Keith Allbritten, Senior Leadership Consultant, has held various leadership positions throughout his career. Before coming on board with Solutions 21, he served as Chief Operating Officer, where he led 1100 employees across numerous company divisions, including logistics, operations, IT, finance, and human resources. Keith dealt with a range of issues, including change management, employee relations, retention, talent management, leader development, succession planning, unions, investigations, audits, and inspections. His enterprise CEO ranked Keith’s organization as #1 of 90 across the country.
Describe what it feels like for you the moment that a client “gets it” as part of your coaching or instruction.
You feel like you’ve been helpful. You can see the light bulb come on, and you know. I love to point out something powerful they’ve said; sometimes they don’t even realize what they said until I repeat it back to them. These epiphanies they come to don’t just happen, they occur as a result of the questions we ask, questions that no one else is asking them. That’s why it’s so special.
What drew you to become a part of the Solutions 21 team?
The excellence of the team. One of our teammates has a quote he uses, “You’ll never work so hard to be so average.” That is true for Solutions 21. We have professional athletes, highly trained military veterans, folks with doctorates–there is so much experience on this team. The bar is set very high on this team and I love it.
Describe a moment when a client surprised you in some way.
It happens all the time! I learn something every time I talk to a client, whether in a workshop or a coaching session. I love how they say things in ways I never thought of; they make such powerful statements, and I get to be there for it. That’s what makes the journey so interesting, I get to walk it with the folks I meet.
Anything else you’d like to share with the Solutions 21 social channels?
You will become a better leader on your own, but you will get there faster with a coach. And there are some things you will never fix; those things are blind spots and you just won’t see them. I once coached a client that had an uncomfortable stare. He didn’t know he was doing it. That’s just not something that folks will tell you, and if I wasn’t there to tell him, no one would have. That alone is worth the investment.