Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for GWBC Radio’s Open for Business. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:18] Lee Kantor here. Another episode of GWBC Open for Business, and this is going to be a good one. Today, we have with us Tina Woodard with Capstone Performance Solutions. Welcome, Tina.

Tina Woodard: [00:00:31] Thank you so much. It is certainly a pleasure to be here.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:34] Well, I’m excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us a little bit about Capstone, how are you serving folks?

Tina Woodard: [00:00:40] Yes. Well, our primary objective is to help leaders and organizations improve performance. And so, we help organizations and leaders in health care, as well as higher education, government, and technology. We provide leadership development programs that include coaching, group learning sessions. As well as action learning projects that return some investment back to the organization because they are working on real world challenges and applying the new leadership skills that they have learned as they’re working on those action learning projects.

Tina Woodard: [00:01:18] And we also provide succession planning talent management to help organizations figure out just who is the right person for the right type of position and what development they need in order to be ready to move up into upper level positions within the organization. So, we provide that talent management support, leadership development, as well as innovation. We offer programs and labs around design thinking to help stimulate more innovation and creative thinking within the workplace. So, those are just a few of the services that we offer through Capstone Performance Solutions.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:58] Now, how did you get into this line of work?

Tina Woodard: [00:02:01] Well, I have been in this line of work for a little over 22 years. I started my career as an industrial engineer, working in manufacturing as a quality engineer. And it became apparent to me very early in my career that it wasn’t necessarily all about the processes, and the machines, and the procedures. It was really about the people and helping influence and improve those team dynamics in order to improve productivity, and effectiveness, and efficiency. And that’s when I became more interested in team dynamics.

Tina Woodard: [00:02:37] So, I returned to my alma mater, Clemson University – Go Tigers – and earned a degree in human resource development. And that really allowed me to be able to delve into more topics regarding organizational effectiveness training that employees and leaders need within an organization to operate more effectively. So, that’s how I made the transition from engineering into human resources. I was in the manufacturing industry, and a company that I was working for at the time was looking for a training manager, and I applied for the position and I got it. And so, I was able to make that transition and began working more with leaders in helping them to improve their performance.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:19] And then, you worked, I guess, at enterprise level for a while and then moved into your own practice?

Tina Woodard: [00:03:25] Yes, I did. I worked at an executive level for one of the largest and most complex university systems in the country. I was their Assistant Vice-chancellor for Organizational Development. And my team and I, we were responsible for leading the efforts around executive development and performance management, leadership development, professional training and development that all the employees needed. And I successfully ran that organization for eight years working across the state.

Tina Woodard: [00:04:02] And after eight years, I began to feel the need to expand outside of higher education and decided to start my own business so that I would be able to, not only serve colleges and universities, but also government agencies and manufacturing facilities, health care, and any industry that wanted to really make daily excellence possible. That is our mantra at Capstone Performance Solutions. We are all about providing the support, tools, and resources to help leaders make daily excellence possible so that the employees will be engaged, and that they will actually look forward to coming to work every day, and applying discretionary effort in order to achieve the strategic goals and mission and vision of the organization.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:53] Now, can you share a little bit for our listeners that are maybe in a corporate position and are thinking about making the leap to entrepreneurship, was this a difficult decision for you? Was this something that you were excited to do? Or was it something that you were like, “Okay. You know, there’s risk here.” Like, how did you kind of weigh the pros and cons when you were making that decision to become an entrepreneur?

Tina Woodard: [00:05:15] Well, for me personally, in all transparency, I really do believe I’ve been interested in entrepreneurship even since I was a young girl. I call myself a founder. When I was in the sixth grade, I founded a group, a club, that was designed to help girls. In fact, it was designed to help girls get the playground equipment that we wanted during recess every day. And I was the student body president at my high school, and I was responsible for founding a lot of new initiatives and programs that we had in high school. And then, just throughout my life, I can point to certain times when I took a risk to start a new initiative, or start a program, or start a business.

