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Testimonials
“Direkt Approach is our go-to training company for over
15 years! They lead excellent sessions on a variety of
topics conducive to learning and development of
employees. Their candid and earnest approach to teaching
is not only encouraging but also needed for employees to
succeed. Working with them on customizing training
and improving current courses has been of great benefit
for our team. Their goal is to assist your organization
in succeeding and they do so with warmth, knowledge and
influence.”
- Natalia Rayzor, SHRM-CP, PHR, Employee Development
Officer, IU Credit Union
“My first, second and third recommendation to any
business owner is to hire Direkt Approach. Jennifer Hart
and Susie Hinkle will be invaluable contributors to any
business! Their unique insights and talents were
absolutely essential to my business successes.”
- Michael Fitzgerald – CEO of Sunrise Greetings;
Vice-Chairman of Equipment Technologies; Chairman of
Deer Park Investors
“Susie and Jennifer are a dynamic and complimentary duo
of positive energy, practicality and wisdom that deliver
results. It has been my good fortune to have worked with
Susie and Jennifer with 4 different companies over a
span of two decades. Whether it was attending my first
Direkt Approach class as a rising leader or creating
custom leadership training modules as a senior leader, I
always felt like there was no better investment of my
time. Susie and Jennifer are authentic, practiced
business leaders, and believers in people. They are
truly gifted at helping others fulfill their potential.
Thematic to my experience with Direkt Approach is a
customized training experience with direct connection to
the business and organizational needs. This intentional
alignment and action-biased coursework is an experience
that not only makes you think, but makes you feel.”
- Ryan Hawkins, SVP and Head of Manufacturing, Molecular
Templates;
Chief Operating Officer, Cook Pharmica
“Direkt Approach has become my go-to source for
professional development. The coaching relationships
that have been established have increased my confidence
and facilitated acceleration of my career. The training
and coaching programs have also improved the performance
of my staff.”
- Lauren Smith, Senior Director, Quality, Catalent
Biologics
“Susie and Jennifer from Direkt Approach provided me
with one on one career coaching. They provided tailored
advice to help make me more effective as a leader, with
colleagues, as well as helping me with how to
effectively communicate on a range of mission critical
topics with company leadership. They drew from years of
experience and studies providing examples of
philosophies and approaches that not only allowed me to
view problems through a different lens, but equipped me
to handle a range of scenarios I have encountered since
then. Their advice and guidance has been invaluable in
not only my career, but for companies or institutions I
have worked for and I don’t doubt will work with in the
future. As a senior leader, my professional toolkit,
enhanced through Direkt Approach’s coaching, has allowed
me to advance in my career, giving me once in a lifetime
opportunities that may not have been available had I not
gained the confidence they helped cultivate.”
- Simin Zaidi, Senior Director, Manufacturing Sciences
and Technology in Biologics, University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine
“I have a great appreciation for the business background
that Jennifer and Susie bring to their coaching and
training. There is no better teacher than real world
experience and they are able to quickly assimilate
challenges I am facing. They have been in my shoes, so
they can take a concept for improving business
functions, explain how to implement it and anticipate
outcomes. The work that Susie and Jennifer do with
clients is based on their expertise in the business
world, not theory. Critical thinking is at the forefront
of my coaching experience with Susie and Jennifer. They
are constantly taking a deep dive with me, asking the
hard questions and offering fresh perspectives. I view
our work together as a mutual investment built on trust
and respect. Jennifer and Susie are two of my biggest
advocates and I walk away from coaching sessions with
renewed energy, confidence and focus. I want to
emphasize how invaluable it is to have an outside
resource like Direkt Approach. I have utilized Jennifer
and Susie to train my staff and my Board of Directors.
They are engaging and offer a third-party perspective
which is key to breaking down barriers and opening up
communication. As a leader, I am able to be an active
participant alongside my team during training, rather
than trying to be the facilitator. Susie and Jennifer
are adept at making observations and adjusting their
training to fit the needs and capabilities of the group.
The outcomes of our sessions have been a deeper
understanding of individuals, how we can better work
together as a team, a greater sense of appreciation for
one another’s talents and differences, reduced conflict
and increased productivity.”
