Leadership is about people.
Leadership is about connection.
Sustainable change.
Meaningful impact.
Measurable results.
Filler
Current Workplace Realities
%
of employees say they need a better reason to go in to the office than just company expectations.
Source: Microsoft “Hybrid work is just work.” September 2022
%
of leaders say the shift to hybrid work has made it challenging to have confidence that workers are productive despite increases in hours worked.
Source: Microsoft “Hybrid work is just work.” September 2022
%
of C-Suite executives are seriously considering quitting for a job that better supports their well-being.
Source: Deloitte, “Well-being at Work Survey”, 2023
%
of C-Suite executives agree employees are more likely to be healthy if their executives are healthy.
Source: Deloitte, “Well-being at Work Survey”, 2023
Why Szem-Szem Consulting?
With Szem-Szem Consulting, each client experience is strategically designed to meet the organization’s specific needs and is actively adapted throughout the engagement… because we understand organizational dynamics can change rapidly and what was needed a month ago may be different today.
Our ability to meet each leader where they are at, understand, and powerfully relate to their perspective, is a key driver in accelerating their development.
Tailored consulting for evolving organizational needs.
Our Mission
We’re in the business of elevating the skill sets and mindsets of leaders and teams to create shared success.
Our Values
Growth Mindset
Curiosity
Partnership
Courage
Collaboration
Testimonials
Nancy Calkins
What was wonderful about Marisa as a mentor was that she seemed to know what I was capable of long before I did and she operated as if this future she envisioned for me was already a reality. She’s a master at reading people, tapping into their potential and taking them to new levels of performance and I was lucky enough to have had access to her unique talent. She pushed me professionally in the best possible way and the results for both me and our organization were remarkable. I was truly happiest and most gratified in my work when I stretched myself – at Marisa’s prompting – beyond my self-drawn boundaries. I never ended a conversation with Marisa without being fired up and fully inspired to make something great happen.
Nancy Calkins
Director of Training for the Pointe Resorts
Hilton Hotels Corporation
Graham Brown
Our senior management team has benefited from our partnership with Marisa for the past three years as she facilitated year-long leadership academy programs with our firm. This program allowed my colleagues and I to explore multiple leadership distinctions through didactic, interactive, and reflective adult learning approaches.
With a thought provoking and challenging curriculum, Marisa engaged us intellectually and emotionally over the year, which expanded my thinking and actions. As a result, I have a robust set of techniques in my toolbox to lead my team more effectively. Her engaging approach and timing gave us the chance to test and refine our application of the new methodologies or tools and to develop our success over time.
Marisa’s great interest and talent for getting to know her clients, is combined with her desire to work in depth on the practical and complex inter-personal issues they face. For me, the program helped me focus on the priorities and key needs of my clients and team; armed with new techniques to take on my leadership challenges.
Graham Brown
Vice President, Practice Leader Population Health and Clinical Integration
GE HealthCare
Robert A. Blackman
I have had the great pleasure and good fortune to take the leadership course taught by Ms. Marisa Szem-Stafford. I have been a Regional Medical Director for HealthCare Partners, a large multi-specialty medical group in Southern California, for over 30 years. When I was offered to take the course, I was unsure what I could learn that 30 years of leadership experience hadn’t already taught me. Well, to my surprise the answer was: “A lot!”
The course is broken down into modules each dealing with a different leadership skill. The experience is very interactive and Marisa does an exceptional job. I came away with a powerful set of tools that have enhanced my ability to lead. My only regret is that I had not been apprenticed to her sooner.
Robert A. Blackman, MD
Regional Medical Director
HealthCare Partner
Daniel Chan
Marisa,
I want to express my sincere gratitude for the amazing class you facilitated.
Because of this course, I am much more effective as a lead physician. The skills are powerful. They are so well structured. Having put some of the skills in real practice at my clinic, I see a positive outcome in terms of improvement of practice style and certain behaviors, and also, I see a greater buy-in from the clinicians on performance requirements. I’m so happy to see such results which I had so longed for, and in a positive way I feel empowered as a leader.
I should’ve taken this course years ago.
Thank you again.
Daniel Chan
Lead Clinician
Optum
Joel Sacks
My team and I have had the pleasure of working with Marisa for the past few years. She is an outstanding consultant and executive coach who has helped me and my organization immensely. I appreciate her expertise, experience, passion, and creativity. Most importantly, Marisa’s ability to customize and adjust her training and coaching to meet the needs of my team, based on shifting organizational priorities, has been incredibly helpful. Time and again, she shows a unique ability to meet people where they are and identify the most immediate needs to address in the moment. She’s able to expand the mindsets of leaders in real time which enhances their performance. I am a better leader having worked with and learned from Marisa.
Joel Sacks
Director of the Department of Labor & Industries
State of Washington
Maria Perret-Gentil
Working with Marisa is a transformative experience. It is clear that her passion for development is not just a part of her work—it is at the core of who she is and everything she does. Her approach isn’t about providing easy answers but about asking thoughtful questions that allow me to find my own path forward, which is incredibly empowering. Marisa’s deep care and commitment to me is evident in every conversation. I always feel supported and understood, and I walk away from each session with new insights and a clearer vision for my future. Thanks to Marisa, I’m a much better leader today and continue to improve every day by continuously applying what I learned. I can’t recommend her enough to anyone seeking meaningful, lasting change.