Platinum Search Partners
For every executive search, not just screening. Founded by David Stupay, a five-time CEO across manufacturing, consulting, and nonprofit sectors. I'm an Executive Search Consultant there myself.
How this worksAbout
I didn't start here.
Here's what over a decade of watching good people struggle under pressure taught me.
I spent years in HR watching good people get labeled bad managers. After a while, I stopped buying it. They weren't bad. They were overwhelmed. Distressed. Nobody had ever helped them name what was happening, let alone work through it. That observation changed how I think about almost everything in this work.
Not always a one-person team
Working alongside trusted partners
Most of what's on this site is just me, and for a smaller local engagement, that's exactly right. For a larger organization, or one that needs reach a single person based in Kansas can't provide on their own, I bring in partners I already know and trust rather than improvising. Depending on the engagement, that might mean a direct referral, or it might mean I'm in the room as part of the team.
Think Beyond Group
For leadership development delivered globally, across languages and cultures. Over 100 consultants, trainers, and coaches across six continents.
thinkbeyondgroup.euWork Connected
For engagements that benefit from an additional trusted voice. Kyle Harvey, a fellow coach and trainer based here in Wichita.
The approach
Mission, values, and method
My mission
To help leaders connect to the best in themselves so they can bring out the best in others. In practice, that means:
- Selecting leaders who align with the role, culture, and real demands of the work
- Addressing conflict early and turning tension into productive conversation
- Communicating clearly when emotions and pressure are high
- Building trust and accountability without walking on eggshells
- Leading in a way that's sustainable, grounded, and human
What I stand for
Human first leadership. The role is temporary. The person is permanent.
Practical under pressure. The room always has pressure in it. That's not something to train around. It's the whole point.
Sustainable strength. The goal is growth that belongs to them, not dependence on me.
Human over automated. AI can draft the report. It can't be a steady, present, trusted human being with someone who's struggling.
How I work
Most leadership development starts with behavior (a new habit, a new script, a new framework) and wonders why it doesn't stick. It doesn't stick because behavior is the last thing to change, not the first. So the order matters: regulation before mindset, mindset before skillset, skillset before behavior. Before any framework, the only question that matters is what I actually believe about the person in front of me. People can tell the difference between someone performing that belief and someone who actually holds it.
Leading a workshop on perception and communication under pressure.
Founder of Wired Human
Meet Shem Hatfield
I started as a frontline paraprofessional in behavioral health, worked my way into training and talent development, and eventually served as Director of Talent Development at a behavioral health facility. I've sat across from people at their hardest moments, and I've sat across from leaders who couldn't figure out why their teams kept leaving. Those are closer to the same conversation than most people think.
I use frameworks like Process Communication Model® and Compassionate Accountability® because they work, but I hold them loosely. The tool only matters insofar as it helps the actual human in front of me.
Certifications & training
The frameworks behind this work aren't improvised. They come from formal training and ongoing certification.
Ready to have a real conversation?
No pitch, no pressure. Just an honest conversation about what's going on and whether this is the right fit.
Get in touch