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?? Hot Tip: Run Momentum Sessions. What's a Momentum Session, you ask? A Momentum Session in my world comes in the form of something like a 60-minute virtual call about 4-6wks after a learning experience. You know how after you attend a training, conference, or retreat you have these AMAZING takeaways that you're going to implement RIGHT away, and they're going to change your world? And then a few weeks later (if you even look back at your notes...) you see the parts of your notes that you highlighted, circled, and emphasized with your choice icons (?, ?? , ??), and you're like... "Yeah...I guess I did write that, didn't I...?" Well, the idea of a Momentum Session is to help boost your memory of what you just learned so that you can maximize the value of your time and energy investment. It takes a lot for our brains to fully remember something you learned. It often requires additional review, application, and even teaching others for it to truly stick in your brain. For instance, yesterday I held a Momentum Session for those who participated in the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals' Forum program. Four weeks ago during Forum I ran an interactive session with them on Change Management and Influencing Without Authority, during which they learned about theory and worked on applying it through small group work. At the Momentum Session yesterday, several people brought excellent questions from their work to the group, and we were able to apply the theories to help guide their next steps. Several times participants said, "Oh yeah, I forgot about that!" Well, good thing we reviewed it! By boosting their knowledge a few weeks later, by practicing application in a real work context, and by having others there to give feedback, we're extending the impact of the original learning. So, next time you set the date for a learning opportunity, simultaneously put a Momentum Session on the calendar for 4-6 weeks later. This is a pretty standard offering that I make with my clients, and I encourage you to seek out the same! ___________________________________ ?? Hi, there! I'm Megan E. Mozina, Principal Consultant at Cresta Solutions - crestasolutions.com. I partner with purpose-driven leaders so that their teams can collaborate and innovate in order to deliver on strategic change initiatives. It sometimes involves training, and it often involves facilitation and Momentum Sessions! Curious about how I might be able to help you? Let me know! #PurposeDriven #PurposeDrivenLeaders #PurposeDrivenTeams

"I couldn't do it without you." You know how people say that? Well, when it comes to Volunteers, it's true. I'm continually astounded by the time, effort, and expertise that volunteer board members contribute to my nonprofit clients. And then by extension, I'm able to work with those amazing people! As a Peace Corps Volunteer, I was blown away by the determination and effort that I saw many of my fellow PCVs give to their host communities. When I worked at the Office of Community Service (now the Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service) at my alma mater The George Washington University, I had the privilege of working with students who, despite so many demands on their time, prioritized volunteerism. I can give countless examples from every period in my life. So, Happy National Volunteer Week to all those who volunteer, regardless in what form. And for anyone who wants to get more into volunteerism but isn't sure how to start, I volunteer to have a chat with you. (You know I had to hit that dorky pun! ??) ___________________________________ ?? Hi, there! I'm Megan E. Mozina, Principal Consultant at Cresta Solutions - crestasolutions.com. I partner with purpose-driven leaders so that their teams can collaborate and innovate in order to deliver on strategic change initiatives. Curious about how I might be able to help you? Reach out for a chat! #PurposeDriven #PurposeDrivenLeaders #PurposeDrivenTeams

5 minutes ago My dear purpose-driven leaders: Whew! Leading a team of leaders is challenging. The members of your leadership team have so much going on, their own ways of working, and their own areas of responsibility. They are doing all that they can to own and lead their respective areas. So, what happens when the big, hairy problems rise to the leadership team? I know you want to be able to draw on them — though you want to make sure they check their “Department Head hat” at the door, since you need (and want!) them to help you lead the organization as a whole. How do you imagine that playing out? Some people not engaging? While others dominate? The team debating stagnant ideas? Or spiraling around the same ol’ rabbit holes? The Big Question here is: How might you leverage the most of this smart, passionate, busy group of leaders — especially when you already have so much going on? It sounds like you need a trusted buddy in your corner with you. And it sounds like you need help pulling everyone together in a meaningful, productive way. That’s what you get from me. When working with me, you have a strategic partner who helps you narrow in on what you need from the team, and then I help you make it happen. What they might see is a leadership retreat/offsite, a strategic planning series, and/or some ideation sessions. But what happens behind the scenes is that you and I work together before, during, and after these challenging times, through a series of Executive Coaching or Strategy Sessions. As a result, you gain clarity, support, accountability — and hopefully relief! Then when you need to leverage your team for that strategic initiative, I design and facilitate sessions to get that done. And you know what? They’re not boring! The sessions are designed to be engaging and conversation-based. With me, facilitation is a tool to go from chaos and discord to inclusion and productivity. Sometimes the sessions involve training on Creative Problem Solving, Project Leadership, or Strategic Planning, so that the whole leadership team has a consistent, collaborative approach to their work. Sometimes it involves deep dives into a specific initiative or challenge of your group, so that the team is challenged to think deeper and more expansively to get to innovative solutions. I arrive with my consultant mindset, adult educator heart, and facilitation superpowers — and I leave behind a more collaborative, connected team who you feel confident can lead innovative solutions that benefit the entire organization. ______________________________________ The above is my (Megan E. Mozina's) new LinkedIn About section. I welcome your feedback on it, my friends! ??

