CEO of a Community Services Provider
Our company was recently impacted by the largest funding change in recent history, this event necessitated a very fast paced culture shift and reprioritization of goals to not only survive, but to thrive within the new environment created by that change. We knew the scope of the shift we needed was beyond our ability to pursue on our own, so we sought out a source to guide this shift. We needed an outside source for clarity and objectivity, but also one that we could connect with on a personal level, and we found that in Sarah Ennis and SparkPoint. Sarah was able to not only deliver a very in depth and well thought out process that fit our company but also one powerful enough to affect a systemwide change.
I have been very pleased with the quick results that Sarah has been able to deliver to us and can highly recommend her for you consulting needs.
Vice President, Child Mental Health Services Agency
Our leadership team had the privilege of working with Sarah to help us problem solve some longstanding communication and work culture concerns. Her authentic and engaging facilitation style opened up honest dialogue that helped us get unstuck and find longer term solutions that never would have happened on our own. Sarah’s passion and in-depth knowledge of organizational change is unmatched. She has a highly developed ability to get to the heart of the matter and offers concrete, tangible steps out of any problem. She deepened our understanding of how to build a heathy work culture that continues to inspire us months later.
I highly recommend using Sarah for any organization or team! You will be so glad you did.
Rural Hospital CEO
Close to 30% improvement in rural hospital’s culture in just one year.
Sarah has been a shot in the arm - she just possesses intangibles that my employees connected with from the start.
I wholly recommend Sarah Ennis for any of your organization’s needs, whether it is coaching, culture, improving communication, breaking down barriers between departments or between individuals within the same department.
Pharmacy Leader
We requested that Sarah work with our department of about 70 employees who were fractured, dissatisfied and in some cases found little or no value in their jobs other than collecting a paycheck. Sarah used different strategies, and over many difficult and sometimes painful sessions, we started to notice a difference. The overall comfort and confidence of leadership team members improved, resulting in never before experienced traction and momentum in a positive direction to improve conditions thought to be unattainable. It is very accurate to say that without the experience, guidance, strategy, unselfishness, and at times great courage of Sarah to insert herself in to a very hostile work environment, ask the difficult questions, and demand that the unpopular answers be heard by those who needed to hear them; the likelihood of these changes occurring would be minimal at best. Our department is in a much better place today with her help.
Associate Director, Community Service Provider (ID/DD, Mental Illness, and Brain Injury Svcs)
As a leader, Sarah has helped me to learn to think differently about myself and the people I supervise and how I go about working with our team. I have learned a great deal from her since she has been working with us and I feel that I have grown as a leader as a result. I am thankful that our Board has given us the opportunity to work with Sarah. I would recommend her to every team out there, big or small. She is extremely knowledgeable. Sarah has helped our team to recognize both large and small changes that we were able to implement that have made huge improvements to our team’s culture. What I have liked about Sarah’s approach is the consistency and regular visits that help hold our team accountable to the process of change. I have been impressed with Sarah’s abilities to guide our team in approaching very large issues as well as the smaller issues. Sarah is simply amazing! She has a true gift in helping and guiding teams.
Hospital Leader
Sarah is not just doing a “job” – she is truly invested in my success as a professional and a person.
Hospital CEO
We have utilized SparkPoint for a number of years for Leadership Development and Team Building. Sarah Ennis has become a trusted instructor for our teams and the leadership team continues to practice lessons learned through Sarah’s leadership focus. Communication is always a challenge and Sarah has done a great job of breaking down barriers to improve team and organizational communication. Sarah has become a part of our Leadership Development Institute to help all our leaders, both new and experienced, grow in their individual leadership skills.
Law Practice Owner and Managing Partner
We recently used Sarah Ennis of SparkPoint, Inc. to help us navigate some personality and work flow issues in our law firm. I felt we had a good team but wanted to make sure we had a great team. I also wanted to make sure that the attorneys and staff all felt they had a voice in the firm and felt comfortable communicating with each other especially if there was a problem or misunderstanding. Sarah quickly uncovered some issues that needed to be clarified and remedied and after our first few sessions everyone agreed that they felt a lot better about the team. We have continued to use Sarah's recommendations and communication strategies and as a result I have watched the team bond and our culture has improved which has improved the work environment. I would highly recommend Sarah. We are still using her expertise and I value the coaching she has provided me to help me become a better leader.
Executive Director, Behavioral and Mental Health Agency
Sarah Ennis (Sparkpoint) started working with our agency when it was identified that a neutral party was needed to make staff feel comfortable in communicating their concerns, ideas and assisting with the creation of a productive and results producing team when new management of the organization took over operations. Sarah met with staff at all levels of the organization and listened to their concerns, issues and ideas, allowing the full team to be heard. She brought these needs to the leadership and administrative team and worked with staff to start building trust in the organization. Sarah facilitated meetings with all staff to help them feel comfortable with raising concerns and bringing ideas to the table. Sarah worked with the leadership team to make meetings meaningful and valued and allow all members of the team to be heard and helped staff to understand conflict isn’t something that is necessarily bad but is needed to produce results. In the past year that Sarah has worked with the organization she has brought needed ideas and input which has produced measured, daily results in the culture or the organization.
