Leading in Research & Development can be
brutal - we make good leadership doable!  

Learn to create a positive and productive environment for
your team – with Leadership Sculptor’s Coaching & Training.

Leading in Research & Development can be
brutal - we make good leadership doable!  

Learn to create a positive and productive environment for
your team – with Leadership Sculptor’s Coaching & Training.

Got 90 seconds? See what you can get out of this!

Vimeo

By loading the video, you agree to Vimeo's privacy policy.
Learn more

Load video

Play Video
Vimeo

By loading the video, you agree to Vimeo's privacy policy.
Learn more

Load video

Play Video
Group 1000005053

“You have to suffer for your PhD”

Does this sound familiar from your time as a pre-doc?
It’s a common belief in R&D that you have to go through tough times in order to get your PhD. Many
researchers believe that if you aren’t anxious 24/7 or suffering from imposter syndrome, then you’re doing
something wrong.
Of course, you don’t want this same horrible experience for your own team.

So, as a leader:

There are many challenges that you need to face if you want to become a good
leader. With Leadership Sculptor you get the tools and solutions!

Some of our clients include:

Testimonials

50% of scientists experience anxiety and
depression in their careers

You love your subject area and have a passion for it.
You have outperformed many of your colleagues and secured valuable funding to support your work. Naturally, your
institution chose you to become a leader – even if you can’t believe it sometimes!
And now you suddenly have to manage a team.  
To overcome all these challenges, you either lead as you were led as a student or do exactly the opposite. Either way, you could become frustrated and simply do instead of delegate. You may not even have time to do the science you love.  
Enduring Leadership Excellence 1
Rectangle 5 e1700555968915

Learning how to create a healthy work environment  

The fitness factors of good leadership 
Becoming a leader in research and development means that you have accomplished all required fitness factors:  
However, those factors only get you into a leadership position.
Once there, you have to manage your team, your boss, and the academic system. And they all:

This makes R&D a challenging place to lead!  

To master this challenge, other fitness factors are required:  
strategies 1

to develop and execute research strategies

strength e1700555024883

to develop your team members, leverage their strengths, and help them improve 

conflict e1700554950303

to recognise and resolve conflicts 

communicate

to communicate effectively with your team and your boss 

delegate

to delegate work while ensuring the required quality

Become the best leader you never had!  

Meetings 1
So how can you learn to master all of this? That’s why we are here to help. Over the last 25 years, Leadership Sculptor has helped thousands of researchers and scientists grow into great leaders. So great, in fact, that they often:
Our team of PhDs and science-savvy coaches and trainers are all experienced in facilitating interactive workshops or coaching scientists and engineers, or both. This helps them grow into good leaders who thrive and have thriving teams.  

Depending on your needs, we offer bespoke events and
workshops in person or online. 

Group 1000005158

Group training for whole organisations 

Improve leaders throughout your organisation. We come on-site or host online events with topic-specific workshops and interactive training sessions for your organisation.   

Group 1000005164 1

Group training in an organisation

Improve your leadership skills. Benefit from the exchange with leaders from other organisations.  

Group 1000005164 2

Individual training in coaching sessions

You have already participated in one of our Leadership Sculptor trainings or are seeking 1:1 coaching and more advice for your specific challenges? We’ve got you covered!  

Choose the right Leadership Sculptor support

letterbox 1
To learn about your needs, objectives and priorities, we’d like to talk to you. This conversation allows us to make you a proposal that outlines the issues, options and the benefits for your specific situation.  
letterbox 1

What our clients say 

The Leadership Sculptor Team

DSC4992 scaled e1700555273499
CEO CJ Fitzsimons created Leadership Sculptor® based on his own experience and his work with thousands of leaders in R&D environments.
With Leadership Sculptor® CJ has designed a systematic approach which is easily tailored to the individual and their needs – to help people sculpt their own leadership style. Our clients get to recognize the contours of their own leadership profile, and they’re equipped with the necessary tools for it to emerge.
DSC4992 scaled e1700555273499

Over the years, CJ has further refined this approach
with the help of his growing expert team:  

petra 1
Training & Coaching Manager, Senior Trainer, Coach
CJ new 1
CEO, Senior Trainer, Coach, Consultant
Bild4 1
Office Manager
melanie
Senior Trainer, Coach
mette
Strategy & Marketing Manger, Senior Trainer, Coach
Bild6
Finance Manager
david
Senior Trainer
michele
Trainer
theo 1
Trainer, Coach, Consultant
Trainer, Consultant
Diana v2
Trainer
Caro 1
Office Management Assistant
muneeb 3
Marketing Assistant
Group 1000005486

Our Base, Meckesheim 

Our headquarters is in Meckesheim (near Heidelberg), Germany.
We currently train leaders and their teams in in-person and online workshops across
Europe, North America and India. We are also producing digital self-learning courses based
on our material. In addition, we deliver coachings in-person and online.
petra

PD Dr. Petra Pandur

Training & Coaching Manager, Senior Trainer, Coach

Petra was a group leader in the Life Sciences for eleven years and experienced many challenges that researchers face. As a coach she supports people in academia in finding their individual way to navigate through this system

Areas of Expertise

  • Leadership workshops for Professors, Group Leaders and Post-Docs
  • Coaching researchers from Europe, USA and the Middle East
  • Online workshops and coaching

Professional Education & Certifications

  • Systemic Coaching and Organisational Development, Helm Stierlin Institut, Heidelberg (2012-2014)
  • The Awareness to Action Approach to the Enneagram, Mario
    Sikora and Maria José Munita, Copenhagen (2017 and 2018)
  • Supervision & Coaching, Moreno Institut, Stuttgart (2018-2019)
  • Various workshops in University Didactics
  • ZRM Tools for Coaches, Wieslocher Institut für systemische Lösungen (2020)

