Diane Foster, has provided organizational coaching and consultation on leadership and change for over 30 years to leaders in every industry. A career development specialist, and assessment expert, she has a reputation for achieving lasting results with her clients. Her strong background in organization development and psychology, as well as a systems approach to organization and individual development, problem solving and succession planning supports her clients to align development issues with strategic business goals, and thereby maximize individual satisfaction and business results. Schooled in neuroscience research and adult learning, she has a fundamental deep belief in the power of human potential and enjoys supporting her clients in finding theirs.

An advocate for a pragmatic and customized approach and “Action Learning” (learning by doing), she is a master practitioner in executive and group coaching, conflict management, Emotional Intelligence, Dialogue, and Appreciative Inquiry.

Diane’s work as both OD specialist and coach marries the best experience of working both internally “in the trenches” and externally as president of Diane Foster and Associates. As an internal organization development specialist, she supported Advanced Micro Devices in building career development, succession planning and intact team training while they were downsizing. She was also the head of the Organization Effectiveness Team at CSAA for several years, where she supported the 3,000 member Claims organization in a large change-management effort.

As an external coach/consultant her work frequently turns into long term engagements. She has coached C-level executives and teams, and consulted to leaders on a variety of initiatives in such diverse businesses as Genentech, Medtronic, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, the Kitchell Corporation, Roche Molecular Diagnostics, Silicon Valley Bank Financial, United Behavioral Health, the Electric Power and Research Institute, Cost Plus World Market, WalMart, AT&T Capital, and the Cities of Oakland and San Francisco.

A program that she designed and supported as “Mentor Coach” at the U.S. Dept. of Labor, called “Coaching for High Performance with Emotional Intelligence,” doubled productivity in the targeted leaders’ offices and achieved dramatic gains in “EI”. Her Skill Kit for Leaders: Real Time Tools for Developing Leadership Skills developed over 15 years of coaching, is used by many of the client organizations in which she works, as well as other coaches as a rich resource for a pragmatic approach to leadership development.

She has been adjunct faculty in OD, Leadership, Assessment, and Coaching at such institutions as University of San Francisco, John F. Kennedy University, the College of Executive Coaching and the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland’s Coaching Certificate Program.

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