Deena Benner, MSOD
Executive Coach, Consultant
Deena Benner, has over 20 years of consulting experience with companies, non profits and public sector organizations. She has served as an executive coach for one of the world’s most recognized leadership organizations where she was an integral part of a small team who developed, designed and implemented a coaching practice serving hundreds of companies internationally. Deena enjoyed 12 years as a lead facilitator and consultant with a leading learning and development company working with clients from around the globe, working in a variety of industries including healthcare, financial services, enterprise application software, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, government contracting, insurance and enterprise solutions for a leading high tech company. In the earlier stages of her career, Deena served as Head of Talent for a technology start-up overseeing selection, hiring, on boarding and development of several hundred employees. She has extensive experience in direct sales and a specialization in helping sales leadership and sales organizations exceed revenue goals.
Deena is an active member of the International Coach Federation (ICF) Philadelphia Chapter. She is on the Board of Corner-Stone Capital and a volunteer mentor for NFTE, an organization that teaches entrepreneurship and business skills to high school students.
Deena has coached hundreds of leaders internationally. Deena works with individuals and teams, helping her clients set realistic and sustainable goals, see new possibilities, experiment with options for change and measure and appreciate successes. What distinguishes Deena from other coaches is her ability to ask questions that inspire deep self- reflection which paves the way for meaningful, lasting change. Clients appreciate Deena’s down to earth yet results focused approach. She combines acute listening skills, empathy and experience to help her clients achieve break-through results.
A partial list of clients Deena has worked with includes: Healthcare without Harm, The Advertising Council, Swarthmore College, Dell, SAP, CIGNA, Alliance Bernstein, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and The University of Pennsylvania Health System.
Deena holds a Masters of Organizational Behavior from The University of Pennsylvania, is a graduate of the Teleos Coach Leadership program and has been certified in the Hay Group’s ESCI 360, Inventory of Leadership Styles (ISL) and Organizational Climate Survey (OCS). She earned her B.A. at The University of Pennsylvania.
The Science Behind Our Practice
Our work is grounded in established methodologies and models of human and organizational behavior, including, but not limited to the following:
Emotional Intelligence
The competencies of emotional intelligence (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management) account for an individual’s ability to understand their own and others’ emotions and use that information to guide decision-making and action. Research has shown that leaders who master the competencies of emotional intelligence have a distinct advantage.
Positivity & Resilience
The incredible developments in neuroscience research over the last several decades have enabled a greater understanding of how practices that promote positivity and resilience—both individually and organizationally—have a significant and lasting impact on our capacity for creative thinking, productivity, efficiency, empathy, focus and more.
Intentional Change
Developed by Richard Boyatzis, the Intentional Change Model underpins successful leadership development programs by supporting an individual or group in intentionally moving through five stages of change that close the gap between a current “real” self and a clearly articulated “ideal” self.
Appreciative Inquiry
Appreciative Inquiry, developed by David Cooper Rider, is a strengths-based model of analysis, decision-making and strategic change that clarifies the assets and motivations that are an organization’s strengths in order to build or rebuild an organization based on what is working rather than trying to fix what doesn’t.
Resistance and Cycle of Change
People are at their most creative in their resistance. The Gestalt cycle of change maps the critical stages of change that all members of a group must experience in order to optimize success and minimize resistance. Disruption of the cycle manifests in very specific levels of resistance that can be effectively mitigated through intentional responses.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the awareness that one develops through paying attention to the present moment through your five senses without judgment. In addition to relieving stress and building resilience, even a simple mindfulness practice can significantly expand your range of options in any given moment. Incorporating mindfulness into any process of change or development supports an individual or group by rewiring the brain for more intentional responses and behaviors.
Dynamic Inquiry
Dynamic Inquiry, developed by Annie McKee and the Teleos Leadership Institute, is a method of discovery that uncovers an organization’s emotional reality–what people care about, what is working well, and what’s getting in the way. The purpose of the inquiry is twofold: 1) to identify underlying issues related to culture and leadership that are helping or hindering implementation of a strategy; and 2) to build ownership and commitment to the mission, vision, strategy, ideal culture and leadership framework among key stakeholders.