PD Dr. Petra Pandur

petra

Training & Coaching Manager, Senior Trainer, Coach

Petra was a group leader in the Life Sciences for eleven years and experienced many challenges that researchers face. As a coach she supports people in academia in finding their individual way to navigate through this system

Areas of Expertise

  • Leadership workshops for Professors, Group Leaders and Post-Docs
  • Coaching researchers from Europe, USA and the Middle East
  • Online workshops and coaching

Professional Education & Certifications

  • Systemic Coaching and Organisational Development, Helm Stierlin Institut, Heidelberg (2012-2014)
  • The Awareness to Action Approach to the Enneagram, Mario
    Sikora and Maria José Munita, Copenhagen (2017 and 2018)
  • Supervision & Coaching, Moreno Institut, Stuttgart (2018-2019)
  • Various workshops in University Didactics
  • ZRM Tools for Coaches, Wieslocher Institut für systemische Lösungen (2020)

Mini-Interview with Petra

I love skydiving. It’s my passion. I love being up in the air and being at the dropzone for a weekend frees my mind and it feels like I’ve been on a one-week vacation. I’ve been on a skydiving team since 2017 and I’ve learned quite a bit what it really means to be in a team. You only move ahead if you truly consider the strengths and weaknesses of each one. Michael Jordan once said, “stars win games, teams win championships.” And if we don’t work together and adjust to each other’s abilities, we’re not getting anywhere. I also enjoy daydreaming to gain energy. I like to just kind of get lost in my own little world and detach from everything else.

T. E. Lawrence said: “All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible.“ This has indeed worked for me so far.

I’m a trained biologist and I’ve done basic research in the life sciences since 1996, as well as teaching at the university for many years. My research is in developmental biology. When I started my post-doc I focused on heart development, identifying and characterising factors that instruct the cells during embryogenesis to become heart cells.

I did an experiment in my post-doc phase where I took a tissue that normally does not develop into cardiac tissue and I added a factor to that which triggered the formation of cardiomyocytes in the tissue. I remember the moment, sitting at the microscope for a long time, staring at this little piece of tissue in my petri dish thinking, “come on, start beating!“ All of a sudden I noticed the cells started contracting and I couldn’t believe it. That was the first time it worked in my hands and it was pretty amazing to watch.

CJ Fitzsimons

CEO, Senior Trainer, Coach, Consultant

Conor John “CJ” Fitzsimons is an Executive Coach & Leadership Development Facilitator.  Since 1999 he has been working with technical leaders in a competitive environment who want to maximize productivity and reduce conflicts, so they can more easily achieve something important with their life. His Leadership Sculptor® approach is uniquely effective because it hones their leadership edge, using their scientific skill set to enhance their emotional intelligence.

Areas of Expertise

  • Coaching top researchers from Europe, USA and Asia working in Global Companies and research organisations
  • Custom designing and leading leadership workshops for Professors, Group Leaders and Post-Docs
  • Facilitating strategic planning retreats for Institutes and Departments
  • Facilitating organizational development and change projects in research environments
  • Coaching strategic projects in R&D and IT

CJ Fitzsimons

CEO, Senior Trainer, Coach, Consultant

Conor John “CJ” Fitzsimons is an Executive Coach & Leadership Development Facilitator.  Since 1999 he has been working with technical leaders in a competitive environment who want to maximize productivity and reduce conflicts, so they can more easily achieve something important with their life. His Leadership Sculptor® approach is uniquely effective because it hones their leadership edge, using their scientific skill set to enhance their emotional intelligence.

Areas of Expertise

  • Coaching top researchers from Europe, USA and Asia working in Global Companies and research organisations
  • Custom designing and leading leadership workshops for Professors, Group Leaders and Post-Docs
  • Facilitating strategic planning retreats for Institutes and Departments
  • Facilitating organizational development and change projects in research environments
  • Coaching strategic projects in R&D and IT

Professional Education & Certifications

  • Performance Coaching, Performance Consultants (John Whitmore), UK (2000)
  • Certified Performance Coach and Consultant (Petzold’s integrative approach), cct Hornberg, Germany (recognized by the DBVC) (2005-2006)
  • Psychodrama and Organizational Development, Moreno Institute Stuttgart, Germany (2003-2004)
  • Enneagram Teacher in the Oral Tradition (Helen Palmer), GfE, Germany (2001-2002, with regular follow-ups)
  • Awareness to Action with Mario Sikora, Philadelphia, USA (2013-2018)
  • Cross-Cultural Conflict Resolution with Birgitt Williams, All-In-One-Spirit, Germany (2006)
  • ZRM – Zurich Resource Model with Frank Krause and Maja Storch, Konstanz, Germany (2010, 2018)
  • Neuroscience of Personality – Brain Savvy Insights for All Types of People with Prof. Dario Nardi, UCLA, USA (2012)
  • Structural Constellations Business Training with Insa Sparrer & Matthias Varga von Kibed, Munich, Germany (2011-2012)
  • Embodied Communication-Trainer, Institute für Selbstmanagement und Motivation, Zurich ISMZ (2018)
  • Participant at the ZRM Entscheidungscoaching-Tag, Institute für Selbstmanagement und Motivation, Zurich ISMZ (2018)

Professional Affiliations

  • German Project Management Association (GPM), former member of the Sci. Advisory Board
  • International Coach Federation (ICF), Global and Germany
  • International Enneagram Association, former Vice President of the board
  • GABAL

Mini-Interview with CJ

This is a question I’ve posed to thousands of people, and I always mentioned Hans Levander. So this is the first time that I can actually say what made him so special for me as a leader. It’s a combination of things. Hans was both visionary and strategic. He could really develop big pictures. He was Senior Vice President for Technology in all of power generation for ABB. So influencing the work of about 40,000 people. He could develop big pictures about where we needed to go in the industry and work together with people to develop the strategies about how to get there. He was excellent at doing that. Another aspect of him was he was not just supportive of his people. He was protective. If anybody was attacking his people, he would defend them 100%. If there was anything to be sorted out about what the person had done to warrant the attack that would be done in private, but not in public. He was a very clear communicator. He could get his ideas across very well and very simply. The room understood what he was saying and what he was looking for. He could also be very demanding. He set high standards for us, but did it in a very congenial manner so that people were more than happy to strive to deliver those high standards. And a final thing I’d mention about him is, he was open to ideas from other people. He didn’t think he had the whole story. The first time I went on a trip with him, I was just a research engineer at the time. We were talking at dinner and I told him about a book I was reading, Maverick by Ricardo Selmer. And the way I explained the book, I found out later it got him so interested he went out and he bought a copy of the book for everybody on his team and got them to read it, which really surprised me. So, he was an all around good guy.

