LAVADA ENGLISH, MBA
LaVada English is the CEO and Founder of Bright Places, Inc. She holds an MBA in Human Resource Management and is a certified Intercultural development coach. The vision for better psychologically healthy work environments has driven LaVada to educate leaders and teams for over two decades.
We help you embed trust and belonging into your leadership, teams, and culture.
SERVICES
Leadership Life Coaching
Belonging Education (DEI)
Strengths-Based Communication
Foundational Leadership
COACHING &
LEARNING PATHS
Diversity Equity and Inclusion
1. Organizational change strategies
2. Facing resistance and championing change
3. Discovering your developmental capacity to navigate differences in people
Foundational Leadership
1. What leadership really means
2. The peaks and valleys of guiding people
3. Influence without title
Leadership Life Coaching
1. Tapping into your full potential as a leader
2. Leveraging the full potential of your team
3. Controlling your life’s narrative with the pressure of leadership
ABOUT BRIGHT PLACES
At Bright Places, we work with leaders and teams to embed greater levels of trust and belonging within your organization. We educate, coach, and strategize as a partner in reaching your people development goals.
LaVada English is the CEO and Founder of Bright Places, Inc. She holds an MBA in Human Resource Management and is a certified Intercultural development coach. In addition, LaVada holds several leadership and strategic people management certifications. The vision for better psychologically healthy work environments has driven LaVada to educate leaders and teams for over two decades.
Our Framework helps in building greater skills in Leadership Influence, Respect and Trust. We challenge organizations to go beyond surface levels of awareness and embrace the journey of change in your practices, policies, and culture.
How we help
Leadership Coaching
Our coaching program is vision focused and moves leaders into the possibilities of greater influence, respect, and trust in both professional and personal life. The experience involves one-on-one coaching and education resources aimed at enhancing people leadership skills and the normalization of psychological belonging workplace cultures. Our certified coaching programs include CPEC (Personal and Executive coaching) and IDI (Intercultural Development.)
Belonging Education (DEI)
Our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging workshops are designed for executives and DEI decision makers (such as diversity councils.) Beginning with conversations and activities that offer a non-polarizing approach, we take learners through a process of discovery and greater levels of understanding. We challenge leaders to step out of comfort and into an equitable approach for every employee.
Foundational Leadership
Our stand- alone foundational leadership series focuses on fundamental education and is designed to enhance and cultivate an inclusive mindset. Learners grasp the concept of influence through the development of self-confidence and the ability to embrace transparency, integrity, equity, and courage.
Foundational Team Education
Leaders and teams work together effectively when they hold a common language, understand the same work cultural concepts, and adapt effective communication skills. Our education helps build healthy team relationships and provides learners with the tools they need to handle conflict, change, and increasing expectations.
Speaking Engagements
One of LaVada’s most cherished parts of her work is speaking about the values and actions of inclusive leadership. With over 20 years of experience, she is proud to bring her unique perspectives to your event. Contact us today for more information on Keynote, Panel, Podcast, and other appearances.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION
Bright Places, Inc. provides consultation, research, data analysis, written reports, presentations, leadership and staff education and any additional applicable support in the efforts to increase diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in the workforce.
DEIB is organizational alignment. Implementing DEIB strategies ensure we are addressing any misalignment with the mission, vision, and values of your company. A defined DEIB strategy includes clear governance, strong leadership advocacy, clear accountability, specific goals, and initiatives that are customized to meet the organization’s needs and challenges.
Our team of experts bring diversity of experience and perspectives. We have designed critical DEIB Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) to support measurable change.
The KPI’s are designed to:
- Protect companies from violation of current or projected DEIB requirements and disclosures.
- Support companies in the creation of a DEIB strategy that must consider the nuances of each department.
- Assess the current state of DEIB through organizational data and focus groups, not based on current trends and fads in DEIB training.
- With a DEIB strategy project team, identify a clear purpose for DEIB, upheld by defined strategic pillars, carried out by specific DEIB initiatives.
