Employee Spotlight: Meet Katherine Coles

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With over 15 years of experience, Katherine Coles is an expert when it comes to supporting organization performance, strategic planning and strategy implementation, leadership development and coaching, diversity and inclusion, and change management initiatives. She is passionate about helping leaders and teams build inclusive cultures and achieve organizational goals. Whether she's coaching new leaders, executives, or individual contributors, Katherine knows how to help people unlock their full potential. A dynamic facilitator, one of Katherine's greatest strengths is her ability to design and deliver interactive workshops, customized to address specific customer needs.

What are you responsible for at LMI?

As LMI’s Practice Area Lead, Organization Performance on our Management Advisory Services, Human Capital Solutions team, I use adult learning principles to provide team and leadership training that expand awareness, capability, and organizational effectiveness.

How long have you been with LMI? 

About 18 months

Why did you choose LMI? 

I am part of the 2021 Suntiva acquisition.

What advice would you provide to someone interested in your field?

Stay curious. Know thy-self, including recognizing your biases. Check your assumptions. Get comfortable with ambiguity. Be a partner, committed to the customer’s mission and goals.

If you could tell your 13-year-old self one thing, what would it be?

Be willing to be vulnerable, your honesty will build trust and engender strong partnerships—you are enough.

What do you see as your greatest accomplishments, both professionally and personally?

Making work meaningful for all, creating team commitment to organizational success, and showing individuals the value of impact versus intent.

What is it about you that most folks don’t know?

Most people do not know that I am an introvert. As an introvert, people assume I must be shy and not like people. However, I love people, and I am shy. And I love facilitating. This is where I engage with the dynamics that elevate or hinder a team. I give all my energy to the people in the room. I am fully in, holding space for the difficult conversations and risks involved in trying new behaviors and showing up differently. As much as I love doing this, after a day of facilitating, I need at least two days to completely recharge.

Be willing to be vulnerable, your honesty will build trust and engender strong partnerships—you are enough.