I had many influences early in my life, but the key moment came in my final undergraduate year. I was going through a pretty difficult patch in life outside of college at the time and my confidence levels were pretty low, I have to admit. We had this visiting Professor Simeon Ola Fatunla from the university of Benin in Nigeria, who was a guest professor for a year. He was teaching us numerical analysis and I met him on the stairwell in the mathematics building in Trinity one day when I had just come back from taking an entrance exam for Irish Life, which was the biggest employer of mathematicians in the country at the time. He said, “I didn’t see you at the lecture this morning, where were you?” And I told him about this exam I’d just taken and the jobs they were doing. He exploded in anger and started screaming at me, “this is a complete waste of talent! You’re much better than anything like that! You have to do a PhD!” That really cut through to me and I thought, “oh, maybe I could actually do this.” Because of my confidence levels I’d gone off the idea of doing it, and he gave me the final push I needed. But not only me, I found out later that he was a great evangelist for mathematics across all of west Africa for numerical mathematics and did an awful lot of work on that. He died, unfortunately, very young. The story closes back in 2010 when I was running an EMBO course in Cambridge. I saw that there was an Ola Fatunla on the participant list and I wondered if they were related. It turned out that they were cousins. So that was pretty cool.

The number one book—and I’ve also recommended it to many of my coaching clients—is Awareness by Anthony de Mello. It’s a great book for learning to reflect about oneself and develop an awareness for what’s going on around and, more importantly, what’s going on inside. That’s a book I’ve read many times and I always get something new from it. Running at a close second would be Hero With A Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. He was a great mythologist. This book was basically his PhD thesis from 1940. It was he who showed us the structure behind all the great stories—that they have certain building blocks that they all contain and they can really help us when we reflect on these stories and take a look at our own lives, to help us to understand ourselves and other people a lot better.

Henni Blatz

Office Manager

Henni joined the company in 2017 and has brought a burst of creativity into the company, creating a new corporate identity for the company with her illustrations and digitalised handwriting. Besides the creative aspects of her job, she loves the variety of tasks that come with being Leadership Sculptor’s Office Manager. 

Areas of Expertise

  • Organisation & Structure
  • Keeping an overview of the chaos
  • Creativity & Corporate Design
  • Dog Obedience

Henni Blatz

Office Manager

Henni joined the company in 2017 and has brought a burst of creativity into the company, creating a new corporate identity for the company with her illustrations and digitalised handwriting. Besides the creative aspects of her job, she loves the variety of tasks that come with being Leadership Sculptor’s Office Manager. 

Areas of Expertise

  • Organisation & Structure
  • Keeping an overview of the chaos
  • Creativity & Corporate Design
  • Dog Obedience

Mini-Interview with Henni

The simple answer is: A LOT. I love to do anything that has to do with creativity I’ve always had that as a hobby. Now I also have as a little side business where I offer visualization, handlettering, graphics and things like that. But I also love to just be creative for myself, lettering, designing, prettifying things around the house and so on. I also have a dog that I love to train and teach silly things to, and I also take him along to go jogging, inline skating or bike riding together. I love to do all kinds of sports. Those are just a few excerpts of a million things I like to do when I’m not working.

I’ve been with Leadership Sculptor for five years now and I enjoy that we have a great team spirit. Be it in the small office team amongst the three of us, or also with all the the trainers, there is a very positive working atmosphere and a very familiar and appreciative way of treating each other. We all like each other and it’s always such a good time to get together. Team days are always a big highlight for me just because everyone just enjoys being there and getting to know each other more learning from each other. It’s just a very positive and empowering working atmosphere, which is not common in other places. So that is very special in my opinion. What I enjoy about my every-day tasks is that there’s a lot of diversity in what I do. It’s not just one set thing, but a lot of different areas to work in. That’s something that I enjoy a lot. An important thing for me as well is the great humour that we can share in our team. So that’s a very big plus—just having fun with each other and cracking jokes with each other. That’s something that makes work a lot more enjoyable :)

There’s quite a few great super powers. I think the big one for me would be flying—just because it’s just such a freedom feeling and such an inhuman thing to do without any technological aids. The funny thing is—and this might sound weird—as a child I used to have a recurring dream that I had probably four or five times over the years, that I was an ant and I could fly. And in that dream, I was thinking, “oh my gosh, I’m actually dreaming that I can fly, and it feels like I’m actually flying!” And it was so much fun while I was dreaming and such a light and free feeling. It was better than going to an IMAX movie theater! So flying would definitely be great!

melanie

Melanie Glickman

Senior Trainer, Coach

Melanie is a professional coach, and colleagues have admired her as an ethical and empathetic leader who values diversity and respects each person’s individual contributions.

