My Most Recent Thought Leadership:
"Making HR Matter: What CEOs Want and How to Deliver It"
offers a philosophy of HR that positions business impact as the primary goal. Business first, HR second.
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EXECUTIVE COACHING
My "tightly structured" approach starts with collecting 360 feedback from 12-15 of your key stakeholders. I synthesize that into a report and review with you and your boss. We align on the two or three most critical focal points and dig in over approximately 16 hour-long sessions.
My "loosely structured" approach starts with what you want to focus on. We supplement that with data you have (reviews, assessments, etc.) and have regular conversations to grow your skills and capabilities as a leader.
My "advisor/mentor" approach allows you to put me on speed dial for real time access and real time problem solving. You are retaining a confidential, trusted advisor with deep experience in working through organizational challenges.
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
I've spent most of the last 25 years helping CEOs, their C-suite teams, and their HR functions develop a set of people practices that align directly to, and fully support, a company's business priorities.
Every CEO and every company leader knows how critical people are to the success of a business. However, many of those same companies do not have an HR function that delivers the highest possible return on its people investment.
HR can be a powerful lever, but only if the HR function starts with the business model, uses its tools to enable it, and shows the impact of its work on the Income Statement. This is the perspective that you'll find we have written about in "Making HR Matter"
SPEAKING AND FACILITATING
As a C-level executive I’ve spent countless hours talking to groups, both large and small, and facilitating conversations among senior leadership teams.
I offer keynote speaking and deep dives on people leadership topics to single company and conference audiences. I lso offer expert facilitation when leaders need to wrestle with tough situations.
My colleagues and clients describe me as an authentic, energetic, and passionate leader. I’m comfortable in uncertain and ambiguous situations, and adept at building effective working relationships at multiple levels, from board members to line employees.
MY PHILOSOPHY
The most enjoyable and rewarding highlights of my career have been those times when I’ve helped talented
people and growing companies realize success that seemed beyond their reach. That’s what gets me up in the morning and is why I do what I do.
I’ve spent most of my professional career running things and driving results as an executive. I’m all about being specific, pragmatic, measurable and fast, so my work is built on those features. I strongly believe that finding and working on key points of leverage is the way to make the greatest gains in the shortest amount of time. Upfront time spent identifying those two or three critical areas is time well spent.
My years as a student, faculty member and senior leader at one of the world’s top business schools made me a big fan of the Socratic method. Inquiry, discussion and dialogue are what make any human interaction rich, and that’s how I approach things: powerful questions lead to meaningful conversations, and those lead to the best outcomes.
But it’s not just about conversations; it's about change and momentum. My job is to push, to probe, to ask you to think hard about creating forward progress on those areas that are most important to your success as a leader and as a company. Your job is to think, to reflect, to do things differently and to ask those in your world what kind of progress they see you making.
If we’ve done our job well, and I am deeply committed to that, you’ll see that things have changed for the better. You’ll show up as a more talented leader and your company will be more successful.
Ted Forbes, Founder
Where I Developed What I Do
Who is Ted?
Ted Forbes is the founder of Divitius Partners, a boutique consultancy focused on Executive Coaching, Thought Leadership, Speaking, and Facilitating Senior Team conversation.s Ted started Divitius in 2016. His passion is to bring out the best in people and help them be more successful than they might have imagined.
Before launching as a solo practitioner, Ted served as the first as Head of People operations at Cotopaxi, an industry leading “B” corporation focused on doing good in the world. Prior to Cotopaxi, Ted was Executive Vice President for People at Backcountry, LLC. Ted’s team was responsible for the company’s people practices, and he played a key role in growing the company’s unique values-based culture.
Before joining Backcountry, Ted was Managing Director, Talent Management at United Airlines, where he oversaw the company’s work in Leadership Development, Succession Planning, Learning, Diversity, Performance Management and Human Capital Metrics. Before joining United, Ted was CEO and President of the Darden School Foundation at the University of Virginia. Prior to that, he was the Chief Learning Officer at Capital One.
Ted earned a B.A. in Classics from Guilford College, and an MBA with Honors, from the Darden School at the University of Virginia. For six years, he was a member of the faculty at Darden, where he taught in both MBA and Executive Education programs. He was a founding partner of the Peregrine Group, a consulting firm focused on the strategic blending of Business and HR strategies.
Ted’s personal passions are centered on the outdoors. As a senior staff member of Keewaydin in Temagami, Ontario, he led eight week canoe expeditions to the shores of Hudson’s Bay. As a faculty member and Latin teacher at St. Martin’s School, he co-led a middle and high school outdoor program in Louisiana. He spent four years as a co-founder of Wilderness Medical Associates, growing a firm that trains leaders to manage medical emergencies in the backcountry. He served as a ski patroller for 20 years, including various leadership roles for the National Ski Patrol at both the Division and National level. He received three yellow star awards for teaching and leadership, as well as a National Appointment in recognition of his leadership and contributions to NSP. Ted and his partner Deborah, along with their two big dogs, spends winters in Kamas, Utah, and summers in Port Ludlow, WA. He spends as much time with his four adult children as possible.
