Testimonials

"I gained a new appreciation for Six Sigma methodologies as a result of working with Paul on 2 initiatives. The net effect was a clear understanding of the issues at hand, root causes of those issues and a roadmap toward resolution. Paul impressed me with his ability to grasp a situation through specific questions and discussion facilitation. His skills at problem identification completely negated the fact that he had little prior exposure to the channel segment. Best part was his ability to work with a room full of Type A personalities, keep us on track, and diffuse the many times we might have gotten off topic. I look forward to working with Paul again. He delivers."
- Desa Zraick, Sr. Director, Global Channel Development and Operations, Seagate Technology, Inc.

“Paul is an excellent and creative problem solver. He is a great team player and leader. You can trust Paul with any tough assignment.” 
-Patrick Waite , Board of Directors at TransAccess, Board of Directors at Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, Board of Regents at Archbishop Mitty High School

“I met Paul through a business forum where we shared best practices and learnings about deploying Six Sigma in our respective companies. Paul’s contributions were extremely valuable to me and the group at large. He has the unique blend of being a down-to-earth, seasoned business professional and having an excellent balance of technical and leadership skills. You could always count on Paul to follow through and deliver on any commitments he made. Given the opportunity, I would collaborate with Paul again in a heartbeat.” 
-Anne Spoldi , Director, Strategic Change Initiatives, Six Sigma Master Black Belt , Sun Microsystems

“We had been unhappy with the performance levels we were achieving with one of our off-shored processes and it was unclear what drivers were causing it.   Paul facilitated a one-day session between two colleagues and myself during which we diagramed out the complex systemic nature of the problem.  The process Paul took us through helped us clearly identify the far reaching business decisions, and ingrained cultural issues that were impacting the performance of the process.  From this we were then able to draw up a clear action plan to get the attention and support of senior management.  With this in done we were able to put a solid solution in place.
Paul's facilitation skills and technical knowledge of Systems Thinking prevented us from floundering in the problem's complexity and enabled us to reach a timely solution.”
-Brent Caudill, Sr. Director Corporate Finance, Seagate Technology Inc.

“Paul was my MBB mentor while I was attending Six Sigma Black Belt internal training at Seagate. He had the patience and understanding on how to explain complex statistical models to a non-statistical transactional background student. He was creative in his approach to transfer the critical knowledge and provide under waving support as I worked my way through the curriculum and all with a sense of humor. I would highly recommend Paul in any organization as a Master Black Belt.” 
-Debbie McAllister, Global Lean Facilitator & Six Sigma Black Belt, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies

“I had the opportunity to work with Paul while at Seagate and he is an outstanding Lean Six Sigma leader and practitioner. Paul effectively works with all levels of the organization and knows how to deliver results. I strongly recommend Paul!” 
-Vince Sanchez , Sr. Director, Operational Excellence, UnitedHealthcare

“Paul Lavery stands for simplicity and direct communication in the affairs of the business. I know that now, but that wasn’t what I saw the first time we met.
When Paul walked into my classroom, my first impression was “Here comes trouble.” I picked up subtle signs that here was a very bright person who challenges authority. I’ve been that kind of person myself, so I know how to recognize them!
But I was wrong. Paul engaged and contributed and helped create a powerful learning experience for everyone. This gap between first impression and subsequent experience bothered me. I wondered if others also got confused impressions of Paul, and if these mixed messages undermined his effectiveness as a change leader.
I decided to be straight with Paul, and shared my concern with him. Thus began a shared journey and a rewarding friendship.
In the last two years, I’ve watched Paul bring a new kind of leadership to teams. He has developed an ability to create environments that draw forth the wisdom and energy of others. He has shown others how to dissolve barriers and bring people together in fruitful, productive conversations.
I think his effectiveness stems from the stand he now takes for simplicity and directness in the affairs of the business. When he shows up, people don’t see him as a self-appointed expert who will inflict help on them. They see him as a shoulder to lean on, as someone who can walk with them when they aren’t sure how to move forward.
That’s the relationship Paul and I have today. When I get stuck, I know he will listen patiently, without passing judgment. He will notice things I’ve overlooked, and help bring them to light. When I’m making things too complicated, he will work with me to find a simpler, more direct path.
Paul walks the talk.”
- Stuart Scott, Owner, Guinnen MacRath, LLC