?? Hey, social impact professionals - One week left to register to join us in Chicago for a fantastic learning opportunity with the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP)! When is it? April 8-11 By when do you need to register? >>>March 22<<< Who is it for? Professionals who are in the early stages of their corporate social impact career. What is it? Forum is a comprehensive educational program for professionals with three or fewer years in the field. Forum attendees receive immersive, hands-on education alongside a cohort of peers (max cohort size is 50 attendees). I'm looking forward to being one of the speakers/facilitators at the ACCP Forum. I'll be facilitating sessions on Change Management and Influencing without Authority, which are two important leadership competencies when trying to move initiatives forward. If you're not familiar with ACCP yet and you work in corporate social impact, please check out the org. I've worked with them on multiple engagements over the years, and their team is TOP NOTCH! They truly care about their members' growth and about providing real value to their members. Forum will be a fantastic experience! ___________________________________ ?? Hi, there! I'm Megan, Principal Consultant Cresta Solutions - crestasolutions.com I partner with purpose-driven leaders so that their teams can collaborate and innovate in order to deliver on strategic change initiatives. Curious about how I might be able to help you? Let me know! #SocialImpact #SocialImpactLeaders #CSR

When I did this a few years ago, it was a blast. Join me, and spread the word! Let's do a Consultation Exchange! WHO? Purpose-Driven Org Leaders (CEOs, Exec Directors, Division/Dept Heads, Board Members, etc.) WHAT? 60min Zoom call with Megan E. Mozina --30min: You get free consulting from me. --30min: I get your feedback on my ideas for?Cresta Solutions - crestasolutions.com. WHEN? By 22 March HOW? Book at https://lnkd.in/g_k6hfXe WHY? To help each other learn and grow!

What does it mean that I'm re-certified as a "Strategy Planning Professional" through the International Association for Strategy Professionals (formerly the Association for Strategic Planning)? It means that several years ago I (1) applied for the credential and (2) passed the exam. Then recently, I (3) completed the application to re-certify, which documented that over the past few years, I've: —Led strategic planning processes with a variety of organizations, —Taught others how to develop strategy and plans, and —Read and continued to learn about the discipline. While there is value in having an unbiased group of my peers determine that I deserve a particular credential, and while I appreciate having it, I hope that my clients primarily want to work with me because we are values-aligned and they appreciate my approach. There are a lot of consultants who CAN do the work, but you're likely to have the best results when selecting someone from that pool with whom you align on values and approach! Have a hunch that I might be that person? Reach out! ___________________________________ ?? Hi, there! I'm Megan, Principal Consultant at Cresta Solutions - crestasolutions.com. I partner with purpose-driven leaders so that their teams can collaborate and innovate in order to deliver on strategic change initiatives. Want to talk strategy? #PurposeDriven #StrategyDevelopment #StrategicPlanning