- Implement DEIB across the organization with initiatives that support the employee lifecycle.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Key Performance Indicators:
A. Effective psychologically safe DEIB governance processes
B. Anchored financial commitment to structural DEIB
C. Measurable executive and board of directors advocacy and commitment to DEIB
D. Alignment with current and projected DEIB state/federal disclosures and EEO laws
E. Leadership and staff demographic alignment
F. Established measurable DEIB standards of operation (SOP’s)
i. Annual DEIB education requirements for all leadership and staff
ii. Annual DEIB auditing and amendment processes
iii. Annual DEIB transparency report requirements
iv. Embedded DEIB internal processes and regulations
v. Embedded DEIB external processes and regulations
vi. Clear Internal and external DEIB messaging
Intercultural Development Continuum
What’s your capacity to navigate differences? What’s the organization’s capacity to navigate differences? It’s important to get a clear picture of where you are so you know the route most effective in getting you to “inclusive.”
Our education framework is embedded in the scientific principles of the Intercultural
Development Inventory otherwise known as the “IDI.”
The IDI is a tool and a model that focuses on increasing intercultural relationships and overall capacity for difference. The instrument is used by thousands of individuals and organizations globally to build
skills in navigating differences that support diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging efforts. In contrast to “personal characteristic” instruments, the IDI is a cross-culturally valid, reliable, and generalizable measurement along a five – orientation continuum (IDC). Learn more.
The Five Primary Orientations along what is referred to as the “Intercultural Development Continuum” help us understand if we are viewing differences through a Monocultural Mindset or Intercultural Mindset. This is a shift in the way we’ve been approaching Diversity Equity and Inclusion education. How we connect with concepts like “unconscious bias, microaggressions, and allyship have so much to do with where we are along this continuum. If you’re ready to get “real” with your perceptions and your organizational readiness, this journey will be life changing for you and the people around you.
Standard IDI Programs:
Includes one of each below.
● Key stakeholder planning consultation
● DEIB foundational education workshop with detailed overview of the Intercultural Development process
● IDI group and individual assessment
● IDI group and individual report analysis
● IDI group debrief
● IDI individual coaching session
IDI Coaching Programs
Includes post DEI foundational education, planning and coaching to assist with efforts in areas such as:
● Holistic leadership
● Diversity hiring and retention efforts
● DEI practices and policies
● DEI metrics and data analysis
OUR LEARNING EXPERIENCES
Each topic is offered virtually or in person.
*Our team of cultural experts, psychology professionals, organizational development specialists, and curriculum designers add learning topics as trends and needs evolve. If there is a “people topic” you do not see here that may help with what you are working to improve or enhance, just let us know!
Strengths Based Team
(People Leaders/Teams)
Receive self and team insight as you discover your unique patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Grasp the practical use of emotional intelligence in the workplace. Gain a greater ability to work productively with your colleagues. Understand the benefits of a fully engaged partnership with leadership.
Strengths-Based Communication
(People Leaders/Teams)
Examine ways we can improve our approach to work with our peers. Tapping deeper into the knowledge we gained as we explored our talents and strengths, we will apply practical techniques and explore specific work challenges.
Diversity. Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
(People Leaders/Teams)
This series expands perspectives and challenges assumptions of ourselves, our work, and the people we work with and serve. It explores principles and techniques to address inequity, unconscious bias, microaggressions, and permissible culture. Gain introductory strategies to take action to help targeted individuals and populations, broadly and in concentrated situations.
Intercultural Development (DEIB II)
(People Leaders/Teams)
Learn to apply the appropriate DEIB strategies by discovering your organization’s mindset and skillset toward cultural differences and commonality. Gain valuable insights about how your teams are engaging cultural differences. This experience includes individual and group assessments and reports; designed to increase cultural self and others’ understanding of differences and commonalities.
Civil Workplace Leadership
(People Leaders)
Discover how professional, fair conduct relates to and furthers the organization’s mission. Define when and how organizational policy and the laws governing conduct, behavior, and performance. Identify when managers have a responsibility to take action to address workplace issues. Utilize management guidelines to ensure fair and equal treatment in the workplace.
Civil Workplace Teams
(Teams)
Discover how professional, fair conduct relates to and furthers the organization’s mission. Define when and how organizational policy and the law governing conduct, behavior, and performance. Identify when colleagues are responsible for speaking up and getting help with workplace issues.