- Wendi Goodlett, President & CEO, Habitat for
Humanity of Monroe County
“I have been in sales for over 25 years and had the
privilege of working with Jennifer and Susie with Direkt
Approach. Through their sessions I learned a great deal
about myself as well as how to become a better
communicator. I will highlight just a few of the lessons
I learned from their classes: they brought out my
positive sales traits and also recognized sales traits
that I needed to focus on. The Direkt Approach team did
a great job of recognizing the culture needed to create
a positive team environment within our office. They
defined different styles of communication for both
customers and coworkers. Jennifer and Susie also
provided me with positive feedback on becoming a better
active listener with both customers and coworkers. I
would highly recommend the Direkt Approach team to any
business.”
- Mark Sutton, Sales Manager, West Point, NE
“When I first contacted Direkt Approach, we were looking
for a company who could get us to implementation
quickly…we got so much more. Jen and Susie worked
with me to develop a full leadership development program
for different levels based on our competencies.
They used their knowledge and content, but let me
customize areas to put our company feel on it. Jen
and Susie’s knowledge and teaching styles complement
each other, they were able to get our leaders to have
real conversations with each other, reflect (become
self-aware) and take positive action. Our leaders
still talk about the program and the impact Direkt
Approach has on their work and life.”
- Stephanie Roberts, Talent Development Director,
Catalent; Value Stream Supervisor, Drug Product
Secondary Production Support
“I thoroughly enjoy my coaching sessions with Jen. She’s
an outstanding listener who quickly identified limiting
beliefs that plateaued my leadership. With Jen’s input,
I’ve learned to better navigate difficult situations and
recognize emotional responses keeping me from desired
outcomes. Her straightforward approach has been perfect
for me as a busy leader who desires to constantly
improve my leadership skills.”
- Jeff Gilmer, Vice President, Retail Lending
“When I first contacted Direkt Approach, Inc., I knew my
agency's board of directors needed guidance, but I did
not know what kind or how to articulate it. DA met with
me and a few board members and started asking questions.
Thought-provoking questions. Questions that led us to
understand our strengths and our weaknesses as a group.
At our follow up meeting to prepare for the board's
annual retreat, DA brought the absolutely perfect plan
to lead our board in understanding the best way to move
forward. The retreat was a huge success. We bonded, we
created a work-plan and we left with enthusiasm that
lasted the year. We asked DA back the next three years.
Our retreats are always fresh, productive and fun. I
couldn't imagine where we would be as a group without
Direkt Approach's direction.”
- Kristin Bishay, Executive Director, Monroe County
CASA, Inc.
"Jennifer Hart gave a wonderful talk on Opportunity
Thinking: How Your Attitude Can Make a Difference. I
felt like she was talking with me, not at me. She was
funny but to the point. It was an interactive
experience that really made me think about what I want
out of life and how I'm going to get there. It also
confirmed that I was on the right track with some
things I was already doing."
- Annie Arens-Walker, President Elect
ABWA Success! Express Network
"I recently attended a "Keeping the Stars" seminar in
Bloomington. The information presented was presented
in a very user-friendly manner that I could take back
to work and use in my own department. The presenters
interjected personal experiences to help correlate
some of the philosophies into "real life". I would
definitely recommend this seminar for HR professionals
and front-line managers and supervisors." - Jen Morgan, HR Manager, Baxter
Pharmaceutical Solutions, LLC
Certificate Program Graduates
“I don’t want to sound corny here, but the courses
have really benefited me at work and even at
home. When I signed up for the classes, I
thought that they would just fulfill some generic
requirement by Corporate and I wouldn’t really learn
anything. I learned a lot in the classes about
why I do the things I do and also about other
people. I guess my eyes were opened and it has
made me more patient and less judgmental toward
others.”
“I have learned so much from these classes and am
very excited about the next ones.”
“Loved the activities and practical application-
the activities helped relate to real-life at work.”
“I’ve always known that I’m a little bit of a
control freak, but I never really saw the reason to
change. I thought I was doing the right thing
and so it was okay for me to be upset with the way
other people did things. The classes taught me
that I could relinquish the need to control things
and focus more on controlling my own emotions in
certain situations. I can’t really express HOW
MUCH my stress levels have decreased since I began
the classes. It was also nice to see others in
the class had similar feelings and dealt with
similar situations.”
“Thank you for taking the time to share your
knowledge about many facets of leadership.
Even though it is ‘your job’, doing your job and
doing it well are two different things. You
both do your job well. I appreciate the
opportunity to work as a team towards a common goal
on a path to success. Thank you for taking the
time to plan ahead and strive to do your job well,
while also pulling in your audience to want to push
higher and farther.”
“I have learned to focus less on appeasing
everyone, but rather to focus on tasks that are of
importance first rather than urgent.”
