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Christopher R. DeVany

President and CEO at Pinnacle Performance Improvement Worldwide

Chris DeVany is the Founder and President of Pinnacle Performance Improvement Worldwide, a firm which focuses on management and organization development. Pinnacle’s clients include government agencies from the United States, the Royal Government of Saudi Arabia, Canada, Cayman Islands, global organizations such as Visa International, Cadence Design Systems, Coca Cola, Sprint, Microsoft, Aviva Insurance, Schlumberger and over 500 other organizations in 22 countries.

He has published numerous articles in the fields of surviving mergers and acquisitions, surviving change, project management, management, sales, team-building, leadership, ethics, customer service, diversity and work-life balance, in publications ranging from ASTD/Performance In Practice to Customer Service Management. His book, “90 Days to a High-Performance Team”, has been published by McGraw Hill, and is helping thousands of executives, managers and team leaders improve performance.  

He has appeared hundreds of times on radio and television interview programs to discuss mergers and acquisitions (how to manage and survive them), project management, sales, customer service, effective workplace communication, management, handling rapid personal and organizational change and other topical business issues. He has served or is currently serving as a board member of the International Association of Facilitators, Sales and Marketing Executives International, American Management Association, American Society of Training and Development, Institute of Management Consultants, American Society of Association Executives, Meeting Professionals International and National Speakers Association. Chris is an award-winning Toastmaster’s International Competition speaker. He recently participated in the Fortune 500 Annual Management Forum as a speaker, panelist and seminar leader.

Chris has distinguished himself professionally by serving multiple corporations as manager and trainer of sales, operations, project management, IT, customer service and marketing professionals. Included among those business leaders are Prudential Insurance, Sprint, BayBank (now part of Bank of America), US Health Care and Marriott Corporation. He has assisted these organizations in mergers and acquisitions, facilitating post-merger and acquisition integration, developing project management, sales, customer service and marketing strategies, organizing inbound and outbound call center programs, training and development of management and new hires, and fostering corporate growth through creative change and innovation initiatives.  
   
Chris holds degrees in management studies and organizational behavior from Boston University. He has traveled to 22 countries and 47 states in the course of his career.

Recorded-webinar by: Christopher R. DeVany

    • 90 mins

      Performance Reviews: A Step-By-Step Process for Conducting them Meaningfully and Effectively

      Human Resources

      One of the most critical areas of employee relationships--and one of the biggest challenges management faces today--is conducting effective performance appraisals and determining appropriate merit increases. Learn to give performance appraisals that help motivate employees to achieve goals and increase their value to the organization. 

      Since both managers and employees often view performance appraisals with anxiety, attention is given to preparing for and conducting performance discussions that are objective, complete, and defensible. You'll also share experiences and participate in various exercises with other participants to better understand how to obtain the best possible performance from employees.

    • 90 mins

      Time and Task Management Effectiveness: Working Smarter Every Day

      Human Resources

      Take control of your time...and get control of your entire work day!

      The speed of everything has changed. Are your time management skills up to the challenge? 

      Do you put off more today than you can ever accomplish tomorrow...exhaust yourself by 4:00 p.m. with only a fraction of your work done...see yourself as a decision maker who never gets around to making decisions...dread the next business meeting-or worse, going back to your desk to see what voice mails and emails await you? 

      If you're doing more and enjoying it less, it's time to get out of the time trap and back to productive management! This presentation gives you practical techniques for controlling time and making it a manageable resource.

    • 90 mins

      Developing Your and Your Team's Creativity And Innovation Skills

      Human Resources

      Creativity and innovation are the key drivers of success for many of today’s leading companies. Some of the most dramatic gains in shareholder value over the last few years (e.g. Google and Apple) have been created by the culture of creative innovation. Indeed, a culture of creativity and innovation is commonly recognized as the only sustainable competitive advantage. 

      This course will focus on developing new ways of thinking and will discuss in depth the intricacies of innovation, customer experience, solution development, and the problems faced by managers in this area. 

      Learn how to inspire your team to open their minds and unlock creativity to achieve the best results. 

      Participants will gain valuable insights and actionable tips to foster a creative mindset, cultivate innovation within their teams, and effectively implement innovative ideas in their organizations. By developing these critical skills, participants will be better equipped to adapt to changing market dynamics, solve complex problems, and drive long-term success.