How might we use Creative Problem Solving to impact social change? ?? I had the immense pleasure of facilitating that topic last week at Columbia College Chicago. Like the purpose-driven leaders with whom I work, these students were hungry for answers about how to solve societal challenges. While there are no easy answers to these types of challenges — since if there were, they would've been solved long ago — I strongly believe in using frameworks to structure our approach so that we're >>>leading a project<<< not just letting the swirling, nebulous problem confound us. We discussed: —The relationship between Creativity and Innovation —The Creative Problem Solving Process —How limitations can actually enhance creativity (however counterintuitive that seems!) —How frameworks for problem-solving are especially useful for purpose-driven leaders —And so much more! Thank you to Peggy Parfenoff for inviting me. You know how I love being on a college campus! ___________________________________ ?? Hi, there! I'm Megan, Principal Consultant at Cresta Solutions - crestasolutions.com I partner with purpose-driven leaders so that their teams can collaborate and innovate in order to deliver on strategic change initiatives. Do you think your team would benefit from learning about how they might leverage Creative Problem Solving in their work? Let me know! #PurposeDriven #HigherEducation #SocialImpact

"You're one of the strongest facilitators I've ever seen." After an engagement with Argonne National Laboratory, then Chief Communications Officer Leslie Heidenreich Krohn responded to my question "How do you feel the session went?" by saying: "You're one of the strongest facilitators I've ever seen. So buttoned up, you knew exactly where you were going, how much time to allot, you knew where on the Mural it needed to be. Your instructions in the moment for the next task at hand, always spot on... I facilitate a bunch of stuff, and I was really impressed with how you led the group through each section. Compliments on that. The thing that I actually found most helpful was the way the whole...session was set up. Without any guidance — I couldn't have found the output more helpful and I hope that the team members found the output helpful." _________________________________ As a recovering perfectionist who is ever fighting against my Type-A nature, comments like this feel as good as scratching a deep itch. While nothing is perfect, and I try not to strive for perfection, I do still strive for: ?? Quality and impact. ?? Engagement and delight. I'm grateful that we achieved that with my Argonne engagement. _________________________________ ?? Hi, I'm Megan, Principal of Cresta Solutions - crestasolutions.com Solutions. I serve as a strategic partner for purpose-driven leaders who need their teams to collaborate and innovate to deliver on strategic initiatives. The secret sauce that I bring to those engagements is my facilitation skills, as in the example above. Curious about how I might serve as a strategic partner for you? Let me know! #PurposeDrivenLeaders #PurposeDrivenLeadership #StrategicPartner

If you've ever spent five minutes with me, you probably know that I love books and dark chocolate. And you probably know that I think Creative Problem Solving + Change Management are the answers to just about every human and organizational challenge. I'm grateful to share my expertise at the CREA Conference with professionals who are similarly impassioned — though I'm much more grateful for all that I'll learn from them! Going to Italy for work isn't something to complain about either. ?? Will I see you there? ___________________________________ What's the CREA Conference? "CREA Conference is the Creative Learning Community that fosters creative thinking and creative behavior. It has been designed by and for professionals from all over the world to meet and network, share their learning, diverse backgrounds, experiences and points of view. CREA Conference holds a core expertise in Creative Problem Solving, a comprehensive thinking framework built for developing creative solutions to problems, initially developed by Alex Osborn and Sidney Parnes in the 1950s. It also offers the learning of a variety of cutting-edge methods, tools and techniques linked to Creativity and Innovation, such as Design Thinking, Agile and Polarity Thinking." Also, a big thank you to FourSight for sponsoring the conference! ___________________________________ ?? Hi, there! I'm Megan, Principal Consultant & Facilitator at Cresta Solutions - crestasolutions.com If you want to chat about how Creative Problem Solving + Change Management might apply to the human and org challenges you're facing, let me know! #CreativeProblemSolving #ChangeManagement #Creativity

?? A poem, a video (turn on sound), and Happy New Year wishes from Cresta Solutions! From Montana to New Hampshire, From San Diego to NYC, We've helped leaders and teams That wonder "What might we be?" Over 820 people served, At 13 purpose-driven organizations, Collaborating, innovating,? Strategically enhancing?communications. While in 2023 we've enjoyed Facilitation as our main service, We look forward to deeper impact With strategic partnership as our core focus. From higher ed to large nonprofits, From associations to a national lab, Thanks for being part of our 2023, The experience, completely fab! _____________________________ To see how we might collaborate in 2024, you can reach out to Megan E. Mozina. Looking forward to hearing from you!