“As a client for five years, we've discovered that Steve's Systems Approach is logical and effective. He has earned the respect of management and the Board.” Former CEO–Rockwell Federal Credit Union
“Last summer I attended the senior Executive course at the Kellogg Business School at Northwestern University. I found that PWC San Diego was ahead of about 90% of all the companies represented in my session in our Strategic Business Planning and Change efforts. This is a real tribute to Steve Haines and his Centre for their innovative Systems Approach to Strategic Management.”–Former Commanding Officer, Navy Public Works Center, San Diego, CA
“Steve Haines is the finest facilitator I have ever worked with particularly in the strategic planning and change area. His ability to probe, cajole and close the loop on key issues ensures a thorough and complete strategic review. The Model is a superb design.”–CEO, Giant Industries, Inc.
“Strategic planning and strategic change have dramatically changed our school district from a focus on teaching to Excellence in Learning Our Only Business. Steve has facilitated us to new positive relationships with our teacher unions through patience, understanding, coercion, and a clear understanding of group dynamics. He has made a second substantial impact by working us through Strategic Planning. We learned how to use Key Success Measures for learning. By helping us adopt a business model to the school business, we now have a clear focus on the future, a commitment through the active organization, and an increased sense among all employees that what they do is important to our mission.”–Former Superintendent, Poway Unified School District
“Steve did a great presentation by TEC standards (4.8/5.0 evaluation). Steve is ‘the best’ TEC resource we have on strategic management.”–TEC Group Chairman (International CEOs Organization)
“Steve's presentation had excellent practical content regarding strategic management, planning and change. He has an outstanding presentation style. He knows his stuff. I gained real insight into strategic planning.”–CEO (4.7/5.0 evaluation by TEC group)
“All of the participants of the strategic planning and change management courses considered the events a huge success. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise with our public service employees.”–Canadian Provincial departments (4.9/5.0 evaluation)
“Stephen Haines was one of the two stars of the program. The Planning and Change modules were excellent. Haines was more of what I expected to be the standard of all. He is knowledgeable and confident. Someone presenting to 30 executives should come across with authority.”–Executive Participant in two week Senior Executive Development program, Banff Centre for Management, Canada
“One of the best tactical, implemental plans…ever seen. I think this is one of your strengths–to move the strategic down into the tactical and into a performance plan.”–CEO,KVP Systems
“The Alberta Agricultural Products Marketing Council renewed itself six years ago using the Centreā??s Strategic Management System. We have also taken the opportunity to revisit and realign our strategic plan after each three year period, enabling us to further focus and strengthen. Stephen Haines and his system continue to be instrumental in giving out organization a focused direction which has greatly improved our success and positive reputation.”–Former Chairman, Alberta Marketing Council, Canada
“Steve's personal advice and his Centre's framework have a simplicity that we have successfully used to plan and dramatically change our telephone company over the past four years to a much more customer oriented, high performance organization. Our Board of Directors is ecstatic as well. We have a focused company that knows where we need to be three years from now.”–CEO, Evans Telecommunications Company
“We've just had the most profitable year in the 100+ years we've been in existence–and our Strategic Management System installed by the Centre is the major reason why.”–Senior Vice President Human Resource, Sundt Corporation
“CSM helped us create a strategic plan which focused the entire organization on a common vision of customer satisfaction with all aspects of business aligned to improve cost, quality, and response.”–Commanding Officer, Navy Public Works Center, San Diego
“The Hayward Unified School District developed a Strategic Plan this year. Steve Haines, through his adroit facilitation, played a key role in developing this plan. He kept the diverse group of educators and parents who served on the planning committee focused and on task throughout the long and, at times, soul-searching process leading to the creation of Hayward's plan. Steve is a master facilitator who understands the planning process.”–Former Superintendent, Hayward Unified School District
“Steve Haines and colleagues at the Centre for Strategic Management have clearly created a new and elegant level of Strategic Thinking to address the significant problems of today and the future–thinking backwards to the future. Organizations that adopt this new frame of reference substantially improve their probability of long-term success.”–Former Executive Director, Red Angus Association of America
“You delivered! We have a viable Strategic Management Plan to guide us towards our desired outcomes.”–Executive Participant, City of Yuma
“With CSM's help we have seen a much greater and lasting impact on our day to day activities than previous planning efforts have yielded.”–President, Schilling Robotic Systems
“I attended my first TEC meeting two years ago and you were our speaker that day. That meeting to this day has been my favorite because strategic planning has given my managers and me focus. Focus on where we are going and how to get there. Having just finished our third plan, I am confident with the process and now feel like more of a leader than a day to day firefighter. Thank you for bringing your program to TEC.”–President, AmeriSearch
“Steve Haines provided the expertise to take our organization into a living-breathing no nonsense planning cycle that won't gather dust. This is serious stuff. Tourists shouldn't try it. Our Strategic Planning, especially the results, are the best I've ever seen in my long career.”– Chairman, CEO, and Industry “Icon”, Wescorp
“I want to take this opportunity as I prepare to retire from my position as chairman of Best Western's Board of Directors to reaffirm once again my admiration for you and the Centre for Strategic Management. When we asked you to facilitate our self-evaluation and strategic planning, I knew we were asking you to do something very difficult. Best Western is, as you now know, a unique organization in the real definition of that much overused word. All the members of the Board and the senior staff have been impressed at how quickly you were able to comprehend the dual nature of Best Western's personality and your ability to work within philosophies and prejudices that have been ingrained for decades. Your flexibility, keen understanding and positive attitude are in no small measure responsible for what I believe has been a remarkably successful self-assessment.”–Former Chairman of the Board, Best Western International, Inc.
