and challenged the audience to examine how their professional work has evolved.

Geoff’s thought-provoking session titled  If I Knew Then What I Know Now was an inter-active presentation that addressed addressed the following topics:

• How has your approach to work and life changed over the years?
• What did you do that you no longer do?
• What has not changed…has grown…is even stronger?
• What difference has all of this made? Why?

Geoff  asked the audience to step back from work and life to consider the differences each person is  making–in yourself and in the world. Geoff offered samples from his own experience while the audience discussed our work, our approaches to it, and the meaning we have found in it over the years. Our work provides a unique opportunity to grow as we encourage our clients to do the same: How are we using that opportunity? Geoff has been in the field over forty years; he’s had many opportunities; he has used some and missed others. He invites you to consider his perspective while creating your future. Expect ideas worth pondering, conversations worth continuing, and a good time!

Geoff started his consulting firm in 1977 following fourteen years of work inside Corporate America. His external consulting has focused on renewing large, mature organizations such as Booz Allen, Verizon, Intuit, Ernst & Young, Shell, BP, SABMiller, Boeing, and Accenture.

His books are in a dozen languages with over 300,000 in print:
• Extraordinary Groups: How Ordinary Teams Achieve Amazing Results, with co-author, Kathleen Ryan (Jossey-Bass, 2009). Sixty great teams and what makes them so.
• The Extraordinary Teams Inventory with Kathleen Ryan and Kevin Coray (HRDQ Press, 2014). An assessment tool for teams that aspire to great performance.
• The Consultant’s Calling: Bringing Who You Are to What You Do (Jossey-Bass, 2002-2nd edition). FORBES cited as a most popular small business book.
• Getting Things Done When You Are Not In Charge (Berrett-Koehler, 2001-2nd edition). A Fortune Book Club selection, the title says it all.
• The Beauty of the Beast: Breathing New Life into Organizations (Berrett-Koehler, 2000). Successfully living with, working in, and influencing these huge creatures.
• Your Signature Path: Gaining New Perspectives on Life and Work (Berrett-Koehler, 1996). Assistance in turning sharp corners in your career and life.
• The Quest for Staff Leadership (Scott-Foresman, 1986). For middle managers and winner of the National Book Award from the Society for Human Resource Management.

His consulting and workshops have taken Geoff to five continents. He has served as guest faculty for Pepperdine University, OSR at Fielding Institute, Sonoma State, and LIOS at Saybrook. Linkage International’s OD Lab for Experienced Practitioners is designed around his ideas and offered world-wide.

Geoff received a national award from the Organization Development Network for his contributions to advancing the profession. The Whidbey Institute in Washington State honored him for community service.

He is a charter member of the Woodlands Group which has been exploring individual, organizational, and societal change for 35 years. With others, he founded The Community Consulting Partnership in 1995; they offer almost-free consulting skills and consulting to community-based organizations in Seattle. He regularly consults to executive directors and boards including Whidbey Institute, Center for Courage and Renewal, Charlotte Martin Foundation, and Seattle Counseling Service.

Geoff grew up in Washington State, graduated from Gonzaga University and the University of Oregon. For twenty years, he and his family followed work around the country–to Denver, New Orleans, Tulsa, and Chicago. In 1981, they to returned to the Pacific Northwest. With his wife, Sheila Kelly, he lives in Seattle on the edge of Puget Sound in sight of the Olympic Mountains.