Daniel worked closely with our Board president and me to conceptualize, plan, and lead a day-long synagogue Board retreat. He spent many hours asking us questions and listening to our story before we began planning. Together with his associate, Daniel developed and led an interactive, experiential, fun retreat that was filled with deep learning and opportunities for personal reflection. We draw on the insights of our retreat at every board meeting. Daniel helped us clarify and execute a value-based and spiritual organizational vision. 

After an intense chapter of upheaval and transition our organization brought Daniel in to help integrate the newer members of our team and to work through historical patterns that might hold us back from our best possible fresh start. We bonded with him immediately, he established an easy rapport from the first moments of engaging with us while building our trust through humor and gentle honesty. We were particularly impressed by his penetrating clarity. He immediately spotted the habits and dynamics that had fomented beneath our seemingly smooth surface, and his constructive feedback was delivered in way that people could really hear and receive. The fact that our work together was based on play made us look forward to our time with Daniel and enter into our sessions with an openness to self-reflection, ready to laugh at ourselves.  I’m grateful to Daniel for having cultivated the well-being of our team and know he will be an asset to any institution that is serious about maximizing their potential.

Recently I created an Ad Hoc Advisory Group to be a highly placed think tank for the future of HR at Brandeis.  The members are key leaders who work directly under the Deans and Vice Presidents of the schools and administrative units.   The strategic concepts that this group needs to understand, engage, and own are outside the normal experience of academic and administrative leaders in higher education institutions.   

Daniel has been serving as the facilitator and strategic thinker for this work group process, in which he has done amazing work.  He is not only facilitating the work group process, but serving as an executive coach to me, creating a learning and discussion environment in the work group that fosters rapid learning, alignment, and highly productive progress on deliverables.  Without Daniel, this process would not likely have taken off in a significant way, and would have functioned, but with a fairly modest level of success.  With Daniel, the progress is moving in quantum leaps and the energy is extremely high!!  I could not be more grateful not only for his skills but for the heart and values he has invested along the way.

His success is also fueled by his wide network of colleagues.  His reputation carries into every room, and any discussion in a public space is regularly but pleasantly interrupted by what I refer to as his “fan club members” who are compelled to speak with him.  I am deeply grateful for his work and his influence, and have some additional projects in mind for his talents.

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Daniel designed and implemented our board training. The result was spectacular. He taught us the essentials of board leadership and helped us discern and agree upon the attitudes and behaviors board members must have if we are to achieve our goals. Beyond leadership theory, he led us in exercises through which we decided upon and enacted action items that had an immediate, positive impact upon our congregation. Along the way he taught me how to be a better board chair. Our board now accomplishes more, in less time. Meetings are consequential, and board members look forward to attending them. 

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Working with Daniel is easy and truly enjoyable. He models what he teaches, listening carefully before he proposes anything, and he constantly insists that we begin by considering what we most want to accomplish. At heart, Daniel is a collaborator. He uses his vast knowledge to create a partnership that produces results that respond to our specific needs. 

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We are now working with Daniel to implement staff training. I cannot imagine any facilitator in the area of leadership development who would be easier to work with or achieve equal, let alone better, results than he has for us.

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I have been fortunate to have Daniel's partnership as I hone my skills as President of my congregation and build a cohesive and productive leadership team.  He helped me to focus my goals and provided skill-building techniques that the board found engaging and productive.  Daniel's positive and passionate approach to the work of organizational development is combined with his easygoing and direct manner.  I enjoyed our creative partnership and think other organizations will benefit from his vast experience in strategic thinking and leadership development.

I am so pleased to write a few words about Daniel and the value of his contribution to our organization. We have gone through some major transitions over the past year, and Daniel was key in understanding our goals and engaging everyone in the process while treating them with respect and inspiring them to be part of the change. Daniel’s knowledge of organizations and his ability to identify peoples' strengths while being a good listener gives me the confidence, and experience to recommend him to your organization as well.