THE GRACERY
Human talent is the #1 predictor of success. How you identify and develop effective leaders matters.
ABOUT
An essential part of what it means to be human is to honor others in shared work and to sustain systems that improve work and well-being. The most effective leaders have developed an awareness of why this matters and how to make it a priority and a mutually beneficial outcome.
This is the work that Dr. Deborah Stephens Stauffer supports as Principal of The Gracery. She is a learning engineer with business savvy and research-based expertise who serves as an advisor and executive coach to improve performance and build leadership capacity. Her cross-sector work experience includes venture capital, being an inventor/startup founder/business operator, a classroom educator, serving as a local public official and non-profit leader in locations around the US.
SERVICES
ADVISORY/
FRACTIONAL EXECUTIVE TEAM MEMBER
I work with organizations as either an external advisor or as an internal, fractional team leader. I have over thirty years of experience in education, entrepreneurship, and people development skills across the public, private and social sectors. I rely on my ability to discern the learning challenges within organizations and groups and offer custom services to teach solution-based skills and foster collaboration for improvement. I understand the challenges of leaders who are striving to make progress within complex situations, and I offer an ability to genuinely build trust with teams and other stakeholders to achieve efficient and needed change.
EXECUTIVE COACHING
Within the coaching relationships, I work with clients to establish specific short and long term goals for performance enhancement that are supported through analysis, feedback, education and thought partnership. Meetings are typically conducted over video conference weekly or bi-weekly
Concierge Level - Individual
With a renewable annual contract, I deliver a concierge coaching service for clients with regularly scheduled and on demand meetings. These coaching engagements also include leadership assessments and annual 360 feedback analysis, quarterly team coaching sessions, and an annual in-person goal design day. Clients appropriate for this service are growth-seeking, high capacity and top performing leaders who will make a regular commitment to meetings, practice and feedback in a trusted client-coach relationship.
Strategic Level - Individual
On a six-month, renewable contract, I offer strategic coaching services for clients with regularly scheduled sessions. These clients may additionally contract for goal design, education and assessment options. Those appropriate for this service are growth-seeking, emerging leaders who will make a regular commitment to meetings, practice and feedback in a trusted client-coach relationship.
Team Performance
Based on a needs assessment and manager design session, I offer customized team coaching experiences for a combination of group and individual sessions typically over a 4-6 month period. These sessions are focused on a specific learning goal for improved group performance and collaboration and progress is monitored over the course of the contract.
PORTFOLIO LEADER PROGRAMS
Based on the performance goals of the sponsoring firm, I offer an executive development program for selected leaders of the sponsor’s portfolio companies or funded grant recipients. These sessions are conducted with a combination of in-person and online formats and involve strategic business partners as appropriate. The program includes assessment, feedback, training, 1:1 coaching and relationship-building components. Program lengths vary; most are six months. Extended individual coaching can be added post-program for some or all participants.
LEADERSHIP ASSESSMENT
There are a variety of ways to assess leadership capacities, and depending on your priorities for self-awareness, interaction and leadership, I will design a custom analysis drawing on evidence-based tools. For in-depth information, I use a highly regarded tool called Insights Discovery which gives leaders the foundation of self-awareness they’ll need to be successful at whatever they do; whether that’s developing themselves, working as part of an effective team, or leading others with authenticity. Typically these online assessments are offered to individual members and a facilitated half-day group session (in-person or online) offers an explanation of the theory, application and integration into future work.
INFLUENCE AND PERSUASION SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Understanding how humans make decisions is the key to influencing them. If you're not equipped with this knowledge, you'll find yourself falling into the decisions others make for you. Based on the research and work of Dr. Robert Cialdini, I am a founding coach of his institute and am certified to offer customized presentations, courses and coaching based on his universal principles of influence that are proven to be effective across cultures and countries. By applying these principles effectively, you can navigate decisions and ethically guide others towards your desired outcomes. The maximum course design offers a certificate as a “Cialdini Certified Practitioner for Ethical Influence;” however, lunch-and-learns and custom workshops are also available.
WORKSHOPS and GUEST SPEAKING
Clients may choose to combine training with coaching services. Research demonstrates that learning from key concepts offered in training sessions/talks can be sustained through a coaching practice that follows an initial education session. Workshops and presentations are available on topics of ethical leadership, grace-based management, human-centered design, innovative leadership, human decision-making and persuasion, ADHD strategies for executives, and related subject matters on leadership and learning.
PARTIAL CLIENT LIST
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Accel-KKR
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American Express
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Bayer
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Center for Nonprofit Management Southern California
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Central California Legal Services
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Conservation International
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Cotopaxi
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Cupertino Union School District
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De La Salle High School
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Deloitte
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Envirotainer
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Fetch
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Genentech
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Google
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Great Schools
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Interactive Brokers
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Lovevery
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Meta
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MetLife
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Mohala Eyewear
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Obama Foundation Leaders USA Program
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Recurly
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Salesforce
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San Francisco (City and County)
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Singularity University
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Slack
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Stanford University d.school
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Stripe
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Tides Foundation
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Uber
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Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN)
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Zwift
Qualifications
Education
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Leadership & Innovation, Arizona State University
Masters of Education (M.Ed.), Learning, Design & Technology, Stanford University
Bachelor of Arts with distinction, Public Policy, Occidental College​
Certifications
Evidence-based Coaching Certificate, Fielding Graduate University • Professional Certified Coach (PCC), International Coach Federation (ICF) • Insights Discovery Practitioner • Certified Coach, Cialdini Institute, Founding Coach • Designing Your Life Certified Coach • Immunity to Change Coaching • ADHD and Executive Functioning Coaching • Conscious Business Coaching Certificate (Fred Kofman) • Art & Practice of Leadership Development Certificate, Harvard Kennedy School • Institute for Global Ethics Certified Educator • RYT-200 Registered Yoga Teacher, Yoga Alliance
Get in Touch
Based in the mountain town
of Park City, Utah
Initial consultations are complimentary
in service of finding the right fit.