Founder and Principal

JAN 2008 - PRESENT · 18.6 years

After three decades as a leader in design and innovation, I realized that one of the most important aspects of bringing new ideas to life was consistently ignored: working directly, constructively, and proactively with tension and conflict. Initiatives succeed when leaders create risk-tolerant environments that nurture new ideas, and can navigate difficult conversations with clients or colleagues. They fail when those conversations break down. In an intergenerational workforce, developing this kind of conversational agility is not an option. Organizations that invest in it now will increase engagement, deliver better outcomes, and establish a strong foundation for leadership transition. Today I partner with rising and executive leaders to develop this capacity so they can navigate the five mission-critical conversations that support both individual and organizational growth: #1 - The Internal Conversation: Developing the self-awareness and self-leadership skills needed to effectively lead others. #2 - The Developmental Conversation: Giving, requesting, and receiving feedback that helps build a bench of future leaders. #3 - The Exploratory Conversation: Framing the right problem to solve to nurture new business and maintain healthy client relationships. #4 - The Generative Conversation: Facilitating inclusive work sessions that deepen engagement and yield superior ideas. #5 - The Challenging Conversation: Transforming conflict and other difficult situations into stronger connections and more innovative outcomes. www.lauraweiss.net Example of Impact: After working with a team of senior account executives at a large international design firm, one of participants offered the following: “This was the most impactful session for me and could have been all day or across two days, especially to have time to digest and reflect. How we communicate to our clients and teams is such a personal thing that it offers a lot to digest and evolve from the learnings.”

Principal, Advisory | Leadership Development + Executive Coaching

MAR 2022 - NOV 2023 · 1.8 years

Created trusting, collaborative relationships for Korn Ferry clients and led the design and delivery of high impact leadership development curricula, executive coaching engagements, and cohort program facilitation. Worked with top brands in tech, manufacturing, life sciences, enterprise software, and professional services. Contributed tools, processes, practices, and mentoring to the Korn Ferry Leadership Development community. Also a founding subject matter expert for the development of Korn Ferry’s Inclusive Innovation solution that is part of a larger dialogue around diversity and inclusion. A colleague offered the following feedback: “Laura displays a high level of intellectual rigor and brings a breadth of knowledge in leadership, innovation, and organizational development; She is an open and strong communicator who shares critical information, asks great questions, and embraces different points of view to build trust and elevate our work.” Example of Coaching Impact: A newly promoted senior leader in a Fortune 50 tech company was elevated to a position for which there was limited role clarity or performance metrics. She was convinced it was an enormous mistake and was seeking a way to move forward with confidence and conviction. Partnering with me she was able to reframe her negative thoughts and consciously choose situation-specific modes for operating as an organizational leader. Leveraging feedback from others and regularly reflecting on her own actions, she was able to establish a playbook and success metrics that enabled her to thrive in her new role.

Adjunct Faculty

JUN 2021 - MAY 2022 · 1 year

ARCH 2210 | Design Leadership, Yale School of Architecture M.Arch. Graduate Program Conceived, designed, and delivered this first-of-its-kind seminar for professional degree students. Leveraging the principles of experiential learning theory, the seminar promotes an adaptive leadership model that students can immediately apply as they transition from academic to professional life. Post-seminar survey results outperformed all comparable department courses. A student offered the following feedback: “An amazing teacher, and the content of the course is really important. Laura is good at adapting to the changing needs of the students within one class session depending on what we find most fruitful in the conversation. She is also very caring and thoughtful as a human which makes the class experience very pleasant. I overall think this is a keystone course that I am grateful to have had the opportunity to take.”

Adjunct Faculty | YSOA

JUN 2021 - MAY 2022 · 1 year

ARCH 2210 | Design Leadership, Yale School of Architecture Graduate Program Conceived, designed, and delivered this first-of-its-kind seminar for professional degree students. Leveraging the principles of experiential learning theory, the seminar promotes an adaptive leadership model that students can immediately apply as they transition from academic to professional life. Post-seminar survey results outperformed all comparable department courses. A student offered the following feedback: “An amazing teacher, and the content of the course is really important. Laura is good at adapting to the changing needs of the students within one class session depending on what we find most fruitful in the conversation. She is also very caring and thoughtful as a human which makes the class experience very pleasant. I overall think this is a keystone course that I am grateful to have had the opportunity to take.”

Senior Innovation Advisor, Talent Strategist, and Leadership Coach

JAN 2017 - DEC 2020 · 4 years

A trusted advisor to Slalom’s talent management team, sales leadership team, and general manager team, I designed and facilitated new kinds of strategic conversations for our clients that took a more inquisitive and collaborative approach to consulting engagements. A colleague offered the following feedback: “Extremely strategic, competent, and graceful in high-pressure situations; a master facilitator and an amazing advisor.”

Adjunct Professor

JAN 2017 - JAN 2020 · 3.1 years

Co-instructor for two seminars in the pioneering Master of Design program: MDES IXDR-625 | Communication by Design (with Associate Professor Sharon Green, PhD) which focuses on a new language of design leadership to build trust, support collaboration, strengthen authentic listening, and enhance interpersonal dynamics. MDES IXDR-616 | Leadership by Design (with Associate Professor Sharon Green, PhD) which explores the roles of the creative leader to foster system, team, and individual health as a foundation for sustainable innovation and performance. My co-instructor offered the following feedback: "In designing and facilitating instruction, Laura embodies all the best of innovative design education: she’s curious about students’ needs and experiences; she’s skilled at supporting students to (re)frame their knowledge and experience; she’s a master at guiding students to learn through application and prototyping; and she’s thoughtful in crafting the end-to-end learning process."

Director, Service Design

JAN 2014 - DEC 2016 · 3 years

Led cross-functional service design and innovation initatives to define scalable, repeatable SMB Customer Success processes that deliver a differentiated customer experience across all crticial service touchpoints. A colleague offered the following feedback: “Laura is gifted in her people and organizational skills that allow her to orchestrate stakeholders in a most effective and efficient manner that others have to only admire.”

Gensler Fellow

JAN 2013 - DEC 2013 · 1 year

Served as an innovation advisor to Gensler's Executive Studio. During a six-month term I helped focus and catalyze the development of organizational capabilities across the firm, and advised firm leadership on the creation of its innovation program. A colleague offered the following feedback: “She’ll shake things up and put them back together in a way that brings people together and empowers staff with the skills to re-create the successes.”

VP, Service Innovation

JAN 2010 - DEC 2012 · 3 years

Led the effort to define the next stage of Taproot’s award-winning Service Grant Program, a platform that makes business talent available to organizations working to improve society. A colleague offered the following feedback: “One of Laura’s greatest strengths is communication. Her ability to “hear” what is said and process it into patterns and communications was essential as we tackled strategy, developed ideas, and processed challenges and opportunities.”

Associate Partner + Practice Director

JAN 1999 - DEC 2008 · 10 years

Co-founded the original Service Design practice and served on the leadership team of the world’s leading innovation consulting firm. I co-directed all aspects of practice operations including solution strategy, new business development, contract negotiation, program planning and content design, and, perhaps most importantly, the delivery of memorable client experiences and breakthrough product and service concepts. A client offered the following feedback: “Laura and her team took us a quantum leap forward in our thinking and helped us radically reinvent our business.”

Consultant

AUG 1997 - AUG 1999 · 2.1 years

Licensed Architect + Adjunct Faculty @ Cornell, Yale, MIT, University of Virginia

JUL 1988 - AUG 1995 · 7.2 years