A true partnership that goes beyond surface-level fixes
About Ott Leadership
Where others see mess,
we see opportunity
We’re willing to get into the grime if that’s where you happen to be. We don’t scare easily and the more complex and mucky something looks, the more excited we get.
So if you’re looking for a leadership program that’s pre-packaged and impersonal, a leadership development training video you can watch, a platform you can log into and just check off modules, never interacting with an actual human … we aren’t going to work out.
We start with the impact you want to make and figure out the best way to get there through transformational coaching for leadership.
No matter how muddy the situation might seem now — we’re ready to guide you through it.
Meet Steve Ott, leadership coach & founder of Ott Leadership
I’ve spent a lot of time around leaders, both in leadership roles myself as well as providing business leadership coaching to others.
And I’ve realized something pretty crucial about leaders.
They’re not born. They’re developed.
And sometimes it’s a tough situation that speeds up that development …
Every leader has an origin story…
Mine started in elementary school, when I saved the entire campus from certain death. (Well, according to fifth-grade me.)
I was staring out the classroom window, and I spotted what I was convinced was a blazing inferno. Instead of alerting a teacher like a sensible person, I devised an elaborate rescue plan involving wet paper towels and convincing another kid to pull the fire alarm.
Luckily, the fire burned itself out before I could rush into the “inferno” (turns out it was a bird’s nest near electric wires), and yes, the teachers may have had some strong words with me, but something more important happened that day.
I'd unknowingly executed my first leadership initiative. I saw a big challenge, had a vision for how to solve it, developed a plan, and most importantly, delegated a key task to a willing teammate. That kid pulled that fire alarm the way no fire alarm has been pulled since.
You’ll be pleased to note I’ve refined my process since fifth grade...
Well, that's my origin story. Here's where I am now...
Since that day, I’ve been in many other spaces where growth has been stifled by bad leadership.
But I’ve had the absolute pleasure of seeing the other side, where focused leadership results in things just working.
I’ve spent over 16 years in non-profit and private sectors, always, always paying close attention.
That’s my superpower, really. I notice everything.
It helped me design and refine leadership development coaching approaches that I’ve implemented time and again, tailoring them to fit each organization’s unique challenges.
When results become tangible?
There’s nothing like it.
Case Study
Empowering Abilities: A Growing Not-for-Profit for Special Needs Individuals
Jeff Ashcraft had been looking for a solution to these challenges for several years. When his senior vice president resigned, he decided it was the right time to make a change.
Upon coming into his new position as President and CEO, Ashcraft noticed several challenges within the organization that hindered Empowering Abilities’ day-to-day activities. First and foremost, the organization’s culture was fragmented across multiple departments. Each individual department had its own unique subculture, causing the organization to lack a cohesive vision for what their culture should be.
Furthermore, some members of the organization were holding onto an older, more authoritarian and transactional style of leadership and culture management that caused employees and volunteers to become disillusioned.
Now?
Empowering Abilities is now in the process of transforming its middle management team; the organization will soon be engaging with Ott Leadership again to dig Empowering Abilities’ cultural roots even deeper using the same transformational skills that have empowered its leadership team.
You’re still reading?
Shucks. Okay…Would it impress you if I told you I can juggle knives? (No seriously, I can)
Outside of being the ‘leadership coach guy,’ you’ll find me cheering on the Detroit Lions with my family, walking my dog, or in the gym (in case I ever need to sprint to save the school from another fire, you know?)
I’m famous for leaving a home project at 97% done, accidentally starting a pingpong club in high school, and … that time I got lost in Canyonlands National Park. My sense of direction is limited to helping organizations find their way. If we’re in the actual wilderness together, it’s probably time to panic.
And now I would really love to stop talking about me and learn more about you.
Ready for a real conversation?
Let’s chat about what’s holding your organization back, and how I can save the day with our leadership coaching services. No obligations, no cost – just a chat about where you’re at and where you want to be instead.