    • 90 mins

      Elevating Excellence: Advanced Strategies for Effective Coaching and Mentoring

      Human Resources

      Coaching and Mentoring are key to retaining top talent and building a leadership pipeline. While coaching typically focuses on enhancing current job performance, mentoring programs can reduce and reframe personal, structural, and cultural barriers that may be holding emerging leaders back from achieving their full potential. Those who mentor and advocate for others are perceived as more effective leaders. Great leaders need to be mentored and great leaders need to mentor.

    • 90 mins

      Working Smarter: Tools, Tips and Tricks to Manage Your Time and Priorities More Effectively Every Day

      Human Resources

      The speed of everything has changed. Are your time management skills up to the challenge?

      Do you put off more today than you can ever accomplish tomorrow...exhaust yourself by 4:00 p.m. with only a fraction of your work done...see yourself as a decision maker who never gets around to making decisions...dread the next business meeting—or worse, going back to your desk to see what voice mails and emails await you? If you’re doing more and enjoying it less, it’s time to get out of the time trap and back to productive management! 

      This webinar gives you practical techniques for controlling time and making it a manageable resource.

    • 90 mins

      Successfully Dealing with Difficult People, Including Remotely: The 5 Most Difficult Types of People and How to Effectively Approach Them

      Human Resources

      Your work group and your company as a whole can be the catalyst that motivates your teams to heightened productivity. Utilizing extensive practice in the principles of emotional intelligence, Successfully Managing People underscores the importance of self-awareness in developing sensitivity to and better communication with others. 

      You'll leave this Webinar well versed in the most effective methods for dealing with difficult people winning cooperation and trust and ensuring that your people's values and your organization's goals are in sync.

    • 90 mins

      Project Management for Non-Project Managers

      Human Resources
    • 90 mins

      How To Build a High-Performance Team In 90 Days

      Human Resources

      Get your teams act together; you can enjoy our Webinar as an individual manager or as a group! No matter how long you've been managing, this step-by-step guide ensures you'll get the strongest performance possible out of your team in any environment. 

      With strategies presented in manageable daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly timelines, our program covers the full range of workplace issues from outdated systems and company politics to budget cuts and backstabbing.

    • 60 mins

      Planning and Managing Organizational Change: The 8-Step Process for Making Change Work in Your Department and In Your Organization

      Human Resources

      Turn change into a positive force! 

      Change is inevitable. But when changes are made, many employees lack the broader knowledge of why new systems and structures are necessary. As a result, frontline managers and human resources professionals must partner together and help organizations lead and manage change. 

      This case-study-based seminar will prepare managers responsible for facilitating or implementing change initiatives, identify key business drivers that typically underlie the need for change. 

      You’ll learn how to work with key stakeholders in ways that build support and ensure positive outcomes for your bottom line.

    • 90 mins

      Managing Through Chaos: Tools, Tips and Techniques to Set Priorities and Make Effective Decisions Under Pressure

      Human Resources

      This highly interactive Webinar offers you and your team an array of practical tools to help you get things done in today's chaotic and constantly changing work environment. 

      You’ll learn practical techniques for making structured decisions—even under pressure—to earn buy-in from bosses, co-workers and customers. In a workshop environment, you will participate in valuable exercises utilizing real-world case studies. You'll emerge with an action plan that you can use right away to master expanding workloads and complex decisions.

      In this webinar join expert speaker Chris DeVany, where he will discuss the practical time management techniques for making structured decisions—even under pressure—to earn buy-in from bosses, co-workers and customers.

    • 90 mins

      Project Management for Non-Project Managers

      Human Resources

      Let's face it - we are all managing projects every day! They may be simple or more complex, but undoubtedly you are managing projects within your role. You don't need to be a project manager to learn how to manage your projects effectively and efficiently. This interactive presentation will provide the basics of managing projects - regardless of their size or complexity. Webinar attendees will be provided a variety of tools, techniques and best practices to enable them to more effectively manage the projects they are assigned and the projects they want to undertake, including how to socialize initiatives to get buy-in from others.

      This webinar will provide a simple step-by-step process for managing your projects. Attendees will learn how to use a variety of documents – scope statements, communication plans, risk management plans, risk registers and change management plans - in order to better manage their initiatives. Additionally, the importance of socializing initiatives as well as managing stakeholders to ensure commitment to initiatives and support needed to achieve goals will be discussed. 

      Challenges in managing projects will be covered as well as how to best address those challenges to keep your project moving forward. Other topics covered in this webinar to enable for increased effectiveness in managing projects and meeting project goals include: developing the project business case, effective project planning with the team, five stages of team development, driving decision making from stakeholders and facilitating effective team meetings. 

      Leave this webinar with a better understanding of how project management can assist you in performing your role in your organization.