Foundations of Leadership
(People Leaders)
This series helps leaders understand their role, increase self-awareness, and develop the strengths needed to improve positive relationships, activate motivation, and mobilize team members in the right direction.
Self-Leadership
(Teams)
Move from thinking singularly to a whole team approach. This series emphasizes the importance of setting strategic self-goals and high self-standards. It focuses on aligning your work approach with the needs of your immediate group, your supervisor, management, and the organization.
Employee Performance Reviews
(People Leaders)
The employee review process is often perceived as a process of judgment. During this series, we will challenge this perception as we focus on coaching employees in self-development and evaluation. We will examine the benefits of taking feedback and gain an understanding of your current EPR process and of the competencies we are expecting our staff to master.
Situational Leadership
(People Leaders)
The Situational Leadership series equips leaders with the skills necessary to drive behavior change and increase productivity. For nearly 50 years, the Situational Leadership Model has enabled leaders at all levels of the organization to influence others more effectively.
Emotional Intelligence
(People Leaders/Teams)
This series explores the four critical components of EQ, including Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Others Awareness (Empathy), and Social Awareness. Increase EQ aptitude and discover current EQ levels. Learn how to manage your emotions in challenging situations in your work and personal life.
Leadership Coaching
(People Leaders)
This series equips people leaders with the coaching skills necessary to help take their employees to the next level and continue to build on a culture of strengths with impactful conversations and powerful relationships. Learn the 4-part framework designed to move efforts forward and increase personal accountability for long-term success.
Pricing
- $6000 per standard virtual session
- $7,500 per standard in-person session
- 12-months access to supporting learning videos
Virtual experiences include three 90-minutes sessions per topic, and in-person education is three hours per topic.
OUR COACHING EXPERIENCES
*The one-on-one coaching experience is designed to focus energies forward and address any barriers to achieving both long- and short-term goals. Leaders engage in 1 hour coaching sessions to address challenges or to explore full-cycle growth and development.
LaVada utilizes a framework adapted from her studies with leadership expert, John Maxwell. The 4-part approach is interactive and conversational; helping her clients gain greater accountability for their outcomes and equipping them with practical tools in mastering critical competencies.
Those competencies include:
Adaptability – Open minded; demonstrates flexibility when faced with workplace challenges.
Emotional Intelligence – Manages behaviors, navigates social complexities, and makes positive professional and personal decisions.
External Awareness – Sees things from multiple points of view. Aware of how actions impact others. keeps up to date with issues relevant to the area of responsibility.
Customer Experience – Seeks awareness of customer needs and looks for ways to serve and leverage experiences; to create positive long-term customer relationships.
Communication – Actively listens and supports the organization through clear written and verbal presentation of information.
Coaching – Identifies and develops people talent. Ability to guide for success, producing professional and personal growth.
Conflict Resolution – Successfully brings people together who have differences to support positive business outcomes.
Cultural Intelligence – Appreciates and leverages capabilities, insights, and ideas across a group of individuals diverse in culture, style ability, and drive. Highly aware of the benefits of inclusiveness.
Influence – Consistently directs situations without the need for an authoritative assignment. Directs situations and inspires people to win as a team.
Interpersonal Skills – Consistent ability to build lasting relationships of trust and respect inside and outside of the organization.
Initiative – Proactively makes things happen. Makes positive corrective action. Evaluates self and others and practices self- discipline.
Leadership – Drives business results by aligning the organization’s vision, mission, and values to enhance business outcomes. Able to lead others without relying on titles. Successfully enlist the cooperation of others while tapping into their highest skills and abilities; to achieve high performing results.
Professionalism – Credible image of maturity and integrity through both verbal and non-verbal communication.
Results Oriented – Passionate about winning and focused on team victory as well as individual pursuits.
Strategic Decision Making – Obtains and understands facts, weighs risk, and objectively prioritizes alternatives that result in decisive action.
Pricing
- Coaching sessions are one hour
- Coaching packages begin at 10 sessions
- The cost for each session begins at $500; additional package rates are offered
Interested in one on one coaching?
(747) 242-0748
5665 W. Wilshire Blvd #1313
Los Angeles, CA 90036
