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Let me tell you how all of this happened!

You probably have had a Eureka or Aha moment - right! 

Well, that discussion was a Eureka for me!

Before Eureka

But, let me briefly go back to my executive management days, before starting GR8 Solutions Group.

During my last 12 years as a manager and executive, I remember thinking how beneficial it would be if there were some clear principles and tools that I could use to be a more effective leader. That was extremely important for me, because most of the roles that I volunteered for or were assigned tended to be in areas where I did not have experience or training. So, it wasn't like I could manage people and help them do their job like I had done it. I was truly in the position of leading solely on the basis of being a resource to help people get things done. 

Yes, my advanced degrees can be a credibility boost, but those degrees did not prepare me for the Managing Director role of a subsidiary of the company I worked for. I knew financial stuff, acquisition and merger stuff, but not how to manage oil and gas properties, and really not that much about managing people. But, that was now my role.

And, after successfully managing that entity and helping the executive team use it to further the parent company, I volunteered for another no experience role. The Information Technology group needed a manager, what is now called the CIO. None of the other members of the management team wanted the job, so I volunteered.

By the way, if you want more details about my experience, you can go here or my resume' is included under the orange "Get the Best We Have" button below.

Back to My Eureka Moment! 

When I was talking to the large company, my focus was on helping them develop the executive leadership team. But, they like most bigger companies have leadership development programs for their executives. But, NOT much for their emerging leaders, first level supervisors, or middle managers.

Eureka! My thoughts went to my resume and the better job I could have done if I had received leadership training from the very beginning.

Yes, executives need to learn and reinforce great leadership values, principles, and skills, but starting with lower level managers could help build a CULTURE of leadership! And, why not include people that show great potential, but aren't in a management position now? Companies could do that to build a strong bench of future leaders!

EUREKA! That was the beginning of GR8 Leaders!

So, it was highly gratifying when they asked me to develop the emerging leaders program for them. What a privilege - what a challenge!

GR8 Leaders Is Created!

So, after months of work and research, racking my brain for what worked for me and what didn't, talking with other leaders, going through multiple revisions with the talent development coordinator of the company - GR8 Leaders was created.

In fact, it doesn’t need most of the ones it already has...

But here’s what makes GR8 Leaders different.

In a sea of leadership websites and career growth blogs, GR8 Leaders is focused on the proven, practical and powerful elements of leading - the ways to make leadership SIMPLE. In other words, this isn't theoretical, academic research...THIS STUFF WORKS!!

A FOUR Year Case Study

One day a client and I were talking about how we thought the GR8 Leaders CATALYST System was making a difference in the people and the company. Both of us were getting very good feedback, saw positive changes in participants, but we didn't have any verifiable data.

We thought, "Wouldn't it be nice to know if the participants were remembering the material, applying it and improving their leadership behaviors?"

So, over the next 4 years, we tracked 8 separate groups, 157 people from the start of each GR8 Leaders group to the end. Each group did all 12 GR8 Leaders courses, 1 course each month for a year.

We were looking for objective evidence from supervisors, peers, and direct reports that participants were becoming better leaders.

Here is how we did gathered that information.

The results were beyond expectations!

Typically, scores in the 20% range are considered very good, but GR8 Leaders was rated nearly FOUR TIMES better than that!

We also asked the participants to complete surveys every 3 months during the program to gather information about the quality of the content and facilitator, insights and understanding they got from the material, how they used the material outside class, and specific material that had helped them change.

Below are a few of the data points gathered from those surveys.

Prior to founding GR8 Solutions Group, Hermann served in various executive management roles for Pioneer Natural Resources and its predecessors. Pioneer is a large independent, international oil and gas company in the United States. During his twelve years with Pioneer, he had the titles of VP Corporate Development, VP & Chief Information Officer, VP Special Projects, VP Investor Relations, and various other titles in subsidiaries, including Managing Director of Parker & Parsley Development Partners, LP. He was intimately involved with the strategy, planning, development, and execution of the growth of the company from a $25 million enterprise to a multi-billion-dollar entity traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

Hermann served in roles requiring analysis, planning, negotiation, and implementation of more than $2 billion of acquisitions of oil and gas properties. From 1993 to 1996, the roles focused more on strategy, technology, and personnel development. In the later years he helped develop the company vision, mission and goals, catalyzed transformation of processes and technology, and enhanced teamwork and culture change. He also influenced the company through initiating team building processes and incorporating tools used today in GR8 Solutions Group and GR8 Leaders.

Before Pioneer he was focused on corporate development, strategic planning, and evaluation and acquisition of oil and gas properties. He raised funds for acquisitions with presentations to financial and investor institutions. Early in his career he was responsible for the divestiture process that required four data rooms in Australia and two in the United States resulting in the sale of the Delhi International Oil Corporation for $620 million in 1981.

He has developed comprehensive leadership and relationship courses, written books, and created numerous workshops. His books are used by international missionary organizations. He has served on organization boards and chaired charitable events. He still coaches, teaches, and preaches.

Early credits achieved were Salutatorian of Mesquite High School in 1967, All Big Eight football 1968, 1969, and 1970, and All-America (Honorable Mention) in football in 1970. He is characterized by others as motivational with excellent facilitation skills, creative in determining and implementing solutions, persevering, and effective in handling new and difficult situations.

Hermann has lived in Midland, Texas since 1983 and has three grown children and seven grandchildren. He grew up in Mesquite, Texas and graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration. He is certified as a Business Structural Consultant, an Individual Structural Consultant, a Creating What Matters® facilitator, a Kolbe Conative Index® Interpreter, and a certified Managerial Moment of Truth facilitator.