Tina Woodard: [00:06:02] Capstone Performance Solutions wasn’t the first business I started. One of my first businesses was a resume writing business. So, I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. I enjoy helping people. I enjoy the freedom to be able to select those individuals that I really do want to work within the organizations I want to work with.

Tina Woodard: [00:06:23] And was it a challenging decision for me to leave an executive level position and transition into entrepreneurship? Absolutely. Because, of course, when you’re working for an employer, there are certain luxuries and levels of comfort that you experience by having a salary and benefits. And you have someone else doing all of your marketing and someone else fulfilling all of your technology needs. And when you step out to start a business, everything that you need in terms of marketing and sales and technology, it’s your responsibility as the entrepreneur.

Tina Woodard: [00:07:00] So, yes, it is scary, but it is also the most rewarding decision and endeavor that I’ve ever approached, because it’s a learning curve and I love to learn. And so, yes, I have learned a tremendous amount about leadership, leading a business, as well as sales and marketing, and financial planning. I’ve learned so much, so I enjoy it. It is a risk, but it is so rewarding. And there are so many other resources out there to support business owners, particularly in that startup phase. So, it’s been quite a tremendous journey for me.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:42] Now, having gone through that transition to help you maybe with empathy when you’re dealing with your clients now, maybe you see them in a different light, kind of having to deal with the multiple hats that you’re having to wear where nowadays.

Tina Woodard: [00:07:57] Yes, it really does. It gives me a different perspective. Also, in terms of when you are facing an obstacle and you really want to get to the other side of it, but you just feel stuck in some kind of way. Because I also felt that in my transition to entrepreneurship, I really wanted to do it but I was a little afraid of the transition and the learning curve and some of the obstacles. And I wondered if I really had what it takes in order to overcome those obstacles. And I see that with a lot of my coaching clients. They have a vision for the type of leader that they really want to be, but they find themselves inhibited or stuck, if you will, with certain behaviors.

Tina Woodard: [00:08:44] And so, I’m able to really empathize with them and help them identify the source of that fear. And to begin to work around it to really come in alignment with the leader and the type of culture that you want to establish within your team or within your organization. So, yes, I would say it has given me a great deal more empathy for those who I coach and those who are in my Leadership Development Institute.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:09] Now, what is the pain that your perspective or clients that you don’t have yet or having where Capstone is the solution for them? What are the symptoms that they’re going through that might be triggers to give you or somebody on your team a call?

Tina Woodard: [00:09:27] Whenever we see organizations that are struggling to establish trust within their culture, and when they’re really not meeting all of their performance metrics and their strategic goals, and they’re really not sure how to pull the team together to work more cohesively, that’s when we get called in to work with leaders a lot. Also, when organizations are unable to really effectively and comprehensively identify leaders across their organization who should be invested in for next level positions and for that development that will support that, they will contact Capstone Performance Solutions to come in and assist them with developing those leaders and developing a more diverse and multigenerational workforce.

Tina Woodard: [00:10:17] And so, when we get those calls, we’re happy to come in and work with organizations. And we always start with an organizational assessment. We assess the culture, the leadership, the strategy of the organization, and we work with organizational leaders to help them identify some of those pain points. And then, we recommend solutions. And then, we partner with our clients to help bring those solutions forth in the organization. And we also continue that support over a period of time to ensure that those solutions really stick. That they see and they are able to achieve the outcomes that they really want to achieve.

Tina Woodard: [00:10:56] So, those are some of the reasons that boards and corporate executives reach out to Capstone Performance Solutions because they know that we have a track record of really being effective in helping develop leaders, coach them through challenging points, help them identify their blind spots. So that they can become more effective in their leadership positions and then begin to transform the culture of the organization so that it is a high performing organization. And the leaders are able to really connect with their employees and everyone is really engaged in what they’re trying to achieve.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:32] Now, I think the word blind spot is really an important word, especially in today’s world. Can you share a story, maybe you helped somebody with a blind spot? And, obviously, don’t name names. But maybe give some context in the sense of, “Okay. They had this points but, obviously, they weren’t aware of it. We made them aware of it. And they were able to make some changes and then take their business to a new level.”