Areas of Expertise

  • Leadership and Project Management workshops for Professors, Group Leaders and Post-Docs
  • Scientific Writing workshops for researchers
  • Solution-Focused coaching for researchers

Professional Education & Certifications

  • Path to Freedom Virtual Enneagram Course with EPP (2022)
  • Certified Professional Coach with Erickson College in Vancouver (2012)
  • Train the Trainer with Erickson College in Antalya (2012)
  • Certified DiSG® Trainer with GEDAM in Sulzfeld (2012)
  • Certified NLP Master Practitioner with Infinite Excellence in London (2011)
  • Enneagram Professional Training Program with the Enneagram Institute in New York (2011-13)

Professional Affiliations

  • International Enneagram Association (past Board Member)
  • Atlantik-Brücke (Young Leader)
  • Society of Authors (Emerging Author)

Melanie Glickman

melanie

Senior Trainer, Coach

Melanie is a professional coach, and colleagues have admired her as an ethical and empathetic leader who values diversity and respects each person’s individual contributions.

Areas of Expertise

  • Leadership and Project Management workshops for Professors, Group Leaders and Post-Docs
  • Scientific Writing workshops for researchers
  • Solution-Focused coaching for researchers

Professional Education & Certifications

  • Path to Freedom Virtual Enneagram Course with EPP (2022)
  • Certified Professional Coach with Erickson College in Vancouver (2012)
  • Train the Trainer with Erickson College in Antalya (2012)
  • Certified DiSG® Trainer with GEDAM in Sulzfeld (2012)
  • Certified NLP Master Practitioner with Infinite Excellence in London (2011)
  • Enneagram Professional Training Program with the Enneagram Institute in New York (2011-13)

Professional Affiliations

  • International Enneagram Association (past Board Member)
  • Atlantik-Brücke (Young Leader)
  • Society of Authors (Emerging Author)

Mini-Interview with Melanie

You have a story to tell, so tell it.” Every story of every life is unique and has a purpose and plan, so for me, it’s about authenticity. Whether it’s doing leadership training or research, being a parent or an athlete, or whatever it is, we all have a story to tell and something to contribute in this life. To own that story with authenticity is quite a magical thing. My story involves wanting to add value to relationships and to help people to understand their worth. Whether it’s as a leadership trainer or coach or as friend or family member, I hope people feel they’ve gained something. It also goes two ways, as I receive a lot of value from those around me, both professionally and personally.

Though I come from a business background rather than a scientific one, I enjoy working with scientists because of their spark of creativity and keen interest to find solutions to whatever they’re researching. The scientific mind fascinates me because there’s such a precision to it. So I respect scientists for their creativity, precision, discipline, and focus to want to solve problems and crack something unknown. It’s great to see the difference between the initial course modules, when everyone’s finding their way, and the end of the course, when they’re amazed by all they’ve learned. For me, I love hearing about the benefits they’ve received by learning these techniques and seeing how excited they are to take that knowledge back to the lab and make a positive difference as a scientist and as a manager.

Gnocchi, the Italian potato dumpling! I love my grandmother’s recipe, which I suspect was her grandmother’s recipe. While it doesn’t seem very complex, it takes time. It’s the whole experience of mixing the potatoes together and rolling and dimpling them in a certain way – it all reminds me of my childhood memories. The pasta sauce is also homemade from a family recipe that’s been handed down over the years. It takes hours to simmer and get everything at the right temperature with the right herbs. Delicious!

mette

Mette Hvied Lauesen

Strategy & Marketing Manger, Senior Trainer, Coach

Mette is a certified coach, a certified Greif Recovery Specialist, an Accredited Professional in the use of the Enneagram, a long-time communications advisor and is known for making people feel safe and believe more in themselves.

Areas of Expertise

  • Leadership workshops for Professors, Group Leaders and Post-Docs
  • Coaching—Grief Recovery
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Development of tailored courses within Emotional Intelligence

Professional Education & Certifications

  • Enneagram Practitioner
  • Life and business coach, mBIT coach
  • Advanced Grief Recovery Specialist
  • Advisor The Communication Mirror

Professional Affiliations

  • International Enneagram Association (past Vice President)
  • Grief Recovery Institute

Mette Hvied Lauesen

mette

Strategy & Marketing Manger, Senior Trainer, Coach

Mette is a certified coach, a certified Greif Recovery Specialist, an Accredited Professional in the use of the Enneagram, a long-time communications advisor and is known for making people feel safe and believe more in themselves.

Areas of Expertise

  • Leadership workshops for Professors, Group Leaders and Post-Docs
  • Coaching—Grief Recovery
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Development of tailored courses within Emotional Intelligence

Professional Education & Certifications

  • Enneagram Practitioner
  • Life and business coach, mBIT coach
  • Advanced Grief Recovery Specialist
  • Advisor The Communication Mirror

Professional Affiliations

  • International Enneagram Association (past Vice President)
  • Grief Recovery Institute

Mini-Interview with Mette

The best leader I worked with was my group leader in an oil company. He was a wonderful guy because he was very much himself, it was not a role that he took on. He was very intelligent, always listened, showed a lot of support and trust and backed you up. He also had a great sense of humour. I was very young at that time but he really listen to my judgement and showed me great faith with that, teaching me gently how to do things better. He was always attuned to who he was himself and very authentic in that way. The authority he had came from very deep within himself and was very much based on facts and intelligence. A great guy. I regret we’re not still in touch because I really liked him. And we did have a lot of fun.

I’ve been a communication advisor for many years mainly in IT and the health sector and before that I worked in the oil industry so I’ve worked in both private and public companies and organisations. I started training with the Enneagram – a psychological personality tool – back in ‘06 and have used that knowledge in many beneficial ways. Becoming a coach has only put a more professional and sharper edge on my use of this very efficient tool. By being a communication advisor, I’ve held workshops and have people performing in groups, if you will, to come up with whatever, so training has come that way.

That takes about a day and it’s worth it. It’s the traditional Danish Christmas dinner with roast duck, home-made gravy, stuffing and everything that goes with it. You have two kinds of potato, one is your average white potato and the other one is a potato with a caramelised glazing. Then there is home-made red cabbage, along with apples stuffed with red currant jelly and it’s just so yummy. That’s why I tend to spend Christmas evening in very comfortable clothes because I eat too much. I actually like the day-long ritual of getting the whole thing ready. The duck takes up 4 1/2 hours in the oven and you go to and fro and prepare so it’s a nice ritual to get ready for Christmas Eve.

