Celebrating A 15-Year Anniversary

This month marks 15 years since Next Element was founded. Should we call it a birthday or an anniversary?

I’d prefer to call it an anniversary because of what anniversaries symbolize.

• A choice to come together and form a partnership.
• Daily decisions to strengthen the partnership.
• Continuous learning and growing as a team so that the partnership lasts.
• It takes a community of support to make it.

A Scary and Fortuitous Start

By October 2008, the Great Recession was official. Companies were slashing discretionary spending, including training budgets. Not great for a startup leadership training firm. We had the good fortune of delivering a three-day Process Communication Model training for 35 Lean Six Sigma Master Blackbelts at Textron Aviation, on our very first week of business. This engagement paid our bills for the first three months. Thank you Sandy Gieber!

I’m so grateful to my partners who took the risk to imagine a different future and leave the safety of full-time jobs with benefits to pursue our dream: Jeff King, Michelle Ediger, and Jamie Remsberg.

Three things help us survive and thrive during those first five years when most startups fail. People who believed in us, living our core values in every interaction, and delivering high-quality services that generated measurable ROI.

Shout Out To Our Early Clients

I want to thank a few of our early clients who believed in us, invested in their people even during a recession and have become lifelong partners and friends.

• KASA Companies – Dan Stutterheim
• PKM Steel – Frieda Mai-Weis and Darien Henderson
• City of Newton
• USD373 – Newton
• Wichita Clinic / Via Christi
• HCA Wesley Medical Center

It Takes A Global Community

We have built a global community of partners, coaches, consultants, and trainers whom we support to use our Compassionate Accountability Tools. Some of them were very early adopters, believing in our vision and jumping in with both feet from the beginning. Some have been mentors, guiding us along the way. Many have been thought partners, pushing us to refine our ideas. Here are a few:

• Sonja Rauschutz – Vienna School of Negotiation
• Edith Doosje & Patricia Antersijn – PCM Netherlands
• Martje Kemperman – Add Fuel
• Frank Schoefish and Uta Nachbar – key4C
• John Parr – Emotional Assertiveness International
• Andrea and Werner Naef – PCM Oceania
• Paul Larkin – Wavelength Agency
• Taibi Kahler – Originator of PCM
• Jason Leal – Bright Star Child Care Center, Newton KS
• Becky Robinson – Weaving Influence

You can peruse our entire network here.

We are so grateful to everyone who has been part of this journey. Thank you! We look forward to many more years of working together to transform cultures with Compassionate Accountability.

What’s Next for Next Element?

We’ve been busy behind the scenes conducting extensive market research, evaluating our thought leadership platform, and envisioning how we can bring Compassionate Accountability to more people. We’d love to catch up on what’s going on with you and share what’s next for Next Element. Contact us today to set up an exploration call. 

Copyright Next Element Consulting, LLC 2023