Kristen Illes, Founder and PrincipalIn an interview with Manage HR, Kristen Illes, founder and principal of Kristen Illes Consulting, sheds light on the bespoke approach she takes to implement strategic changes that strengthen her client’s companies.
Client Challenges and How Kristen Illes Consulting Is Addressing Them
Often, clients partner with me because they are experiencing natural challenges with the growth and evolution of their role. To be a successful leader, you need a myriad of skill sets including strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, self awareness and interpersonal skill and bottom line the ability to optimize talent in order to achieve business results.
Clients facing growth challenges often do not have any strategic plan in place. I partner with clients and embrace an inclusive approach that results in an actionable plan that reflects the desired future state and a sustainable path forward. Another challenge in the management landscape is many people underestimate the skills required to manage a firm, and individuals who are good at a single function from the required skillsets are promoted to high management positions while having no prior experience in managing or motivating a team. Management and leadership are complex concepts that involve team and people dynamics, which I train clients on, among many other management aspects. I am a Certified Partner with Predictive Index and wish I had these tools when I was a senior executive and manager. My clients are seeing the results of talent optimization and leveraging these tools with teams, managers and individual contributors. I wear many hats and flex to meet what each client needs as a strategic advisor, executive coach, organizational/leadership/management development consultant, serves as an accountability partner in certain ways because I have encountered the same conditions a senior executive would, and I can train them every step of the way. This includes guiding them on growth opportunities and helping them change habits that are not facilitative. I focus on assisting them in evolving into a high-performance team capable of producing the business results they seek by incorporating new techniques into their work.
Overview of the Company
I founded Kristen Illes Consulting in January 2021, with an emphasis on leadership, organizational development and change management. My clients tend to lead small to midsize companies and are at an inflection point where what has worked for them and their business in the past is no longer serving them. Their companies have grown and require different mindsets and people need to lead and manage in different ways in order for them, their teams and business to be successful.
Depending on the client’s needs, I assist with executive counseling, strategic planning, management training, and workshop facilitation. While working with clients, I take a personalized approach where I learn about them and their challenges before recommending a plan of action to alleviate some of their challenges. This is frequently a combination of working with a senior team on team building and applying shared leadership development and management techniques.
Client Engagement Process—from start to finish
Customers contact Kristen Illes Consulting because they are familiar with me or my work or they heard about the company from a referral. I am a relational, informal, and warm person, and my first approach is to connect with them and understand them to determine our compatibility. This also helps clients understand me and my work better.
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I assist clients in developing the skills to lead organizational transformation and in recognizing the need to transition to a role that goes beyond subject matter expertise
A Before and After Scenario Where Kristen Illes Consulting Made A Difference
Kristen Illes Consulting conducted a training needs assessment for a mortgage company, which illuminated a larger need for strategic planning. I organized an off-site training for the senior team to foster high performance and togetherness. At the end of the process, the client was led through a strategic planning process they created that was actionable with an accompanying management process to insure the plan didn’t collect dust over the year. There was a shared concern voiced at the start of the process that this effort would mirror past efforts and result in very little action and results. One year later, there has been steady progress per the strategic plan and it has served as an anchor during tumult in the mortgage industry. In another case, Kristen Illes Consulting worked with a large, mature hospitality and catering firm. The CEO recognized that the company was founder-centric and there was a need to develop the senior leadership team and culture.
I partnered with the executive team and facilitated a number of team building sessions with a focus on relationship building and creating norms and practices as a team that led to more effective communication and collaboration. This led to partnering with several leadership team members on executive coaching and being a strategic thought partner on issues challenging their departments and teams. Clients rely on me to be honest and non-judgemental. I meet them where they are as individuals and teams and we chart a way forward to unleash their strengths
A Look Into the Future For Kristen Illes Consulting
Kristen Illes Consulting occasionally collaborates with other consultants on certain projects, and as a result, I’ve worked with a variety of clients throughout the years. The company’s growth depends on collaboration with other experts rather than adding additional employees. I am developing a formal business procedure, a back office, and delegating to assist clients better. I am lucky to have a solid network from my 11 years of working with prominent leadership development organizations in New York City, which is helping me support the growth of many.