Daphne Schickentanz

Finance Manager

Daphne has been with the company from it’s early beginnings. She keeps track ofal the financial side of things, which makes those getting paid happy.
When not at work she can be found corralling a teenager and energetic puppy dog, cooking up tasty treats in her kitchen or with a good book hiding from it all.

Areas of Expertise

  • Making sure everyone gets paid
  • Amazing cake creation
  • Mother of puberty victim

Daphne Schickentanz

Finance Manager

Daphne has been with the company from it’s early beginnings. She keeps track ofal the financial side of things, which makes those getting paid happy.
When not at work she can be found corralling a teenager and energetic puppy dog, cooking up tasty treats in her kitchen or with a good book hiding from it all.

Areas of Expertise

  • Making sure everyone gets paid
  • Amazing cake creation
  • Mother of puberty victim

Mini-Interview with Daphne

I was born in Germany and lived here until I was 6 years old. Then my family and I moved to America, where we spent the next three years. From there we packed up everything again and moved to England. We ended up settling down in a small village near to Oxford. That’s where I grew up and went to school. After University I packed my suitcase and left for America again. There I bounced around New England, spending time in Upstate New York, Vermont, and finally Boston. In 2008 my journey led me to Baden-Baden.

I love to be outside and to be active. It’s a blessing living so close to nature and to be able to disappear into the woods. I love sports and keep busy running, practicing yoga and dancing. I also enjoy art, movies, baking and reading, so it’s safe to say that I don’t get bored in my free time.

I like to see the positive side of things as much as I can. I’m also quite a spontaneous person so I don’t always make life plans and just tend to go with the flow, which has worked pretty well so far. Being cheerful, polite, and treating people how I wish to be treated are important to me. Even though there are a lot of rude people out there, especially when you work in the service industry. I try to be helpful and nice and spread a little cheer to make everybody’s lives a little smoother and happier. 

david

David Lescheid

Senior Trainer

David is a passionate teacher and lifelong learner, especially in the field of medical science. His leadership experience includes teaching students at a medical college in Toronto, Canada, caring for patients in an Integrative Medical Clinic in Ottawa, Canada and coaching basketball. He enjoys finding the common ground between individuals; in order to learn from each other and build our unique strengths.

Areas of Expertise

  • Medical translational research, writing and communication on various medical topics
  • Leadership workshops for Professors, Group Leaders and Post-Docs
  • Lecturing on various topics for Medical doctors and other Health Care professionals
  • Medicoscientific manager at a small pharmaceutical company

Professional Education & Certifications

  • Christopher Leadership Course in Effective Speaking, 2002
  • Diploma (Health and Fitness Studies), Simon Fraser University, Canada, 1989
  • Diploma (Naturopathic medicine), Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, Canada, 2002

Professional Affiliations

  • Nutritional Fundamentals of Health, Medical Consultancy Group (2009-present)
  • World Naturopathic Federation (2015-present)

David Lescheid

david

Senior Trainer

David is a passionate teacher and lifelong learner, especially in the field of medical science. His leadership experience includes teaching students at a medical college in Toronto, Canada, caring for patients in an Integrative Medical Clinic in Ottawa, Canada and coaching basketball. He enjoys finding the common ground between individuals; in order to learn from each other and build our unique strengths.

Areas of Expertise

  • Leadership workshops for Professors, Group Leaders and Post-Docs
  • Lecturing on various topics for Medical doctors and other Health Care professionals
  • Medical writing on various topics for scientific and medical audiences

Professional Education & Certifications

  • Christopher Leadership Course in Effective Speaking, 2002
  • Diploma (Health and Fitness Studies), Simon Fraser University, Canada, 1989
  • Diploma (Naturopathic medicine), Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, Canada, 2002

Professional Affiliations

  • Nutritional Fundamentals of Health, Medical Consultancy Group (2009-present)
  • World Naturopathic Federation (2015-present)

Mini-Interview with David

The best leader I ever worked for is definitely my high school basketball coach, Coach Norm. He had all the hallmarks of an excellent leader: he was very inspirational and had a very strong vision for the team. Before we started any practice he would call everybody together and say, “we are a championship team and these are the steps we going to take to become the champion team“. He was a very good goal setter, really passionate about basketball, very knowledgeable and could adapt to different situations throughout the year and games. He could communicate very clearly and made very clear guidelines. Coach Norm was a leader and in charge when he stepped into the gym, there was no question. But when we stepped out of the gym and into other areas, he became a friend, he was easy to talk to and seemed like he really cared and listened to us.

It’s put me out of my comfort zone. I jumped into a topic that was outside of my realm of knowledge. CJ is a fantastic person for supporting, helping and being patient with you as you start to incorporate and learn this knowledge. The more that I teach the course and really look at the material, the more I realise how good of a job CJ did putting it all together. It’s really a good course. I’m doing something that I know has meaning and that’s really important to me.

I also found that many of the things in Leadership Sculptor are also helpful in my own personal life and relationships. There is really a widespread benefit.

I would like to fly. I often watch the birds and they can just go wherever, whenever they want to effortlessly, wherever the wind and the thermals are taking them. It just seems like such a liberating feeling. They are just playing around up there, having a great old time. It would also be incredible to see the world from that perspective, but mostly it gives me the sense of liberation, of freedom, of unbridled joy.

michele

Michèle Ribeiro

Trainer

Michèle has over 25 years of professional experience in a variety of companies and industries, in different countries and cultures. She formerly worked in supply chain and project management and is now a professional facilitator and coach.
Her corporate knowledge in different cultures, her expertise in personal development and her personal experiences as a woman in the business world, all contribute to her passion for conscious leadership and cultural awareness.