“I am more aware of the need to be open minded with
ideas even when I feel mine is best, especially with
regards to simply learning how to really listen
versus faking it but thinking about the next
statement I want to make.”
“Thank you for your enthusiasm and
dedication. It is evident by the way you guys
carry yourselves that you do have a passion and much
talent with applications to effective
leadership. The final exam was a bit of a
rough one. Thanks again for everything!”
(This individual made 100% on the exam)
“One of the best things about Jennifer and Susie’s
teachings—it’s okay to do the right thing (be
willing to be unpopular). Where I worked
before, I was taught that it was more important to
be liked, rather than following the right
path. But the right path translates to
respect, which has a deeper impact. I have
really, really enjoyed the supervisor development
classes.”
"The topics are relevant to today's marketplace. They
(Direkt Approach) challenge us to make the information
apply to our own individual business through
interactive discussion and brainstorming."
- Amy Swain, Advertising Director,
Indiana Daily Student
"Having taught at four different colleges and
universities, I considered myself somewhat of an
expert on teaching methods and techniques. When I
recently attended my first workshop conducted by the
Direkt Approach team, I seriously doubted that they
had anything they could teach me, and I approached the
workshop with a critical attitude. To my pleasant
surprise not only did I learn much about Customer
Relations, but I observed that the Direkt Approach
team knew all of the teaching techniques that
characterizes good teachers. I would highly recommend
these workshops to anyone wishing to improve their
business skills." - William L. Roberts, Professor
Emeritus of Music, Indiana University
"I used Direkt Approach to help me develop a
program for integrating a new team of communication
specialists with an existing department. Over the
course of four months, the staff at Direkt Approach
worked with me and my senior management staff to set
priorities and develop a retreat-based orientation
program for all staff. The retreat was a great
success thanks to the creative and professional
services Direkt Approach provided. I certainly will
use Direkt Approach in the future as we build on the
wonderful start they provided us."
- Karen Lewis Alexander, Associate Vice President
for Communications, The University of Chicago
Participant Testimonials"Concepts presented in the course have
not only changed how I work, but also how I live! I
know that my leadership skills are light-years better
than they were when I started the course, and will
only continue to improve as I continue to apply the
lessons learned."
"I took from the training the courage to have a
great conversation with a colleague that has been
overdue. I told her that I am going to start
telling her immediately when she frustrates me and
explain why instead of holding onto it. I'm
really hoping that this will create a stronger work
relationship for us in the long run. I really
value her knowledge, opinion and high expectations
and want to just make things better."
"Everyone that I talk to loves to go to Jennifer's
classes. I always agree with that statement!"
"I was thinking about the classes with Jennifer and
the tips regarding dealing with a challenging
employee situation. After a few difficult
conversations, she is now one of my best
workers. She is respectful and even comes to
me for advice on how to handle other people
now. It's amazing to me that we have such a
good working relationship. Thank you so much
for the tools to improve this area of my management
experience."
"Susie is very knowledgeable and makes the
environment comfortable."
"It was really beneficial to learn through dialogue
and the instructor perspectives."
"Great discussion and identified significant
opportunity to develop and apply."
"Very relative content and going to use it soon!"
"I am always excited to attend the training and
excited when I leave- to think about my actions
regularly. Really makes an impression."
"Material was very good and eye opening."
"Jennifer gave good examples. She made me want to
participate and I don't usually like that."
"Was really effective to hear different types of
complex issues to be managed."
"The most effective part of the program was the
opportunity to apply the principles and techniques
discussed to actual issues currently faced and
decisions in progress in the organization."
"The real life problem solving techniques will be
easy to remember. Susie was good at drawing/talking
out issues."
"Great instructor – Susie was easy to listen to,
kept attention, really good at communicating
effectively."
"Jennifer was clearly versed in the topic and
tailored her session to be grounded and relevant."
"The training was very insightful and enjoyable."
"I learned a lot about communicating with clients
and prioritizing topics when I speak with them."
"Susie was very engaging and helped me focus my
energy on productive behaviors."
"The training is effective because it made me focus
on identifying what I can improve and actually
visualizing myself making positive changes."
"We are free to ask any question and Jennifer is
excellent at framing the answer in a way it applies
to other areas."
"Very to the point and informative. The interaction
is so engaging."
"The training illuminated the importance of
building respect and the fact that it is
continuous."
We are happy to customize any
topic or series for your organization and offer it
virtually or on-site at your location.
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