Tina Woodard: [00:11:58] Oh, yes. There are several. That’s what I do every day, that’s what we do here at Capstone. So, yes, there are several examples. But one in particular, we use research based assessments to help the leaders identify those blind spots. And so, this particular leader completed one of our research based assessments and was really unaware that his behavior was really causing some frustration among his team because of a lack of communication. He thought that he was communicating effectively what his vision was for the organization and what the values would be for the organization. And he really wasn’t. And so, everyone was operating kind of in silos and they were not really supporting each other. There was very little interdepartmental communication.

Tina Woodard: [00:12:52] And this particular organization was growing really rapidly. And so, it was really imperative for them to improve communication across the board, across the organization. And so, with that new level of self-awareness about his particular responsibility for improving communication, and being more transparent, and helping to facilitate cross communications, communication across departments, having that increased awareness, helped him open up, communicate more frequently, communicate in various ways, and help the organization begin to move forward.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:34] Now, when you’re working with a client that has a blind spot, is it something that becomes apparent? Like, you’ve been doing this a while, so it’s something, like, is it obvious to you? It’s, like, right in front of your face? And then, sometimes you’re like, “How do they not know this or see this?” Or is it something that you can understand that, “Okay. I understand that they might not interpret their behavior as being kind of counterproductive to what they’re trying to really accomplish.”

Tina Woodard: [00:14:03] That’s why we call them blind spots, because there’s a low level of self-awareness about that particular behavior and how it’s affecting other people. And usually that is the key area, because sometimes we know we have developmental areas or weaknesses that are affecting our team or affecting the culture of the organization. We have an awareness of that and we’re actively working on improving in that area.

Tina Woodard: [00:14:29] But then, sometimes there are those areas that we call blind spots that you really don’t even have an awareness that you’re coming across and affecting your team or the organizational culture in the ways that you are. And so, those assessments are really helpful in helping them understand that, you know, from a rigorous, scientifically assessed approach that, yes, this is a blind spot for you.

Tina Woodard: [00:14:56] And we not only use those assessments, but then we use other sources of data, such as just simply having conversations with some people who are familiar with how they’re leading. And that sheds light as well on what some of those blind spots may be. So, most of the time, it’s just a general lack of awareness about what those blind spots are and what are the implications of that behavior. And so, going through our leadership institutes or going through our one-on-one excel coaching programs, those two initiatives have been really helpful in helping leaders identify their blind spots and begin to create an action plan for behavior change so that they can begin to be more effective as leaders.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:42] Because once you see something, it’s hard to unsee it, right?

Tina Woodard: [00:15:47] Absolutely. Yes. The exposure to it, once you’re exposed to something, you can’t be unexposed. And it raises your awareness so that you immediately want to take some form of action. And sometimes the leaders aren’t exactly sure what they should do about that new found information and those new insights. And that’s where coaching comes in, where we’re trying and asking just the right questions to help them discover. Not to give them the solution, but help them to discover the solution that would be feasible and appropriate for them to take the next step in order to become more effective.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:22] Now, is there any low hanging fruit or kind of easy stuff or baby steps that an organization can do to build a loyal and high performing team?

Tina Woodard: [00:16:32] Yes. You know, just making sure that – we hear this term psychological safety quite a bit right now – having that trust in your culture. But then, really being intentional about making sure that people feel included. Making sure that they are comfortable bringing their whole selves to the organization every day. That they will not be rejected or ridiculed for speaking out. That is the psychological safety that is certainly a goal in many organizations that, if that is present, then you will have a culture that is characteristic of more open, and honest, and transparent communication. So that people feel supported, they feel that their voices are heard, and that they can speak out, and it wont be viewed negatively within the organization. But it’s actually welcomed and encouraged for employees to speak out in the organization.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:38] Now, when you start working with an organization, is this something that once they kind of get a taste of the deliverables that you’re promising and that you do deliver, that you become more than a vendor. It’s more of a partnership and then you can really start working with these folks for an extended period of time to help them reach objectives, maybe, in areas that they didn’t anticipate when they first started working with you.