Areas of Expertise

  • Leadership Development (Topics: Communication, Leadership Personalities,
  • Leading Teams, Self-Leadership)
  • Facilitation of workshops and teambuilding processes
  • Trainings in international settings
  • Coaching people in personal or professional transition

Professional Education & Certifications

  • PERSONALITY PROFILER Trainer/Coach, Linc GmbH (2022)
  • Team Management Profile, Team Management Services GmbH (2021)
  • Event Moderation, Nicole Krieger Moderatorenschule (2019)
  • EnneaMotion, ProGramm Institute for Working Relationships (2016)
  • Systemic Design Competence, Contract KG (2015-2016)
  • Systemic Consulting and Organisational Development, Trigon und SySt (2014)
  • Persolog® Personality Model, persolog (2014)
  • Personal Growth and Professional Competence, Contract KG (2008-2009)
  • Transactional Analysis from Eric Berne, Contract KG (2008-2009)
  • Life-& System Coach Advanced-group dynamic processes (2005-2010)

Michèle Ribeiro

michele

Trainer

Michèle has over 25 years of professional experience in a variety of companies and industries, in different countries and cultures. She formerly worked in supply chain and project management and is now a professional facilitator and coach.
Her corporate knowledge in different cultures, her expertise in personal development and her personal experiences as a woman in the business world, all contribute to her passion for conscious leadership and cultural awareness.

Areas of Expertise

  • Leadership Development (Topics: Communication, Leadership Personalities,
  • Leading Teams, Self-Leadership)
  • Facilitation of workshops and teambuilding processes
  • Trainings in international settings
  • Coaching people in personal or professional transition

Professional Education & Certifications

  • PERSONALITY PROFILER Trainer/Coach, Linc GmbH (2022)
  • Team Management Profile, Team Management Services GmbH (2021)
  • Event Moderation, Nicole Krieger Moderatorenschule (2019)
  • EnneaMotion, ProGramm Institute for Working Relationships (2016)
  • Systemic Design Competence, Contract KG (2015-2016)
  • Systemic Consulting and Organisational Development, Trigon und SySt (2014)
  • Persolog® Personality Model, persolog (2014)
  • Personal Growth and Professional Competence, Contract KG (2008-2009)
  • Transactional Analysis from Eric Berne, Contract KG (2008-2009)
  • Life-& System Coach Advanced-group dynamic processes (2005-2010)

Mini-Interview with Michèle

I was born bicultural to a Ghanaian father and a German mother in Ghana, West Africa. I lived there as a child and moved to Germany as a teenager. And I’ve also lived and worked for two years in Vancouver, Canada, which was one of my most awesome experiences. I just loved the free spirit and the vast nature. I really have experienced quite a few different cultures all in their diversity and, that’s what I actually enjoy about life, the different cultures.

There are quite a few which I really like. And I really, really, hope that many participants take a lot out of our courses.
One of the basic concepts is clarifying people’s expectations. I remember when I was in a key account role, how important it was to have a clear understanding of the role you have taking on. Also avoiding misunderstandings through clarity of expectations.
Another concept which intrigues me is the Enneagram personality model because you really get good personal insight about yourself. I find it a good foundation for self-awareness and also understanding how better to approach and interact with other people.
That is an essential element of leadership: understanding the others and being able to connect with them.

It’s a very simple one and I just love it. And everybody loves it when I cook it. It is Dhal, an Indian recipe with red lentils and I add vegetables, but the clue is the spicing. I’ve sort of figured out what good spicing to put inside from all the various Indian spices. It has curry, turmeric, cumin, cardamom, ginger, onions and a little garlic in it and it’s done less than 30 minutes maximum. It’s just delicious.

One of my superheroes is Nelson Mandela. He is my role model for resilience and compassion. He survived 27 plus years imprisonment – kept a strong mind, was released from prison and was ready to collaborate -, instead of going into remorse. That really inspires me, I could sit there the whole evening just listening to him.  
I would love to invite Opera Winfrey or Michelle Obama. These are women that are strong role models in standing up for their beliefs, giving themselves and other women a voice. They inspire women to get out there to go their way despite all obstacles.
Last but not least I would invite my grandfather. He used to tell us all the stories about the past. He lived in the time of colonialism, which is part of my history. I’d just like to hear more about it. Unfortunately, we lost him too early for my liking.

theo

Theo Nell

Trainer, Coach, Consultant

Theo is a registered industrial psychologist, with more than 20 years’ experience in the private, public and higher education sectors.  His fields of specialisation are organisational development, organisational dynamics, talent management and enabling the effective design and translation of organisational strategy.

Areas of Expertise

  • Organisational Development, Dynamics & Strategy
  • Leadership Development
  • Performance Management
  • Talent Management

Professional Education & Certifications

  • Enneagram – Individual and Team (Integrative Enneagram Solutions, 2015
  • MBTI (JVR, 1992)
  • FIRO-B (JVR, 1992)
  • Hypnotherapy, Wellness Institute, USA, 1997

Professional Affiliations

  • Health Professions Council of South Africa (since 1996)
  • Wellness Institute, USA

Theo Nell

theo

Trainer, Coach, Consultant

Theo is a registered industrial psychologist, with more than 20 years’ experience in the private, public and higher education sectors.  His fields of specialisation are organisational development, organisational dynamics, talent management and enabling the effective design and translation of organisational strategy.

Areas of Expertise

  • Organisational Development, Dynamics & Strategy
  • Leadership Development
  • Performance Management
  • Talent Management

Professional Education & Certifications

  • Enneagram – Individual and Team (Integrative Enneagram Solutions, 2015
  • MBTI (JVR, 1992)
  • FIRO-B (JVR, 1992)
  • Hypnotherapy, Wellness Institute, USA, 1997

Professional Affiliations

  • Health Professions Council of South Africa (since 1996)
  • Wellness Institute, USA

Mini-Interview with Theo

My life motto is live into the possibility and not up to expectation, which means basically look at the opportunities that live actually throws to you and not at the positives and negatives. Because if you look at the possibilities and the opportunities there’s always a way out even in times that you are not so sure what to do.

