Esther Ewing

Biography

Esther is an experienced consultant in personal and organizational change, assisting individuals, teams and organizations to build capability. With individuals, she works to help them identify their strengths and their challenges and coaches them in tackling these challenges. With teams, she works to help them improve the dynamics of their interpersonal relationships so that they are enabled to make decisions, take risks and learn and grow in ways that increase their effectiveness as a team. In her work with organizations, she assists them to develop or enhance their performance management systems, with, for example, tools such as 360-degree feedback, to ensure that the goals and objectives of individual performance provide leverage to the organization in reaching its goals.

Her early expertise has been developed through managing education and development functions in the accounting, insurance and banking industries. She has designed and facilitated intensive, high-impact experiences in which people get deeply involved in learning and making decisions. These processes are characterized by an integration of the learning with the work of solving real business issues.

We believe that our clients have more of their own wisdom and within themselves and their organizations than they are using to full advantage. Our job is to help them discover that for themselves and put it to use, rather than to impose impractical ideas and programs from outside.

One of Esther's specialties is a deep understanding of the cutting-edge opportunities and challenges facing people in highly technical or professional roles in organizations. Such roles have included finance professionals, engineers, actuaries and securities professionals, and bankers. The challenges include moving from working in a transaction-oriented, gate-keeping way to the deployment of tools, knowledge and techniques to serve the external and internal customers of their organizations. The opportunities for these professionals comprise the rewards and benefits of exercising real leadership (being seen as critical to the organization's success) while defining success as building financial capability, creating shareholder value and generating a team of people who support each other's learning.

Esther has worked in many sectors including healthcare, manufacturing, education, theatre, financial services, building management, high-tech, pharmaceutical, and the not-for-profit sectors.

Esther holds a Masters of Adult Education degree from the University of Toronto's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education with a focus on the Changing Role of Finance Professionals in Organizations.

Close Up

What am I passionate about?

Ralph Waldo Emerson said that to be successful you needed to [find] the best in others, [give] of one's self, [leave] the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition, [play and laugh] with enthusiasm and [sing] with exultation; [knowing that] even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

Whether I am working with groups or individuals, if I can find the best that is in them, give them some of myself and leave them better off, then I will have succeeded.

What is my personal philosophy?

I believe in people's ability to learn and grow. I believe that people can succeed and accomplish far more than we ever give each other credit for. I believe in the power of meaningful conversation between interested and committed individuals.

I believe in having fun. If, at some level, despite all the hard work, we haven't enjoyed knowing each other, it's unsatisfying.

I live in New York City and divide my time between clients in Canada and the United States. When not working, I'm likely to be reading a book, going to the theatre - or in the summer - out on the lake in my canoe. I have a past life as a professional singer and have written several songs.

I'm a very practical person with an incisive mind balanced with a sensitive and sentimental streak. I also like to enjoy life: a client once called me "A one-woman party!" - Which I assume means that I have an energy that's good to be around!

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