Tina Woodard: [00:18:02] That is absolutely what we are experiencing. We have five years of satisfied clients, again, in health care, in government, in higher education, in technology. And, oftentimes, they renew their contracts and the partnerships with us for multiple years. Because once we start really partnering with an organization, we become familiar with their leaders, with the culture, and we understand the dynamics and the direction in which the organization is headed. Then, it’s just simply easier for the organization to retain us over a longer period of time to continue to support them towards reaching their strategic goals. So, we experience that quite often where our clients will renew their contracts with us for multiple years.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:53] You’re doing good work. It’s a great way to grow your practice, right?

Tina Woodard: [00:18:57] Oh, absolutely. And one of our core corporate values is excellence. I mentioned earlier that I have a background in quality engineering, so continuous improvement is really a priority for us here at Capstone Performance Solutions. We constantly evaluate our work. We constantly evaluate our clients and their satisfaction with our services. And we’re constantly just improving because we really want to ensure that we are delivering the value to our clients that they have come to expect from us. And that is something that we would be proud to put the Capstone logo on to make sure that we’re delivering excellence to our clients. And so, we definitely believe that our work isn’t done until we have reached a level of excellence, and we believe that we have to model that. If our motto is making daily excellence possible, and it is, then we have to lead by example as a corporation. We have to lead by example in making daily excellence possible internally and then making that a reality for our clients as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:20:06] Now, what was the reason to get involved with GWBC? Why did you join that organization?

Tina Woodard: [00:20:14] Well, I have to acknowledge the Small Business Development Center. I have just the most amazing business advisor at the Small Business Development Center, and we meet monthly. And one of our goals for Capstone Performance Solutions was to earn our WBENC certification, and that’s where I learned about the Georgia Women’s Business Council and the WBENC certification. And once I learned about the support, and the resources, and the training that they provide for women-owned businesses, I was just so encouraged by that.

Tina Woodard: [00:20:56] Because I have a Doctorate in Adult Education, but I have very little business management experience. And so, starting a business for me was quite concerning. And it made me a little nervous because I wasn’t really sure exactly what to do and how to do it. So, having the training, and the resources, and the tools, and the support with the WBENC certification was definitely something that I aspire to do and that I was encouraged to do by my business advisor at the Small Business Development Center. So, it was one of my first goals.

Tina Woodard: [00:21:32] And I worked very diligently on the application. And I was so delighted that after my site visit, we were notified that we earned our WBENC certification. And since then, it has been just a very rewarding experience. We are, of course, in the WBENC database now. And just recently, we were invited by a Fortune 100 company to participate in an invitation only matchmaking event. Because their corporation is seeking certain products and services this year, and they did their bidding through the WBENC database, and selected Capstone Performance Solutions to participate in this matchmaking event. And so, just two weeks ago, we were able to participate and pitch our business to the corporate leaders of that organization. And so, the WBENC certification is certainly paying off through the training, the support, the notifications to other corporations in the metro area that we’re here and we’re ready to deliver value.

Lee Kantor: [00:22:35] Well, congratulations on all the success. If there’s a company out there that wants to learn more, have a more substantive conversation with you or somebody on your team, and they aspire to have a high performing team and need help taking what they have to the next level, what is the website for them to learn more about your services?

Tina Woodard: [00:22:57] They can certainly learn more by visiting capstonesolutionsinc.com and contact us, our contact information is on our website. But, certainly, visit our website and learn more about us and the ways that we can deliver value. We’re ready to help you make daily excellence possible. capstonesolutionsinc.com.

Lee Kantor: [00:23:17] Well, Tina, thank you again for sharing your story. You’re doing important work and we appreciate you.

Tina Woodard: [00:23:22] Thank you so much for the opportunity. I enjoyed our conversation.

Lee Kantor: [00:23:26] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on GWBC Open for Business.