Testimonials

"Needed, thorough, effective"

"Good to sit down and draw out expectations  of one another"

"Our day of retreat with Doug was great- we moved forward as a team and a company!"

"Very valuable; especially in the tech world with all the linear thinkers."

"Informational, entertaining, and useful."

"The energy of the presenter and engagement of participants was outstanding. The program was well paced and balanced."

"Great! I will be implementing much of what I learned tomorrow."

"Pitched up some interesting tidbits."

"Fun and very informative. I learned a lot about planning and ways to deal with procrastination."

"Fantastic program. It should have a positive impact on our relationship with our company."

"I enjoyed learning about the various tools that can be implemented to have a more effective and accountable organizational structure."

"I thought there were many great ideas and takeaways. If we are able to implement even one idea it will benefit us greatly. I appreciate the content and will use it to grow as a leader."

"The Leadership Development Program provides tools and concepts that will allow a leader to heighten their skills and bring the value back to the company. Excellent presentation of how to utilize the tools and concepts with lots of 'stickability.'"

"Very comprehensive topics and thought-provoking. I am able to put a lot of the information presented into action."

"I have worked with Doug for several years now. What always amazes me, is the scope of knowledge that he brings to the table. Whether it is customer service, time management, management, leadership, vendor relations, hiring, etc. Doug is definitely a great asset and he has helped me and my company be more productive multiple times."

"It made me aware of the different types of management techniques and coaching styles. It was very beneficial."

"Very informative and inspirational. I bought one of your dvd's and can't wait to go home and refresh all I learned."

"Very practical and good tools. Good examples throughout will help me be a stronger team leader and coach others."

Doug, your presentation to the ABWA on How to Deliver Tough Messages was terrific. Very valuable content. I'm so glad I purchased one of your books because I would like to learn more."

"Excellent program, very helpful. I am currently using some of your organization techniques, including day planning and time management skills."

"Excellent - great ideas and techniques to practice."

"Doug provided us with excellent tools to build a great working relationship."

“Certainly added tools that I need to be a better leader. Also, reinforced some concepts that I had forgotten from other leadership lessons. Reminds me of the influential leaders I’ve had, and the value they’ve had on my development.”

"I enjoyed the whole presentation. The importance of paraphrasing was a topic I had not heard in a very long time, but a very good tool."

"This seminar was very helpful to me. It was titled "How to Deliver Tough Messages". The topic couldn't have been more timely since I have a meeting tomorrow which I would have made a mess of without Doug's suggestions!"

“Thank you for facilitating our company retreat meeting this past Friday.  We greatly appreciated your efforts.  Specifically, I felt that you moderated a good willed but boisterous group of staff members in a positive direction- keeping us on track and on time.  I also felt that you did a phenomenal job of incorporating the information that we requested about communication in a virtual world and day planning into the session.  The team building exercises were appropriate to the day’s plan and they succeeded in building the team.   I will gladly refer your services to the other leaders that I come across- well worth the money that you charged.  Our team is invigorated and motivated to move Steel in the Air ahead.  Now the onus is on us to take the solid foundation you provided and build upon it. “

"Excellent - I recommend this for all! Thank you."

"I have been involved in several similar trainings, but this was by far the best, most concise leadership program I have attended. Very well done. I learned several new things as well as refreshed several others. Thank you!"

"The program was excellent. I will use this knowledge in my everyday communication."

"Doug, I can’t begin to tell you how MUCH I valued this experience.  What a great ten weeks with all that I had going on with work too, it really all came together for me.  Thank you!"

"Great business advisor with high integrity and a great personality."

"I enjoyed all the Leadership Development Program classes and have learned so much. I will continue to use the paraphrasing as I feel it is a great tool and something that I can use to help our team. I have used the working agreement and will continue to do so. These sessions provide great tools and are a very good use of time. Knowledge is power and I feel as if you have empowered us all. Thank you."

"Doug is a chamber member, trustee and valued resource. He leads our trustee monthly peer exchanges which many describe as the enduring value of our program. Doug's breadth of knowledge of the business enviroment allows him to expertly cover virtually any topic that comes up in these often spirited discussions. Doug is very incisive in his ability to assess issues and his manner allows me to work through the options and personally 'own' the solution. Unflappable, Doug is a trusted friend and advisor."

"Very informative. Well presented ideas on fostering a better company through communication and leadership."

"Leadership Simplified has been a valuable resource for both our sales office and me. Through well-coordinated team exercises, our sales team was able to refocus our strengths and achieve greater results using the talents of each associate. I have been managing a large sales team for over 15 years, and have been through many seminars and coaching sessions, but none at the level provided by Doug. He provided enormous assistance in becoming a stronger leader and sales facilitator."

"Jam-packed with useful information, interesting, pleasant, fun, with a lot of tools to take back to work."

"The 10 sessions of the Leadership Development Program have provided more meaningful training than other year-long coaching scenarios."

"Terrific & simple!"

"I enjoyed the presenter - good tools for management/leadership. Plan to put to use right away."

"I thought the program was very creative and very problem solving!"

