About the Author: Michael Couch, President, contributes more than 30 years of experience in Strategic Talent Management. He has made a career of improving the effectiveness of organizations, both as an internal consultant and as a business executive.
Michael Couch & Associates Inc. is a versatile consulting practice focused on dramatically improving the capability of organizations, teams and individuals. Our innovative approach, combined with a unique background in operations, business management, organization effectiveness, and human resources, allows us to provide a high quality services that have a positive impact on the bottom line. Below is our exclusive Interview
How would you classify your latest work, what inspired its inception?
Our new book, co-authored with Richard Citrin, entitled Strategy Driven Leadership is a culmination of our over 30 years of experience as talent management professionals, business executives, entrepreneurs and organizational consultants. It provides a retooled approach that any organization can use to build a pipeline of capable, strategy-driven leaders at all levels. It was inspired by our own experience and lots of research that showed that past approaches to developing leaders were just not effective. Companies were spending millions that just wasn’t showing a return on investment.
How long did it take you to complete?
We’ve been writing articles and blogging on related topics for many years but decided to put all those thoughts together in a book that took about a year to write.
Who are some of your top 5 authors or writers you look up to & admire?
David Ulrich, Ed Lawler and John Boudreau are at the top of the list. Their research and writing has always led the pack in the field of strategic talent management.
Michael Lombardo and Bob Eichinger led the way to rethinking how the whole approach to developing leaders needs to change and the role that learning agility and research-based competencies play in that retooling.
And Yuval Noah Harari, one of the most brilliant thinkers of our time.
Why do you write?
First off, I really find it relaxing and energizing at the same time. It’s also a great way to formulate and organize what we are learning from our work and from all the research that is available on effective, evidenced-based talent and leadership practices. I also enjoy playing the role of contrarian, since there is also an overabundance of ineffective and misinformed guidance out there.
What’s the biggest take away you want your readers to come away with after reading your latest work?
Leadership development and being an effective leader does not need to be as complicated as we’ve made it. Effective leaders drive business results and building those leaders can be accomplished by following some simple, evidence-based practices.
How is the writing/reading scene in your locale?
Pittsburgh is a reinvigorated culture and business hub. There is much to inspire any writer in any field, in any medium.
What’s the best book you’ve ever read?
By far, Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
When did you first realize you wanted to become a writer?
When I started my consulting business 13 years ago. Writing is an important part of being successful in our field and I found out that I enjoyed it. Writer’s block was never a problem.
How have you evolved as a writer over the last year?
Working with my co-author, an editor and a book publicist has allowed me to learn to take criticism much better and broaden my perspective as I write.
If you could meet, have dinner, have a drink with anyone (writer/non-writer) (dead or alive) who would it be?
Very tough question. I find that my knowledge of American History is not as good as I like it to be so I have been reading more non-fiction starting at the beginning of our country. Given that, it would probably be Ben Franklin, followed by Abe Lincoln and Frederick Douglas.
What’s next for you?
The book has generated a lot of buzz so I will be speaking to a variety of audiences. We are also beginning work on the next book.
STRATEGY DRIVEN LEADERSHIP on AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Strategy-Driven-Leadership-Playbook-Developing-Generation/dp/0367332264
Michael Couch & Associates Inc.: www.mcassociatesinc.com
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