Kimberly Wiefling

Kimberly is a physicist by training, is active in SDForum and other technical organizations, authored the "Scrappy" Project Management books, is a skilled and engaging facilitator, and is also funny and refreshingly entertaining.

Kimberly had worked with the team on several occasions on project management and team dynamics. More importantly she had gained the team's trust and confidence over the series of workshops. One of the projects did not go smoothly and Kimberly was brought in as the external facilitator in the "lessons learnt" debrief at the end of the project. We needed an external facilitator that the team trusted and could confide in. Kimberly chatted to everyone who was directly involved with the project to understand from everyone's prospective what went wrong and what fixes needed to be introduced into the way we scoped, managed and executed projects. This was a large effort due to the number of staff involved and multiple time zones between Kimberly and the team. Kimberly was able to synthesize down into a succinct list of what went wrong and more importantly what were the changes that needed to be made.

Kimberly Wiefling recently conducted an outstanding workshop at Stanford University, on the topic of engineering in the face of very large, complex problems, as part of a new graduate-level course I'm teaching on Engineering and Climate Change. The way Kimberly helped the students experience the frustration of an "unsolvable" problem and then helped them experience how such problems are solved was brilliant. Kimberly's approach is so lively and fun that even while you are gratified by her terrific results, you might miss the underlying truth that these great results come from a deep understanding and application of up-to-date research on the most effective ways to help people learn. But make no mistake, she's using that knowledge for you. Kimberly is outstanding. If you need to jump-start a creative process or to make a group's problem-solving more effective, hire her!

As an old program manager myself, and now as President of a large technology company, I find your book spot on the money. Your readers would do well to read the book several times and practice what your write until it becomes second nature. The world around them would become a much better place – and the satisfaction that goes with high achievement would fuel a long and successful career. While your book was written for program managers, it applies to anyone who works with people. It is a must read, not just for leaders, but for anyone who depends on other people to get their work done.

Kimberly, I continue to be in awe of your leadership skills. Very impressive!! I am so very pleased with how well our retreat went. I could not have asked for more. Inspirational, transformational, and built our team unlike anything I've seen before. You have a gift to bring out the best in people and to help them to believe!

Ultimate facilitator to inspire your group to achieve breakthrough results, gain new insights, remove roadblocks and achieve what might have appeared to be impossible results prior to Kimberly's leadership. Kimberly leads from the front and adeptly works with groups to gain their trust and confidence. She uses humor and scientifically proven methods to begin the critical work of helping groups get unstuck and see their own greatness. I have worked with Kimberly for more than 20 years and she consistently exhibits an interesting combination of courage, practicality and generosity. Kimberly has my utmost confidence and I will absolutely hire her again. Thanks Kimberly. You Rock!

Nothing is impossible in Kimberly's world. At a point of career change several years ago, from Silicon Valley CEO to something fun, I participated in Kimberly's "Create a Vision" workshop. We were friends through a professional organization and I just wanted to see what she did for a living. The result: I was, and still am, amazed and delighted with this brilliant woman and the results she helps others to achieve. Kimberly has a unique ability to infect her listeners with transformative optimism. She helps people to believe in themselves, unleash their hidden potential, experience the empowerment of success and find their right livelihood. Thanks Kimberly for helping me to achieve my dream.

The recommendation of a transformed cynic: Kimberly is a bit like a cyclone – she will turn your world upside down and blow you away. Unlike a cyclone, however, she will be sure that all of the important pieces remain; neatly reorganized and stronger than before she met you. She will also, undoubtedly, leave many gems behind for you as well – some ready to display and others for you to continue polishing throughout your life and career. You will definitely be richer for having crossed her path. With unrivaled passion, Kimberly effortlessly blends principles of transformational leadership, communication, cultural understanding and relationship building and links them directly to operational excellence with brilliant simplicity. I learned more practical skills in a six day program led by Kimberly than I have in nearly three decades of management education and experience. These lessons will not only allow me to foster an environment that is both enjoyable and highly-productive, but will, as a result, make the company I work in stronger and more successful. Without question, Kimberly merits my highest recommendation.

Kimberly is a force of nature and a truly unique talent in a sea of consultants that promise change but never quite achieve it. I've worked with her both for my own company and together with other clients and I've experienced first hand how she uses her talents as a brain scientist, entertainer, empathetic listener, and engineer to get ideas to become reality and groups to become teams. With just 1 visioning session with her 5 years ago, she changed my mindset and put my company onto an entirely different trajectory. If you are looking for someone who can motivate, teach, train, or lead a team to greatness, I'd hire Kimberly as a partner.

Kimberly's 'Leading From Any Chair' workshop is the single most powerful class I've attended, and the highest rated class I've participated in. Her teachings have fundamentally changed me as a leader, a coach, and a team member.