Todd Wangsgard
Enterprising, results-driven, and grounded are words that describe Todd Wangsgard. He brings 24 years of leadership and organizational development experience to his clients.
Clients value his ability to create clarity out of the business fog that prevents most companies from enabling greatness and developing the capabilities of their associates.
Todd has excellent professional experience. He was Senior Manager of Training, Talent Management, and Communications for ATK Lake City, a government-owned, company-operated manufacturing center in Independence, Missouri. He organized the training department, developed and implemented all levels of leadership curriculum, and oversaw the operation’s succession planning and teambuilding strategies.
As the Manager of Professional Development for ATK, a $4 billion aerospace and defense company, Todd led the creation of employee and leadership assessment and development initiatives for operations in 23 states.
Todd worked for Intermountain Healthcare, Inc. in Salt Lake City, Utah, the intermountain west’s largest physician, clinic and hospital network. He founded IHC University and managed the implementation of curriculum as well as the administrative team of IHCU.
An industry cross section of Todd’s clients represent higher education, health care, insurance, manufacturing, aerospace, and defense.
Todd holds a PhD from Walden University in Leadership and Organizational Change. He has also earned his MBA from the University of Phoenix and a B.A. from Weber State University (Ogden, Utah) in communications.
Todd is affiliated with a number of professional organizations and holds certifications to teach a number of programs. He is a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), a Master Facilitator for Achieve Global, and a Certified Professional Behavior Analyst (DISC).
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FranklinCovey Consultant Blogs | Todd Wangsgard | New Year
Gifts
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Tis the season for gifts. Hard not to contemplate the many gifts I’ve been given in 2010, including my association with you! In this time of economic uncertainty and hardship, we are able to regain a sense of perspective and peace by taking inventory of everything that is right. Please, indulge me:
- Principles of effectiveness. No matter how bad things get, there’s always a way out. And the principles we ‘preach’ to ourselves and colleagues are the very ticket out of this funk that society and its economy finds themselves in. Among them are hard work, respect, honesty, teamwork, planning, prioritizing, and many others.
- Health. Few people claim their health is exactly where they want it. I’m certainly not a model of musculature, but I can’t complain. I’ve been motivated by many of you to realize goals of fitness this year that I never would have considered without your encouragement and example. In spite of a congenital aortic valve disorder, my heart is healthier than it’s ever been – in my entire lifetime. I plan to keep it that way as long as possible.
- Experience. The stories we weave into the fabric of our lives comes from the interplay of people, places, and lessons-learned. I’m grateful for the lessons this past year have taught me and the things I’m going to do with my ever-increasing perspective and life’s experience.
- Friends and Family. We are indeed rich, when we count the relationships that are most meaningful. I wouldn’t and couldn’t do what I do without the support of a patient and intensely hard-working wife, four fantastic children and all the extended family and friends who continue to make the journey purpose-filled.
In the coming year, the least I can do is combine these gifts of mine to ensure I leave you a gift every time we meet. A kind word. A helping hand. An ear to bend. A perspective or thought to share. A thank you to impart.
I wish you and yours a joyous Christmas and a blessed and prosperous New Year!
When Commitment Wears Thin: Getting “lashed to the mast”
In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus is told of a magnificent song sung by the sirens of the sea, but one that would lure unsuspecting sailors dangerously close to the rocky shore. Lacking the discipline to stay safely away from the rocks but close enough to hear the sirens’ tantalizing tune, previous sailors had sailed closer and closer to the sweet sound until their ships were dashed into the depths.
Odysseus remains committed to his objective (1669 public domain)
Circe offered Odysseus a solution.
Around this time of year, many of us may be slipping further away from the course we charted in our New Year’s resolutions. It is easy to get caught up in the urgency addiction of the workplace or homefront, allowing those important – and often less compelling – objectives to crash into the rocks. Perhaps it is time to get “lashed to the mast.”
Commitment to goals can come from many sources. Here’s one of the more effective sources of commitment I know of: Enlist the energy of others who will help you stay true. Recruit friends and family, ears having been “filled with beeswax,” who will refuse to give in to your convenient excuses and ultimately keep you on course. Consider these specific suggestions to help keep each other accountable:
- Announce your intentions. You might even broadcast your goal (I’m going to lose 10 pounds by April) in social Internet forums, such as Facebook. People are bound to keep asking you how it’s going. The last thing you want to do is let everyone know two months down the road that you failed.
- Put the written goal in clear view. Tape it to the refrigerator, bathroom mirror, or dashboard of the car. This constant reminder keeps your intentions front and center.
- Create a scoreboard that others can access. If your friends are far away, use common file servers such as Google docs to share a spreadsheet that allows everyone to track your progress. Give access to a handful of friends who aren’t afraid to ask you why you’re behind
- Insert incremental pieces of your goal into your weekly and daily planning routine. Tiny steps every day add up to big progress over the long term.
Before you know it, you’ll be enjoying the sweet song of the sirens, even as you approach your intended destination!