LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Dr. Combs has been teaching conflict resolution and leadership development since 1995. Do you need a short session on emotional intelligence or a semester-long intensive course on project management? Look no further. Whether in the university classroom, corporate training center or online, Combs brings a highly interactive workshop method that appeals to the adult learner. We work to make leadership development both fun and productive.
From the one-day leadership development retreat to the semester-long graduate level course, Deidre has designed multiple modules that can be combined and customized. For example, Combs created twenty-one online instructional videos which she combined with supplementary leadership material drawn from top leadership and management experts, so State Department fellows could complete a Leading Change course at their own pace from literally around the world. At Columbia University, Combs combined asynchronous and synchronous instruction to provide a eight-week online Dialoguing in Global Education graduate level certificate course for K-12 teachers.
"I was an ordinary youngster with an overwhelming passion for social work. I’ve never thought that there’s something extraordinary or special about me and then….. I met Deidre! Having her as my personal leadership coach has helped me to perceive myself in a new light and I no more feel like a Regular Girl who do regular things. I knew I had the potential to make a difference but it’s Deidre who made me realize the depth of that potential. I knew I was doing a lot of good deeds but it’s Deidre who made me realize that those deeds are not just good but are exceptional. I’ve had a lot of time to do self-reflections while being coached by Deidre and her consistent encouraging feedback has helped me to evolve as a community leader. My self-confidence has rocketed since I’ve met her and whenever I feel unsure of my capacity to do something, Deidre’s voice rings in my ears and reminds me that I’m born to be a winner. And when someone like Deidre who has coached thousands of exceptional professionals and youth leaders from around the world tells you, you are special and talented, there’s simply no other way about it. You have to make sure to live up to that expectation. At times Deidre is a mentor, at times she’s a coach and at times she’s an elder sister and a friend. She’s definitely among the best things that has happened in my life."