Chief Nursing Officer
Collaboratively, Sarah assisted me to execute contractual agreement with the managers outlining specific expectations, duties, timelines, etc. The development of this document assisted also in disseminating this information to the front-line staff who they manage. Secondly, Sarah has assisted in cultivating a more open and transparent level of communication within the department as well as the organization. Third, Sarah challenged staff to be uncomfortable offering positive and negative feedback to peers and superiors. This has not been common practice at our facility; she challenged all employees from administration to front-line staff to expand the boundaries. Finally, Sarah has reinforced time and time again the necessity to be intentional and consistent in thought, word, and actions. Through this consistency comes more respect and ultimate productivity. Sarah helped me personally develop my leadership skills. She identified in me my personal strengths and built them up. She also acknowledged those where I was weak and assisted me to develop those to be more robust. Her third-party, neutral perspective assisted us to begin the foundation work to changing our culture in a positive manner. She has put us in many uncomfortable situations and we’ve survived. One of the key tidbits I’ve taken away from working with Sarah is to celebrate the small victories. Soon, those small victories turn into big ones.
Vice President, Professional Affairs
The Iowa Pharmacy Association has used SparkPoint at our annual student pharmacist leadership conference for almost every year of the conference’s 20+ year existence. Each year, the student attendees have claimed Sarah’s session as one of their favorites, most relevant, and most memorable. Sarah always answers their questions with helpful knowledge and unique perspective from years in the industry. It is evident that Sarah’s skills and expertise in work culture, leadership, and communication are built from extensive experience across all of these areas. We look forward to having her back again year after year!
Nurse Manager
As a result of SparkPoint’s personality assessments, our staff has come to value each other’s insight. Sarah teaches a level of accountability which provides introspection for all employees. This has resulted in our staff’s ability to welcome feedback as an opportunity to grow and develop.
CEO
Sarah has helped coach my senior staff, breaking down barriers between departments and facilitating mediation between employees. I wholly recommend SparkPoint for any of your organization’s needs.
Manager, Non-Profit Organization for Children’s Cancer
SparkPoint was the catalyst our workplace needed to improve the way we communicate and collaborate. Using a variety of tools, assessments, and Sarah’s thoughtful approach, SparkPoint helped improve our problem-solving skills and taught us how to build relationships with other departments. Sarah's honest coaching style showed our team that conflict resolution is possible. The results were priceless.
Nurse Manager
SparkPoint has been a valuable asset to our organization. Sarah’s vast knowledge and experience working with organizations of all sizes have helped our team improve communication, conflict resolution, and teamwork. If an organization is considering whether or not to invest in SparkPoint services, I would suggest they can’t afford NOT to. I recommend SparkPoint without hesitation and with full confidence. Chief Medical Officer Our team began working with SparkPoint during a difficult time when most employees were both frustrated and resentful. After our time with SparkPoint, we experienced increased respect, communication, punctuality, collaboration, conflict resolution, and an overall healthier work environment.
CEO
Sarah’s grace and calm perspective coupled with her ability to bring the honest truth to a discussion has allowed us to rebuild crucial relationships within the hospital’s leadership.
Executive Director, Behavioral and Mental Health Agency
I would recommend Sarah because she is relatable at all levels of the organization and provides excellent logic and advice from an outside point of view. She is an excellent coach and deeply invested in the results needed for the survival of an organization.
Radiology Leader
SparkPoint was very helpful to me and my team. Sarah was the third party we needed to help conquer our goals. Our communication and conflict resolution strategies have improved.
Former Deputy Director Sales Training, Pharmaceutical Company
SparkPoint has had a tremendous impact on not only my work, but my personal life as well. Sarah truly has the heart of a teacher. She recognized and identified my strengths and helped build upon them to ensure lasting success. She helped each employee become the best person, team member, and leader they can be.
Nurse Manager
After working with SparkPoint, massive results began flooding into my department. I am a more effective leader and possess a better understanding of the staff I supervise. My team has grown to respect each other as individuals with gifts to share.
Lab Leader
SparkPoint has helped our team identify areas that we knew were an issue, but lacked a way to resolve it. In the last six months, I have seen improved communication between employees. Sarah has been phenomenal in helping me overcome my own insecurities and frustrations, so that I can grow as a leader. She ensures that our team continually strives for growth and improvement.
Client
In a year’s time, SparkPoint also worked with one organization’s staff to identify major issues and create lasting solutions. At the end of the year, employees saw significant improvement in critical areas like trust, communication, job satisfaction, and conflict resolution. The team’s satisfaction with workplace culture also increased by nearly 30%.
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