Working with scientist is very rewarding for me because I find them to be very curious, they want to find out new things, want to explore things that they don’t understand. I’ve also seen that in the work we do on leadership. They are extremely curious about how they can advance their own leadership career and their skills and competences in the world of trying to lead other people. I also appreciate that scientists want to make the world a better place. They always seek to find answers to things that can benefit the world and benefit the way that we actually work with problems the world is faced with.

The book that most influenced me especially on my leadership journey was the Book by Benjamin Zander The Art of Possibility. It changed the way that I understood the world of leadership and it guided me through my own leadership journey to become a better leader. It just put a different perspective on leadership. This is a book that I can really recommend to people as part of their leadership journey!

It opened the world beyond the borders of South Africa for me to engage with people from different continents. The co-facilitators are so diverse and every single time that I work with the team from Leadership Sculpture I learn and grow myself as well. There are many opportunities for growth and development learning from my colleagues, but also learning from the people that we engage with and their experiences. That is really enriching!

alexandra

Alexandra Hund

Trainer, Consultant

Areas of Expertise

  • Strategic staff development
  • Organisational development
  • Coaching of project leaders and managers in education
  • Supervision/ interim review
  • Teambuilding and retreats
  • Facilitation of strategy processes

Professional Education & Certifications

  • Experience-based Learning, Metalog (2019)
  • Design Thinking (Hasso-Plattner-Institut Potsdam (2018)
  • Organisational Development & Change Management, isb (2018)
  • Systemic Coaching, isb (2013)

Professional Affiliations

  • Akademie für Wissenschaftliche Weiterbildung

Alexandra Hund

alexandra

Trainer, Consultant

Areas of Expertise

  • Strategic staff development
  • Organisational development
  • Coaching of project leaders and managers in education
  • Supervision/ interim review
  • Teambuilding and retreats
  • Facilitation of strategy processes

Professional Education & Certifications

  • Experience-based Learning, Metalog (2019)
  • Design Thinking (Hasso-Plattner-Institut Potsdam (2018)
  • Organisational Development & Change Management, isb (2018)
  • Systemic Coaching, isb (2013)

Professional Affiliations

  • Akademie für Wissenschaftliche Weiterbildung

Mini-Interview with Alexandra

When I’m not working and I’m at home, I love to cook and I love gardening. If I have time to travel I, like to take all my kite-surfing stuff with me and go to a windy beach.

My tip for the participants is to keep a journal or diary and take notes of daily events or situations to be able to be aware of how you dealt with situations and difficulties. Because if you use this meta-skill, then you are able to manage a lot of situations in your life. I have a working diary that I started years ago. At the end of the week I write down what the situations are that I managed very well and where I could improve stuff. This helps me to be aware of how I finally do things, where my energy comes from and where I lose energy, so I can avoid those situations or handle them differently when it comes to a situation that is very difficult for me to handle. This helps development fantastically.

I grew up with very good food—a lot of time was spent on cooking in my home. The recipes are not really complicated, but it is more of an attitude about them. For me to cook I need to have time and patience and to be in the right mood. Part of the cooking is to find the right ingredients. The whole process of having a nice meal at the end of the day usually starts when I go shopping. I really love to go to Strasbourg, which is close by. I love the French way of living and their food and ingredients. So I go to these little shops that I know and trust, have some coffee and get the ingredients. At home I take my time and prepare the meal and set up the table beautifully. This all comes together. One of my favorite meals to cook are scallops. I make a special sauce for them out of a lot of vegetables, so you need all the right vegetables and the right wine, because a lot of that goes into the sauce. The scallops need to be really fresh and in the end it turns out to a wonderful meal.

Diana Baumann

Trainer

Areas of Expertise

  • Leadership development
  • Teamwork and training
  • MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®)
  • Laboratory animal science
  • Herpetolog
  • Non-traditional laboratory animal models
  •  

Professional Education & Certifications

  • Certified Mental Health First Aider
  • Vital Smarts Crucial Conversations Training
  • IACUC 101, 201, 301 Courses
  • Certified MBTI® Practitioner
  • Certified Manager of Animal Resources (CMAR)
  • Graduate of Institute of Laboratory Animal Management (ILAM)
  • Registered Laboratory Animal Technologist (RLATG)
  • Foundation/Advanced Certificates of Herpetology (Awarded with Distinction)
  • Research Integrity Course
  • Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician (ALAT)/Laboratory Animal Technician (LAT)

Professional Affiliations

  • American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS)
  • Australia and New Zealand Association of Aquarium Professionals (ANZAAP)
  • Australia and New Zealand Laboratory Animal Association (ANZLAA)
  • Institute of Animal Technology (IAT)
  • Kansas City Branch (KCAALAS)
  • Laboratory Animal Welfare Exchange (LAWTE)
  • Laboratory Animal Management Association (LAMA)
  • Zebrafish Husbandry Association (ZHA)

Diana Baumann

Training & Coaching Manager, Senior Trainer, Coach

Areas of Expertise

  • Leadership development

  • Teamwork and training

  • MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®)

  • Laboratory animal science

  • Herpetology

  • Non-traditional laboratory animal models

Professional Education & Certifications

  • Certified Mental Health First Aider

  • Vital Smarts Crucial Conversations Training

  • IACUC 101, 201, 301 Courses

  • Certified MBTI® Practitioner

  • Certified Manager of Animal Resources (CMAR)

  • Graduate of Institute of Laboratory Animal Management (ILAM)

  • Registered Laboratory Animal Technologist (RLATG)

  • Foundation/Advanced Certificates of Herpetology (Awarded with Distinction)

  • Research Integrity Course

  • Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician (ALAT)/Laboratory Animal Technician (LAT)