"Our office recently went through Doug's Working Agreement initiative. The program was great. Theory was great. Application will be challenging. But we need it."

"Really beneficial to me. I have learned a lot of things that will be very useful to me and to my team. I would like my staff to attend also. Great program....thank you!"

"Great content. Doug was terrific at adapting message to the audience."

"Very interesting material. Doug made several points that I had not thought about before. I learned a lot."

"Doug gave our group some really good information today, both practical and understandable. The examples were very beneficial and will help us with our next step in the learning process: practice, practice practice!"

"Very effective. Great tools and techniques."

"Well done; easy to understand tool"

"Outstanding! Very effective and thought-provoking. All the concepts presented were very easy to implement."

"I REALLY have appreciated each of the weekly topics and how they relate to me as a leader, to my career, and to what has currently been going on at work. Week by week each class builds upon the other creating a foundation of leadership skills. The "foundation" points I have learned actually run through my head during work situations. I find myself engaged during work moments and cognizant of my behavior/ bodylanguage/ paraphrasing, etc. I THANK YOU Doug for helping me become a better leader!"

“Very informative program that has helped me greatly. Doug is an inspiration and has taught me better ways to deal with situations, not only in the workplace, but in my home life as well. I wish there were more sessions I could attend. The program was a great use of my time!”

"Really useful tactics, not only for customers, but co-workers and other personal situations."

"I love the program's emphasis on productivity and effective communication."

“Hello Kay.  I cannot imagine you picking a better presenter for your keynote address than Doug Van Dyke. Cardel employed Doug’s services for a high-end Realtor event held at my model home in MiraBay.  We focused on a small group of Realtors who focus on sales in excess of $1MM.  There were about 15 in attendance and each left feeling their time was well spent.  I received feedback from each Realtor after the event asking if they would have another chance to hear Doug speak. A few weeks later, Doug gave a presentation to a group of real estate and building professionals at the Tampa Bay Builders Association monthly meeting.  There were over 100 people in attendance and the presentation was on selling to millennials. The presentation was lively, fun, educational, and interactive.  Doug made a large room feel very comfortable as he was able to address specific questions and concerns of those in attendance. It is with pleasure I recommend Doug to you as a presenter for your group of professionals.”

"Very informative. Great program!"

"Informative, eye-opening, fun!"

"Working with Doug Van Dyke over the past few years has been a great experience. Doug's training and coaching has strengthened each of the individuals in Profit Management as well as the overall team. He has given me tools to improve my communication skills and leadership abilities. This has had a positive impact on my entire team. This coaching process has proven to be an integral part of our team moving forward. Doug possesses an energy that is stimulating, motivating, and fun. I look forward to working with him again in the future."

“I thought the presentation was wonderful and very insightful. I am leaving with new communication tools and reinforcement of old tools that I forget to use!”

"On behalf of Leadership Pinellas, I thank you for your outstanding presentation to kick off our speaker series. We have received such positive feedback from many of the attendees on how much they benefitted from your message. I look forward to our paths crossing again in the near future!"

"Doug, As you know, we started this year out with some very specific goals that I wanted to achieve for the teams I manage.  To achieve these goals, there were some changes I needed to make with my leadership style.  With this in mind you laid out a path for us to work down that would allow me to attain these goals, making changes as required as new challenges or opportunities presented themselves.  With the amount of changes we made to the way we work this year, I feel we took advantage of the opportunities presented and you helped me to significantly raise the bar and achieve our goals. I truly appreciate all of the coaching and support you have provided to me over the last 12 months, our success would not have been possible without you.  I look forward to continuing our sessions in the year to come!"

"Excellent use of funds, sums it up nicely."

"A lot of good content packed into one day; nice level of interaction and practical examples."

"The leadership boot camp was very helpful for developing the leadership skills and style I want to achieve."

"Thank you Doug for sharing your knowledge and expertise at our training session yesterday.  I saw the “light bulb” go on during the activities and lecture.  Now we just need to practice what we learned.  As a trainer myself, it is important that we keep the momentum moving forward and allow what we learned from you to become the norm as we try to improve our culture.  Your training will be the springboard for these improvements. I want you to know how much you are appreciated."

"Good open dialogue sessions. Activities are great and key takeaways are on point."

"Doug is an excellent coach. His program was easy to understand and on point to what I needed."

"Very well done. Morale booster for the group. Happy we had it."

“My team has been working with DVD Consulting for several years and have had great results. They performed in-depth analysis and made recommendations that enabled us to become a marquee office for my company. They have done a great job in many areas. They sat down with each staff member to determine the needs of each individual, and assisted me in getting more productivity from each employee. We have engaged in several team building events to show each employee the importance of teamwork and how 1+1 = 3 if we all work towards the same goals. DVD has had a major effect on increasing the communication in the office and getting employees to talk effectively with each other. Doug Van Dyke has also been a mentor to me in many ways: from increasing my communication skills to introducing me to technology tools that have helped me become more efficient in my job. My coach has also given many lessons on different leadership styles that deliver results; nonverbal communication skills; Matrix Management; organization skills; recognition and motivating others; speaking effectively; time management and ways to foster open communication. Doug has assisted me in creating a positive work setting in my office that has greatly impacted results. His broad business background and positive upbeat personality can assistant in many ways to enhancement any business.”

