Our management workshops and training programs are based on three principles:

  1. Rigorous preparation - know the audience and people's needs
  2. Tailored materials - co-created with clients, based on proven management practices
  3. Socratic Method - two-way teaching and learning dialogue

The most effective learning is when workshop participants understand and apply what they learn back on the job.  To achieve this, we spend ample time in preparation for workshops so that we understand a client's work culture, their business context, and the learning objectives.    With this information, we can co-create a focused workshop experience with clients, using the most appropriate management tools and materials.  Rigorous preparation spells the difference between an average workshop and one where people remember the experience, benefit and improve their performance.

While the workshops are well planned and structured, the facilitation is dynamic and driven by audience needs.  We pride ourselves on our ability to engage participants in lively, two-way dialogue, no matter how reserved participants are.  With 28 years of facilitating experience, Larry Chao has learned how to bring out the best in people, regardless of participant mix or workshop topic.  Below, please see our three workshop programs.

Top management alignment and teamwork create synergy by influencing how people behave throughout the company. With our experience in group dynamics, our first goal is to strengthen mutual respect and trust between leaders. We begin by facilitating open dialogue, where individuals are willing to be authentic and express themselves freely.

With strong bonds in place, we can define and align strategic priorities and their impact on functions. A process for systematically cascaded priorities can then be defined and implemented. During our workshop preparation, we co-create the content for each module in partnership with our clients. Here is where we add the most value:

Benefits for Top Management Teams
  • Aligning strategic priorities
  • Collaborating as an executive team
  • Defining “what success looks like”
  • Increasing respect and trust between leaders
  • Appreciating individual work style differences
  • Good governance and decision-making
  • We employ management tools such as DiSC, Herrmann Whole Brain, Five Dysfunctions of a Team. There is no need to reinvent the wheel if useful tools exist. These tools, along with our own proven practices, form the backbone of our workshops. For example, to understand and appreciate individual work style differences, often we use Herrmann Whole Brain because it is straightforward, practical and effective.

    Hermann Whole Brain

    Our leadership training programs are designed to develop general managers capable of leading change and empowering individuals and diverse teams. Because leadership also plays an important role in shaping work culture, we work with leaders to ensure they understand and role model desired organization values and behaviors.

    We create case studies for our workshops drawn from clients’ actual businesses. This allows participants to learn how to address “real-life” change issues with their teams, so there is no need to transfer knowledge. For leadership development, we favor Situational Leadership. This tool teaches leaders how to use different leadership styles to develop other people. It is practical and immediately applicable.

    Situational Leadership

    Here are the most significant benefits of our leadership training:

    Benefits for Leaders
  • Skills to coach and develop others
  • Greater self-awareness and empathy
  • Creating psychological safety
  • Learning how to delegate and empower
  • Learning how to motivate and reprimand
  • Leading teams and managing change
  • Diverse teamwork is a competitive advantage. With diverse team members, everyone needs to have the same understanding of what needs to be done, how to do it, and the desire to do it.

    GRIP High Performing Team Model

    Often, we begin by asking teams to “self-diagnose” themselves. For example, we ask participants to evaluate how well they are performing on various dimensions of teamwork. Of particular importance is enhancing collaboration between both remote and in-office work. How do you ensure everyone is properly involved to contribute to team performance? In our workshops, participants learn what it takes to be a high performing, agile team and how teammates should behave. We spend ample time practicing and “learning by doing.” The benefits of our workshops are:

    Benefits for Management Teams
  • Improving collaboration
  • Creating greater accountability
  • Appreciating work style differences
  • Clarifying team goals, roles and work processes
  • Increasing levels of trust & psychological safety
  • Strengthening interpersonal relationships
  • To create sustainable organization change, leaders need to align individual & team performance with business direction, so everyone is moving in the same direction. Our experience as both organization change consultants and in-house organization change leaders, gives us the know-how to structure practical change programs. Following the 80/20 Rule, we select activities that offer the greatest change leverage.

    Organization Change Approach Chart

    Each client change program is different, but they are all based on sound management principles. We often use a classic four-stage change approach, which begins “outside-in” by setting direction:

    1. Set Direction - guide the change
    2. Develop Change Programs - focus on high leverage change initiatives
    3. Mobilize the Organization - align everyone in the same direction
    4. Plan and Implement - follow and hold people accountable

    We have been offering clients executive coaching since 1995, before it became popular. Coaching has always been part of our DNA. In fact, years ago as a student at Yale, Larry served both as a freshman counselor (twice) and student-to-student counselor.

    GROW Coaching Model

    What distinguishes our coaching approach is our clinical experience coaching and understanding the concerns facing executives in a work context. We offer executive coaching on a selective basis. We believe to be an effective coach, one needs to focus on each leader. To do this right takes time, so we limit our assignments.

    Our coaching is designed to empower executives with the skills and confidence to achieve their professional potential in congruence with their personal life ambitions. Normally we employ 360-degree feedback, or other assessment tools as a starting point. Each assignment ends with a development plan to guide ongoing improvement. Our coaching model follows the “GROW” formula. This allows executives to systematically make improvements over time.

    Clients often ask us to moderate/facilitate year-end corporate and regional business conferences. Among the global conferences we have facilitated have been with clients such as: Vestas, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Thai Union, Hong Kong Jockey Club, Lend Lease, and more.

    Our value added is quickly grasping and tying conference themes with conference activities and relating them back to a client’s business.

    It’s important to participate in the preparation of the conference agenda and creation of individual modules. This allows us to input our ideas and experiences. Good preparation also helps familiarize us with a client’s business and audience so we can emphasize the right messages in the best way possible.

    Finally, we pride ourselves on injecting boundless creativity, energy and spontaneity into every event with effective facilitation to engage people and keep them entertained and learning.

    Over the past two and a half decades, Larry has motivated business audiences with keynote speeches on topics related to organization change, teamwork, and leadership. Much of his content is drawn from his personal experience working with clients.

    As with our conference facilitation services, we work with clients to understand their businesses, people, and strategic challenges as part of our preparation. This allows us to tailor our ideas to specific audience needs, which make it easier for people to relate to.

    His keynote speaking experience includes:

  • BP Castrol Asia Pacific
  • Honeywell Controls USA
  • Unilever Thailand
  • Cathay Pacific
  • Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Asia Pacific
  • Australian Chamber of Commerce in Thailand
  • Deacons Hong Kong
  • Marriott Asia Pacific
  • British Chamber of Commerce in Thailand
  • Hewlett Packard Asia Pacific
  • Motorola Asia Pacific