This portfolio of success stories will give you a good sense of the kind of problems we work with, how we approach them and the kind of results we get.

Leads Club from Lethargy to the Highest Possible Award
David joined an Omaha Toastmasters club so that he could improve his public speaking abilities. The club that he joined was chartered in the early 1980s and had only achieved the lowest level Distinguished Club award twice in over twenty years. The award rewarded clubs who met six of ten structured goals that show that the club aided its members in major improvements.
When the club asked David to run for president in 2005, he responded that he had many other responsibilities that required his time, but that he would be willing if the club was willing to shoot for the award and move the members forward.
He worked with the other officers and built an action plan. He kept track of their progress.
At the end of the year, the club not only met the six goals, but met nine of the ten. That qualified them for the President’s Distinguished Club award. Only two of the 72 clubs in the district earned the award.
Due to the major turnaround, David received the President of the Year award for the 72 clubs.

Employee Retention Transformation
When David was promoted to Director of Systems Development for a major firm, the department from which his group was formed had a terrible record of employee retention. The full department had an annual employee turnover of 300%.
David organized his group of 24 developers and support personnel. He made an action plan for reducing turnover.
In the six years he led the group, he averaged less than 5% annual turnover while the rest of the department continued its 300%.

Morale Turnaround
Another team of developers David led for a large nursing home chain began to show signs of low morale. Their “ivory tower” attitude became evident when they started speaking critically of the users of their software.
After a few months of such talk David decided he needed to make a plan.
David decided to have his staff take work time to volunteer in the nursing homes on a regular basis. He didn’t have them operate their own software, but he had them help with activities, do manicures, read to residents, and serve food.
The staff resisted initially, but eventually looked forward to their time with the residents.
After a few months the developers changed their opinion of their users. They began to respect them and empathize with them. Their “ivory tower” attitudes disappeared.
At the end of that year, David’s group received the corporation’s “Team of the Year” award.

Testimonials about David’s Work

Wonderful Workshop! This is the most functional workshop I’ve ever attended. I’m very happy with the information shared today. Jane D, banker

David,
Thank you for the seminar! You did a great job….Thank you for your genuine advice. Jeff C, realtor

This was one of the best workshops I’ve ever attended. I took many things with me to better my networking and career. Tracy O, CPA

I got my money’s worth today. Jay B, realtor

I thought the open and interactive format was very helpful! Brian L, physical therapist

David,
Great communicator—had fresh approaches to networking and how to get the most out of the contacts you meet. Justin B, commercial lender

David’s strengths are many, but I always have been particularly pleased with his ability to meet deadlines and his innate leadership ability. While it is almost cliché to refer to someone as a “team player”, the fact is that David represents the synergy that a properly functioning team can enjoy, and he always seeks opportunities to enlarge his circle of professional colleagues. While this is important – perhaps critical – to the ultimate success of most projects, David’s real contribution to the team efforts that he nurtured was driven by his flexibility and creativity; that is, his adaptability to the unknowns of business, and his ability to turn challenges into successes.
I can recommend David DeFord to you without reservation, confident that he will be a monumental asset to your organization. Paula A. Richburg, MHA

“David many qualities that that remind me of my father whom I admire greatly. He shows great leadership skills and he’s a person that values honesty and hard work.” Mike Hohnstein

“David DeFord is a dedicated learner. His desire to learn has helped him achieve a number of admirable skills. Those skills include being an insightful, warm and witty speaker; and a strong leader who is motivated to win in everything he does. To quote David, ‘If I'm going to do this, I'm going to win!’” Bob Dworkin

“Thank you for your excellent remarks this past weekend. They were heart-felt and very inspiring. I heard many positive comments about your insights.” Mark Applegarth, Director

Recently, I had the opportunity to observe a very dynamic speaker, David DeFord, as he presented his principles of success to my sales team. His method of delivery was very enthusiastic and quite engaging. I was particularly intrigued with his ability to stimulate discussion from his audience.
David's expertise in communicating practical ideas for attaining goals helped my sales team surpass the inevitable obstacles. His message is powerful and insightful as he explores the concepts of high achievement and raising one's levels of aspiration and expectation.
The presentation was very well received and it would be my pleasure to recommend David DeFord as a guest speaker for future forums. Todd P. Clarke, President

It is my pleasure to heartily recommend David DeFord as a speaker. I am the president of a women’s organization. We wanted to start off the year by inviting a motivational speaker that would energize us and get us thinking about goal setting for the New Year. One of our members extended an invitation to Dave and we were all thrilled when he was able to fit us into his busy schedule.
David came well prepared and kept us laughing and crying and in the end feeling very motivated. We are very impressed that he tailored his message to our specific group and that made it even more special.
There are flashier public speakers out there. David is simple and homespun. He often spins his own experiences into the message he presents which gives him the ability to connect with people of all walks of life. I would not hesitate to recommend David DeFord to any business or group looking for a great speaker! Brenda R. Carlos

David DeFord Creative Consulting, Inc.  -  402-895-0609  -  contact by email
13964 Margo Street, Omaha, NE 68138

The material on this web site is copyright 2007 by David DeFord and David DeFord Creative Consulting, Inc. All rights reserved. If you copy any material from this web site, our reports or articles for use in any printed or electronic media, please ask permission first.