"Practical, can be used with every business."

"Doug's presentation to our ABWA group was fantastic. I enjoyed it very much. I am now head of a group of women from 39 churches, so this was timely and meaningful."

"When I first learned about the program I was a bit overwhelmed and concerned that "leadership" was going to be so broad I wouldn't know where or how to apply it in my real life. But I quickly learned that was not a problem!" 

"Doug has the uncanny ability to present a topic in straight forward, easy to understand language. Many people find themselves moving from a worker role to a leadership role with little formal training. This book lays the groundwork for a new leader to rise to the top. Fundamentals presented in a straightforward manner makes this one of the best books on the subject available today. I highly recommend it."

"The program offered a lot of valuable information. Doug was excellent!"

"Very informative and organized. I like how you kept us on task!"

“Excellent program! Informative discussion that can be brought back to my workplace. Great examples and references to help relate and paint a picture.”

"Doug, I just want to comment that your 34-minute Communication CD is a wonderful "recap" of the several hours of training that you provided to Clearwater Gas System. I would say it's definitely a "must have" for everyone that would like to refresh and retain some of the most important highlights of your training."

"Very well done - perfect timing for me"

"The program is very informative and effective. I can apply it directly to my job to be better at what I do. The real-life scenarios were very helpful."

"It was great! Well thought out with useful suggestions such as Priority Communication Tool, Delegation, and Time MGMT."

“Steel In The Air retained DVD Consulting for the purpose of evaluating a number of potential business ventures that had presented themselves to the organization and were causing deep division in focus. Doug Van Dyke (the facilitator) created a one day event to assist us in weighing the merits of each venture and in ferreting out the real “expense” to the organization in both time and money. Doug thoughtfully and expertly led discussions, keeping them from derailing off track or getting too heated, funneling the creative process in a productive manner. At the end of the day, we had a road map to follow, one decidedly different than any of the management members expected going into the event. This roadmap eventually proved to be successful and we won a large contract. What truly impressed us was the way in which Doug guided conversation without ever steering the decision making process. He asked thought provoking questions and managed our sometimes heated discussion with tact. Doug then presented us with a thorough copy of notes from the discussion and a game plan crafted from the meeting.”

"Doug is a true modern-day business visionary. He has a profound ability to connect with people, both as a leader and as a peer. It is with this trait, that he is able to effectively consult and collaborate with organizations of all types and sizes. I had the honor of working with Doug on numerous imperative projects, all of which we are still reaping benefits from."

"This was fabulous! Thanks!"

"Great program. There were so many great tools to use in real time. You were great! Thank you for sharing this valuable information."

"This information will be very helpful moving our company forward with the management changes we have been working through."

"Excellent use of our time. I am very optimistic about what this program can and will do for us as individuals and as a company."

"I thought the presentation on How to Deliver Difficult Conversations was great. Doug's confidence and demeanor keeps your attention. He helped me realize other ways to short circuit difficult conversations. Love the 5 steps."

"Timing is everything. Could not have been a better time for this as we navigate through uncharted waters...together!"

"Great content and participation. I hope we all practice what we learned, especially respectful communication and behavior."

"The presentation was informative and encouraged lots of new ideas"

"Great program. Common sense that is summarized neatly in an easy to use tool."

"The program was great. It encorporated all the core principles and qualities of great leadership. Well done!"

"Much more detailed action items, 'deeper' items to handle and prioritize. Glad folks were honest."

"This program is needed quarterly in our organization. Very interactive."

"Doug - You are an extremely effective coach & mentor for me and my organization. Your ability to read strengths and weaknesses of individuals is uncanny, and you use your reads to recommend an effective approach to aid in individual development. Constructively, I would like you to dig deeper to keep me on-task, and continue to force the uncomfortable conversations and decisions. It was an interesting read on our team's strengths and the harmony thread. We are an operations organization - Sometimes we need to rock that boat! I look forward to another year!"

"Valuable information, presented in a skilled, yet entertaining presentation"

"Engaging and encouraging. I feel charged up and revitalized. Fits every need of our organization ... and personal life."

“Well presented program, up-beat and fast-paced. Doug keeps the audience involved. I like how he uses real life examples. Great way to learn.”

“Very good information – presented in an easy to understand format with great examples on how to utilize”

"Doug is an awesome speaker and made it fun for everyone. He really listened to our questions. It was very educational and I will definitely use the techniques."

"As my personal business coach and advisor, Doug has provided many services for my company. He has been an invaluable resource for my marketing campaigns and has always provided me with great ideas, feedback and solutions. He truly has coached me to success in my business.”

"Hi Doug, Thank you for leading a great day yesterday! The tools you provided and your ground work with the team activities will be information the care managers may use immediately as well as continue to grow in their expertise. I appreciate your expertise and effectiveness. I'm looking forward to an incredible year!"