Professional Affiliations

  • American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS)
  • Australia and New Zealand Association of Aquarium Professionals (ANZAAP)
  • Australia and New Zealand Laboratory Animal Association (ANZLAA)
  • Institute of Animal Technology (IAT)
  • Kansas City Branch (KCAALAS)
  • Laboratory Animal Welfare Exchange (LAWTE)
  • Laboratory Animal Management Association (LAMA)
  • Zebrafish Husbandry Association (ZHA)

Mini-Interview with Petra

I love skydiving. It’s my passion. I love being up in the air and being at the dropzone for a weekend frees my mind and it feels like I’ve been on a one-week vacation. I’ve been on a skydiving team since 2017 and I’ve learned quite a bit what it really means to be in a team. You only move ahead if you truly consider the strengths and weaknesses of each one. Michael Jordan once said, “stars win games, teams win championships.” And if we don’t work together and adjust to each other’s abilities, we’re not getting anywhere. I also enjoy daydreaming to gain energy. I like to just kind of get lost in my own little world and detach from everything else.

T. E. Lawrence said: “All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible.“ This has indeed worked for me so far.

I’m a trained biologist and I’ve done basic research in the life sciences since 1996, as well as teaching at the university for many years. My research is in developmental biology. When I started my post-doc I focused on heart development, identifying and characterising factors that instruct the cells during embryogenesis to become heart cells.

I did an experiment in my post-doc phase where I took a tissue that normally does not develop into cardiac tissue and I added a factor to that which triggered the formation of cardiomyocytes in the tissue. I remember the moment, sitting at the microscope for a long time, staring at this little piece of tissue in my petri dish thinking, “come on, start beating!“ All of a sudden I noticed the cells started contracting and I couldn’t believe it. That was the first time it worked in my hands and it was pretty amazing to watch.

Muhammad Muneeb Akram

Marketing Assistant

Muneeb is a charismatic multi-hyphenate marketer with multiple years of experience in developing and executing measurable marketing campaigns, digital marketing, branding, storytelling and new business strategies, negotiating partnerships and developing solutions. He is also a communications specialist who helps clients communicate effectively internally and externally.
Currently working on a digital marketing strategy that includes all types of digital communications (social media marketing, digital advertising, content marketing & native advertising) and online marketing (WordPress, SEO, SEM, & Google Analytics).

Areas of Expertise

  • Marketing: Digital Marketing (Online Marketing & SM Marketing)
  • Digital Communications  
  • Digital Brand Strategy
  • Marketing Automation

Muhammad Muneeb Akram

Marketing Assistant

Marketing Assistant

Muneeb is a charismatic multi-hyphenate marketer with multiple years of experience in developing and executing measurable marketing campaigns, digital marketing, branding, storytelling and new business strategies, negotiating partnerships and developing solutions. He is also a communications specialist who helps clients communicate effectively internally and externally.
Currently working on a digital marketing strategy that includes all types of digital communications (social media marketing, digital advertising, content marketing & native advertising) and online marketing (WordPress, SEO, SEM, & Google Analytics).

Areas of Expertise

  • Marketing: Digital Marketing (Online Marketing & SM Marketing)
  • Digital Communications  
  • Digital Brand Strategy
  • Marketing Automation

Mini-Interview with Muneeb

I was born and raised in a small town in southern Punjab, Pakistan, on the banks of the Chenab River called Muzaffargarh. The memories of my friends from my school days still live in me. We were called ‘Sardarians’. The town is famous for its agriculture and cultivation of wonderful fruits, OMG, the best mangos in the world belong to my hometown. Later I moved to Lahore, which is known for its vibrant atmosphere, historical architecture, extremely hospitable and joyful people and the scrumptious food found on its streets.

In general, I’m a family man, because except at work, all my time belongs to my better half.
I’m also a part-time scouser, so I usually owe my weekends and midweek nights to Liverpool FC.
Besides household chores, I like to read, watch movies, meet friends, ride my bike and use my hidden talents like imaginary writing.

On my journey here, I have realized that I’m part of something other than just making a profit. We work for an innovative mission which is committed for over a decade to contributing to making the world a better place for our species through developing more effective scientific leadership.

Max

max

Max

Max has a kind heart and loves people. Once he gets to know you, he will shower you in dog kisses, and should you be tossing his ball, you’ll be his best friend! He loves learning new tricks, especially if treats are involved :) His biggest passion is water though. Be it summer or winter, he will jump into any form of water he can find!

Areas of Expertise

  • endless dog kisses and useless tricks
  • obedience
  • whining when bored

Nova

nova

Nova

Nova is excited—about mostly anything. She loves running and playing with other dogs and has a high-pitched joy-bark when she is really thrilled. Her greetings are full of energy and happy jumps. She also loves to cuddle and sleep in her cozy cave. 

Areas of Expertise

  • excited barking
  • disturbing online meetings
  • Zoomies through the entire office

Max

max

Max has a kind heart and loves people. Once he gets to know you, he will shower you in dog kisses, and should you be tossing his ball, you’ll be his best friend! He loves learning new tricks, especially if treats are involved :) His biggest passion is water though. Be it summer or winter, he will jump into any form of water he can find!

Areas of Expertise

  • endless dog kisses and useless tricks
  • obedience
  • whining when bored

Nova

nova
Nova is excited—about mostly anything. She loves running and playing with other dogs and has a high-pitched joy-bark when she is really thrilled. Her greetings are full of energy and happy jumps. She also loves to cuddle and sleep in her cozy cave. 

Areas of Expertise

  • excited barking
  • disturbing online meetings
  • Zoomies through the entire office
Proven Leadership Tips to Your Inbox

Subscribe To Our Monthly Newsletter

Sign up now and, as a bonus, you’ll receive our report “R&D Leaders’ Top Concerns about Leading Themselves, Their People, and The Organizations” to help you on your journey.