Dottie’s facilitation of the American House strategic planning process was one of the best I have the opportunity to participate in; very well done. Dottie kept us focused and the resultant work product (mission, vision, values, and goals) was spot on for where we were at in our life cycle as a company. The operating plan still acts as the foundation for what we are doing today and what our team members use as a guide to become a better organization and bring our team together.

Hospice of the Piedmont was in need of a strategic plan that would provide organizational direction for the Board of Directors, management and staff. The leadership needed to come together to envision its future position in the market and identify the drivers for operational success and metrics to achieve financial sustainability.
We needed a knowledgeable and skilled facilitator to take us through a process where we could look into the future and identify the steps that needed to be taken to improve performance.

Dottie Deremo was the perfect person for this assignment. She quickly earned credibility with our team by demonstrating her knowledge, experience, and interpersonal skills. She created an engaging and participatory process with board members, the management team and staff. The result is a clear road map for the direction of our organization.

The process Dottie directed was a tipping point for Hospice of the Piedmont. She was able to instill a deep sense of ownership in our plan. I am happy to say we have tipped in the right direction and have enjoyed record-setting success as we continue the implementation of our plan.

Dottie Deremo has been a consultant for our organization and my mentor for the past five years. During this time we have been going through exponential growth in our census and greatly expanded our services.

With Dottie’s guidance we have also ramped up our fundraising for operations and at the same time, she helped us initiate our endowment program that now exceeds $15 million dollars. She provides a steady guiding hand to the organization and offers a shoulder to lean on in my role as CEO. She also gives assurance and direction to our Board of Directors in their evaluation of me and our management team.

Dottie serves as a permanent advisor to our compensation committee. She has guided us in recruiting and hiring and training our team leaders. She has taken an active role in navigating us through more than one crisis that could have spun out of control without her “steady hand” stewardship.

If this all sounds like a fantastical assessment, it is not. Rather Dottie’s role as our consultant has been a dream come true that has made our organization thrive. I highly recommend her services to any organization that wants to manage their growth and build for a sustainable future.

Dottie’s method of strategic planning helped our agency view our cost centers in new ways that provided critical insight into where our efforts, as an agency, should best be focused. She engaged our staff and our board members by listening and educating and guiding the process in a way that created a sense of ownership of the strategic planning and ultimately, the plan. Dottie left our executive team with the tools to implement the plan and to refresh it as needed. We endorse Dottie for strategic planning because of her effectiveness, but also because her humor and enthusiasm make the process fun!

One of the truly great things about Together Health Network was meeting and working with Dottie Deremo. I’ve gained so much from Dottie’s Clifton Strengths Training sessions, executive coaching, industry knowledge and wisdom, and most importantly, her keen no-nonsense approach to life. Dottie doesn’t give you the answers to the test, but guides you in discovery toward personal and professional life balance.

The team at Leader Dogs for the Blind has had the good fortune to work with The Deremo Group for a number of years. Dottie facilitated an offsite retreat of the five member senior team in 2015 focusing on leadership and team-building, with an introduction to StrengthsFinder 2.0. In 2017, she facilitated another offsite retreat of the now six member senior team with an in-depth focus on StrengthsFinder and how to utilize that to better understand our team dynamics and work together more effectively and collaboratively. In early 2018, Dottie worked with our Governance Committee to introduce Strengths Based Leadership and its implications for board leadership. We have been so pleased with Dottie’s facilitation and consultation, that we are now planning to incorporate StrengthsFinder with our entire team! Sue Daniels, President & CEO, Leader Dogs for the Blind.

In 2015, our firm was fortunate to have Dottie lead a workshop on the importance of developing emotional intelligence skills, particularly as our rising women leaders look to climb the ladder of business influence. The way she broke the session down to include how biology affects the response of men and women in various situations, communication differences, specific strategies to improve influence, and how to turn our “differences” as women into advantages made it easy to walk away with some new tools and immediate ideas to implement. Her storytelling ability and sense of humor are fantastic, which only made the session that much more impactful. I can personally say that her workshop had a lasting impression on my views of what leadership entails and tools to be a great one!

Dottie has a unique ability to listen, assess and apply the client’s needs to solid yet practical solutions. Whether she is leading strategic planning or governance analysis processes for boards and executives, her experience and intelligence translate into ideas that make a difference. In addition, Dottie is fun to work with.

Dottie has a special way of getting to root causes and solutions to foster better business via large audiences, intimate workshops, or coaching and facilitating leadership development of teams and individuals. I have seen first-hand the difference in executives, managers and teams based on Dottie’s analysis and guidance. The more efficient and effective outcomes speak for themselves.