As a founding partner of Purpose Unlimited, Sondra specializes in workplace psychology, personal development, and organizational development. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Oklahoma State University and a master's degree in Industrial/Organizational psychology from the University of Tulsa. She has taught Organizational Psychology, Teamwork, Critical Thinking Skills for Professional Development, Sociology, and Human Motivation at the University of Phoenix and is co-publisher of the Road Signs For Success Weekly.
As a consultant Sondra helps organizations create purpose-driven cultures, maximize the effectiveness of individuals and work groups, identify training and development needs and facilitate processes for change. She specializes in conflict resolution, leadership and employee development, employee selection, performance appraisal, succession planning, strategic planning, and effective communication. Sondra helps organizations get the right people in the right roles, clearly define those roles, along with systems of communication and accountability.
As a personal and career development coach, Sondra fulfills her purpose of "setting the captive free" by helping clients design solution-focused strategies to become more successful in their lives and careers. She helps clients identify their purpose in life and develop strategies to fulfill it. This includes finding good career options and overcoming self-defeating patterns of thought and behavior that may prevent them from reaching their full potential. Click here for an overview of Sondra's coaching process.
Sondra uses several different assessments to help clients find a good career fit and also to identify areas for improvement. The next step is to work with the client to develop a plan of action to implement processes that will enable the client to reach his or her desired results.
SONDRA'S MOST REQUESTED TOPICS
THE 7 SKILLS YOU MUST POSSESS FOR SUCCESS
What are the 7 most important skills employees must possess to be successful? Sondra Whitt will lead you through a process that will show you how to identity the 7 most important skills necessary for any employee to be successful on the job. This process will provide a benchmark against which to evaluate employees and identify specific areas of development necessary for them to maximize performance.
HOW TO EFFECTIVELY DEAL WITH WORKPLACE PROBLEMS
Got a problem with an employee, boss, coworker or maybe even a customer? In this interactive session, participants anonymously submit real-life problems they experience every day on the job while Sondra Whitt facilitates a discussion on how to most effectively deal with these problems.
COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY IN TODAY'S WORLD
In this age of text-messaging, instant gratification, and sound-bites, effective communication can seem like a lost art. It’s easy to feel like we aren’t being heard accurately or clearly understood or we just can’t understand the “other guy.” We might wonder why we and our co-worker or supervisor see things so differently, why they just can’t see things our way. Discover the reasons for these conflicting perspectives as you learn about your own and others' natural communication styles. Then learn how to adapt your behavior to communicate more effectively with those around you.
ENTREPRENEURIAL COUPLES
More and more couples are building a business together, presenting special challenges to both their work and family relationships. Learn the traps couples fall into along with practical strategies for dealing with them. Capitalize on your individual strengths and manage your weaknesses, resolve conflicts, conduct effective meetings, enjoy work/life balance, communicate effectively, and work together to build your business without driving each other crazy.
MIND MECHANICS
Why do we think and act the way we do? How can we learn more effective ways of thinking and acting in order to build the life we want? Overcome self-defeating patterns of thought and behavior. Learn how to manage the five basic fears everyone faces and how to manage the five stages of change. Live your life according to your plan instead of someone else’s.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Often conflict is a result of differing behavioral styles or values clashes. Discover the hidden, underlying reasons for conflicts and how differing personality styles respond to it. Gain a clearer understanding of others' perspectives while you learn to identify and navigate the five negotiation styles to devise a workable model for resolution.
STRESS MANAGEMENT
Stress affects everyone, everywhere. There are physiological, mental and emotional consequences to not dealing with it effectively. Some of the results are lowered productivity, absenteeism and low morale. Identify the stressors in your life or organization and learn effective ways of dealing with them.
FINDING YOUR MOTIVATION
What are the driving forces behind your behavior? Why do you act the way you do? What motivates your employees? What do you feel passionate about? Learning to tap into your motivating values will lead to a more satisfying life and career.
CAREER TRANSITION
In today’s economy, many people are faced with a transition in their career through reorganization and lay-offs, burn-out or simply seeking a more satisfying lifestyle. Learn successful ways of dealing with the stress that goes with a career change, along with how to choose a career you are best suited for and that fulfills your driving values.
WHAT CLIENTS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT SONDRA
"Sondra brings a wealth of experience to support her strategies and explains theories and practices in a way we can all easily apply to our own situation. She brings humor to her sessions, but also respects, honors, and addresses any tensions, concerns and/or questions that may arise. She sets a hearty agenda, packed with researched-based theoretical and practical strategies, but allows the group to set the pace of the sessions, supporting flexibility with the content of the agenda. Sondra is a natural at drawing out leadership within a group and helps the group home in on the values and goals of their organization. Our group, after a four hour session with Mrs. Whitt, left energized and excited about the things we had accomplished and about the things we still had planned ahead."
Cassandra Funderburk, Ed.D.
Tulsa Public Schools
"Your personal guidance helped our daughter find her true passion - the best thing was the one-on-one time you spent with her going over her talents and figuring out a major that agrees with her... she now loves college- thank you!"
Gail Brown, Attorney "This report has provided me with an opportunity for introspection at a time when I needed to take stock of my own skills and abilities as it relates to my future in the business I am currently operating - it was eye-opening for me to witness my strengths and weaknesses there in black and white - thanks!"