“Installing Steve and the Centre's Strategic Management System contributed to Pulse having its' best year ever. This year is starting off even better.”–CEO, Pulse Engineering, Inc.
“Steve and the Centre for Strategic Management have provided us a framework to not only plan our strategies, but the methodology to execute them. We are greatly pleased.”–COO, WesCorp
“I don't embrace packaged systems quickly as the perfect solution for our business. In the case of Steve and the Centre, I would look at several other planning and change books and manuals. However, each time I found myself coming back to the CSM process and finding it had the answers. It would hit me. This is it!” Senior VP – Cardone Industries, Inc.
“I only heard very positive things re: yesterday's CEC workshop. We Have definitely turned the corner and will continue to move forward. Thanks!”–San Diego Police Department, Head of the Strategic Management Unit
“We have made significant progress in the last two years in gaining the ownership of our Strategic Management System throughout the Department. The outstanding results we are now achieving are a tribute to the hard work it took to get us all working together on the vision. Sandi and Steve have been essential to this success and we could not have done it without them. Thanks again for the coaching.”–Former Chief, San Diego Police Department
“Thank you so much for joining us at our Board of Directors Educational Conference. It was very valuable to have you there to lead us through our Strategic Plan. The review of our Mission and Vision and Core Values was important to ensure that the Board of Directors is still on target with these. To gain their concurrence with our Priority Action Items is important for us to know that the road we are on is the correct one. Again, thank you for your support and guidance during this process. It gets easier and easier!”–President/CEO, Orange County's Credit Union
“Steve came to our business at a time when we were outgrowing our management processes that supported the business so well up to $100 million in sales. The diversity of types of growth that we were now going after (different customer segments, significant increases in new products and value proposition enhancements) were stretching our old ways of decision making. Steve came with his Strategic Management System, which taught us how to think more strategically, but also helped us to better focus on the key initiatives that could be traced back to our vision, mission and necessary steps to reach these 5 years out. Although, not everything was accomplished in the first series of planning sessions, it provided the framework that was continued on for years after, only being modified by HD's new mgt's SOAR process started in 2001 or 2002 (very similar in concept). Steve taught us early on, that once you understood his model for planning, it could be applied to simple project mgt. to extensive strategic plans. I enjoyed applying what Steve taught in many venues. To this day, I am pleased to have had the association with Steve and the significant value he has provided to my career growth and our company's planning capabilities. His teaching and mentoring was clearly a big step in a transformational journey our organization went on for the 3 to 5 years after we met. I believe our highest performing team years were in that period and they in large part were precipitated by the tools Steve taught us and the insight into how to be more strategic in how we approach our business, not just once a year, but day to day.”–EVP & Chief Financial Officer
“When we first started with Steve four years ago, people were all working off different business plans and going in all different directions. With Steve's help, we created ONE vision. The plan is like glue for our organization. It gives us all ONE purpose to strive towards.”–Executive VP, Valley Credit Union
“I sure appreciate you giving your best efforts to help us move forward in Strategic Management. We were a difficult group to say the least. Also, thank you for being a mentor to me in those difficult times. From where I sat, YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE! I hope all continues to go well for you and your publishing/consulting business. May it continue to grow and help others to excel.”–CEO, LMR Solutions
“The compliments were meant, thanks for leading us as a team, the direction is essential in getting us to where we want to go. We will be busy gearing up to meet our new goals, so watch the charts.”–Director, LeTip
“It was indeed a pleasure attending the seminar conducted by you. For me personally it was very enriching two days as it gave me a different slant & perspective on how we can look at our business. Also I felt that you along with Jay conducted the same with a keen insight into the practicality factor rather than looking at it very superficially. I look forward to attending many more sessions which you would be conducting in the future.”–General Manager Business Development, UPS, Mumbai, India
“If everyone used the systems-thinking approach that Terry has taught me — I can only imagine how different this world would be.”
Dan Cheng — Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
“Terry Schmidt has the ability to turn a dry subject in to a fun and practical learning experience.”
Sam Croce —
Northrop Grumman
“Awesome teacher, Terry really drives strategic planning home. I'll use this with my team aboard the ship. Thank you very much.”
Ash Cloris Jr. — US Navy, USS Enterprise
“Terry is a great instructor with a great sense of humor and excellent skills for motivating a maximum learning experience.”
Juesgen Dettling — Hewlett-Packard, Germany
“Instructor Knowledge and enthusiasm are extremely important to transfer learning. Terry epitomizes they values.”
Jon Edger — Honeywell
“Terry is a very energetic, very approachable and widely experienced person in strategic management. We learned a lot from him.”
Salmah Kassim — Malaysian Centre for Remote Sensing
“Focused, knowledgeable and engaging. I Highly recommend Terry if you are looking to understand what ‘Strategic Management’ really is.”
Shane Taylor — H&R Block Mortgage Corp
“Terry is a wonderful and lively instructor. If he were my uncle, I would keep him away from the eggnogs at the Christmas dinner.”
David Giramma — Synopsys, Inc
“Your system is simple and practical for use in future life and in work. For my personal life, I use this method for planning my career and family. For my job, I use with my team and for day-to-day operation, and it helps us improve productivity even more.”
Wanchai Sri-Isaraporn — Toyota Motor Thailand Co., Ltd
“This course made me focus on systems thinking and look beyond more analytical thought process.”
Stu Jossey — Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Gold Mastery Certifications