Vernice Jones, CPCC, MCC
Executive Coach, Consultant
Vernice believes that leaders can learn to expand their impact through presence, connection, and awareness across contexts. Vernice often works with leaders in transition to new roles, expanded roles, and with leaders in transition from one stage of development to another. With over 15 years of experience working with global Fortune 500 companies and large nonprofits, Vernice Jones creates experiential leadership programs and leadership development solutions that connect and drive business results. Vernice has extensive experience working with C-Suite executives and other corporate leaders, offering a host of comprehensive leadership assessments, executive coaching and experiential programming.
Vernice is a Director and Faculty of Adult Development at Georgetown University’s Institute for Transformational Leadership. She is an Associate (Coach, Facilitator, Consultant) at Cultivating Leadership, a global, deliberately developmental, complexity-based organization. Vernice designed and delivered a two-week curriculum and trained instructors for prospective students at Duke University’s prestigious Leadership Academy in North Carolina, Shanghai and Beijing, China. Through her executive coaching business, she has been an executive and professional coach for clients in the US, Europe, Africa and Asia.
Companies Vernice has worked with include: Cargill, The Nielsen Corporation, The Ad Council, The Chicago Tribune, Deltek, PhRMA, The United Nations, The Obama Foundation, The World Bank, Catholic Relief Services, Newsday, United Technologies, Sikorsky Aircraft, Mitre, TASC, The National Archives and Records Administration, and Deltek.
As a certified coach, Vernice Jones has completed coaching certification programs from the Coaches Training Institute, and Organizational and Relationship Systems Coaching through CRR Global. She is qualified to administer The Leadership Circle 360 profile, and the Myers Briggs, MBTI. Vernice has been designated by the International Coaching Federation as an MCC (Master Certified Coach), and a mentor coach.
Vernice graduated from the University of Maryland with an undergraduate degree in Economics. She also holds a Master’s degree in Finance and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. Vernice has worked on a number of community development projects including an Origami camp for girls in South Carolina, an English language program for Chinese seniors, and a program for church elders at a church with locations in South Africa, Zambia and Nigeria.
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.