Meet Adam Thomas. Organizational Effectiveness Consultant at Work Dynamics Consulting
February 26, 2021
Adam Thomas has been living in Chicago now for almost 15 years. He relocated from New Orleans after having worked in the IT field for a short while. Living in the City of Big Shoulders was new for him when he first arrived back then. He never lived in a major city before so moving to the 3rd largest in the U.S. was new territory for him.
To make a long story short, he experienced some difficult financial setbacks that had him facing eviction with no support network to rely on. He remembers hitting the pavement hard looking for work and eventually landed a job with a nonprofit as a Career Consultant. That’s basically how his career began in Workforce Development.
Over a decade later, he has helped more than 2,000 individuals ranging from from high-end professionals to entry-level job seekers experiencing career transition to reconnect with purpose, regain confidence, and achieve greater career success. During that time, he also wrote his first book “Career Planning and Development: Placing Yourself into Successful Careers” with over 500 copies sold on Amazon and earned a Master of Arts degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology.
Today, he works as a Career Coach under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act where he connects Dislocated workers with the Top 40 Fastest Growing Occupations and is working on growing his consulting business. [provided by Adam Thomas]
MK: Nowadays it feels like we’re bombarded with messaging about how great it is to pursue your passion. Would you say your pursuit has been easy? And, what have learned along your way?
AT: No, not always. Sometimes, it felt more like jet turbulence before finally getting the wings steady. Not to get into the weeds with it but there were times when I had to battle with some really tough roads. I recall a particular time in my career where I found myself working for an organization that had some difficult challenges with toxic workplace culture. Some of those challenges deeply affected me on both a professional and a personal level. I really enjoyed the work. However, the culture was a different story. Oftentimes, the work days left me feeling powerless and not in control. I had lost my self-confidence and it was very tough getting it back. Luckily, I was smart enough to reach out for help.
The two facts that I learned then was that toxic workplaces are not uncommon and that they don’t become that way overnight. Generally, these circumstances become that way after months or even years of neglect, toxic beliefs and practices, or even counterproductive systems.
I wanted to do something about these conditions and chose to pursue a degree in I-O Psychology (a field that applies psychological principles and research methods to improve the overall work environment). It was one of the best decisions I’d made for my career. I’d discovered my purpose (or perhaps my circumstances created it for me).
MK: What you’re doing, and what you have accomplished in a short amount of time, with Work Dynamics Consulting is impressive – but tell me more. For example, what are you most proud?
AT: Work Dynamics is an online consulting business that helps organizations achieve Operational Excellence. Our mission is to help their businesses grow, lead engaged citizens, and eliminate waste.
Using a strategic approach, we apply organization design and continuous improvement methods to align strategy with organizational structure, with the ultimate goal of improving process and people performance.
We work with start-up companies and small-to-midsize businesses who believe in their stakeholders, believe in their shareholders, and are invested in good.
At Work Dynamics, we believe companies can do good for the world; while also doing well for its shareholders. Incredible Companies, Incredible People, — together making the world a better place. That is our vision and that’s why we are proud to be here.
I think what sets us apart is that we focus on high touch customer service, which means we work with a limited number of clients each year. This allows us to be more responsive to our customers.
MK: Where do you go from here? What do you want to achieve with each and every day?
AT: I define success as not only having accomplished what you set out to pursue; it’s also about the quality of the pursuit. Too often, we get caught up in the shiny end result. What you’ve achieved is just as important as the quality of work you put in. Did you show up with the right mindset? Did you push through even though you wanted to stop? What did you learn? Never forget that you can become successful, but can you stay successful? That’s where your level of tenacity speaks the loudest.
What do I try to achieve everyday? Great question. I’d say live with great intention. Whether a fitness workout, learning a new lesson, or helping out a client. I want to do all these things with great intention.
Work Dynamics is still in its infancy. So, a goal of mine is to work on creating more content to get the word out about what we do and why we do it.
3 years from now…still doing what I’m doing today, just a lot more of it on a larger scale! Helping people and businesses succeed. I am also working on writing a second book.
MK: With a busy schedule, how do you spend your time keeping up to date or sharpening your business skills?
AT: I think that the world we live in right now is forcing many people to re-invent self, and also rethink their careers and businesses.
That being said, I’d recommend Adam Grant’s book Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know. Adam Grant is a well respected thought leader, Psychologist and professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
I follow a lot of his work and think he’s got a lot of great insights that are useful for personal growth as well as business development.
Today’s Featured Guest:
Adam Thomas
Organizational Effectiveness Consultant
Work Dynamics Consulting
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