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About Us
Background
Walter Stewart has more than thirty-five year’s of success as a
teacher, administrator, facilitator, coach, and leader in the
private sector, the not-for-profit sector, and in education. As
a consultant, his clients have included the University of
British Columbia, the Toronto Region Research Alliance, CANARIE,
the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, The Global
Grid Forum, Alberta Innovation and Science, The Michener
Institute, The Canadian Council on Learning, and several private
sector companies. On behalf of his clients, Walter has
facilitated projects that have involved IBM Canada, CISCO,
Celestica, Siemens, TELUS, the universities of Toronto, Calgary,
Ottawa, Waterloo, Western Ontario, and Guelph, and York,
Ryerson, and McMaster universities. He is also a compelling and
provocative speaker and writer, and is sought out for his
expertise and participation across North America and Europe.
Facilitation
How many meetings have you been too that became bogged down,
that plunged hopelessly down rat holes, that ended in exhaustion
rather than results?
Such meetings are always costly and frustrating, never more so
when strategic planning is blocked by dysfunctional meetings.
As more and more major initiatives require development of
strategic plans across multiple organizations, well-facilitated
meetings that move the agenda forward are critical.
Walter Stewart has twenty years’ experience facilitating
effective, productive meetings. He has facilitated strategic
planning meetings for universities, colleges, private sector
companies, not-for-profit companies. His facilitation clients
have included CANARIE, the Ontario Clean Water Agency, the
Southern Ontario Water Consortium, the Embassy of Canada in Tel
Aviv, the University of British Columbia, the Smart Region
Initiative, Cornell University, and the West Vancouver School
Board.
Walter’s capacity to listen, to ask groups strategic questions,
to synthesize discussions, to test outcomes with the group, and
to summarize findings ensures that a Walter Stewart facilitated
meeting moves forward and ends with clear next steps.
For
client opinions on Walter Stewart’s work as a facilitator click
here
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Fresh Perspectives
Walter Stewart works to bring fresh
perspectives to organizations – the view of an informed
outsider, a supportive critic, and a specialist in asking the
real questions.
Why is a fresh perspective necessary?
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Most organizations are actively engaged in planning for what
they have been, not what they must become. Few
recognize the imperative of planning for what they must
become in order to preserve and strengthen core values and
mission in a rapidly changing world.
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Real, ongoing, reflective analysis and challenging of our
understanding the emerging context is critical to an
organization being able to reach beyond daily routine and
the “of course we do” mentality that stymies so many
required changes.
The Real
Questions that Ground
This Very
Effective Approach
Walter Stewart’s unique strength is his ability to help
organizations to ask the deep probing questions that unable
seeing through the fog of the accustomed.
His core message - “Trust questions; doubt answers” - is central
to preparing organizations to live with those questions as on
ongoing frame for their organizational life/work. He works with
his clients to make those questions the on-going foundation for
organizational planning, a proven
strategy for the many change efforts he has facilitated.
The Questions
Walter’s message is to stay focused on “what” and “why”. Clarity
on those two issues is both critical and rare. Most
organizations in a technologically savvy world rush to “how”
with little reflection on what they are trying to accomplish and
even less on why they are doing so.
The results are often disappointing, and with high costs in
morale, time, and money.
What’s Next
While
real questions are critical for organizational planning and
development, they must become integrated to all aspects of an
organization’s life.
Walter uses the
real questions:
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To assist organizations in securing contracts.
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In developing multi-organizational consortia for projects.
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In developing consensus among multiple
and diverse organizations as they respond to government
requests for information and feedback.
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His Team of Associates
Walter
Stewart works with a network of skilled professionals from
across Canada and beyond with a variety of skills and experience
who join him as associates when client need demands additional
skills.
Walter Stewart has associated himself with fellow professionals
skilled in:
These associations ensure a capacity to provide full-service
consulting to meet a wide-range of client needs.
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