Leslie Yerkes
President, Catalyst Consulting Group, Inc.
"Four Principles for Running Your Business and Life in Good Times or Bad"

Self Proclaimed Sherpa Guide

Leslie is a paradox. She was born an old soul who, while in her early mid-life, maintains a perpetual state of Peter Pan – gotta fight, gotta fly, gotta crow. She is a fountain of ideas, but concerned with the smallest detail. Her comfort for risk taking is extreme yet, regarding her role in life and her concern for others, she is overly responsible. She relishes rituals and symbolism, yet cannot resist a spontaneous adventure. Leslie values leadership, loyalty and trust in relationships. Some of her role models include: Mother Theresa, Albert Einstein, Amelia Earhart, Viktor Frankl, Eleanor Roosevelt, Joseph Campbell, and Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers. Leslie’s measure of her success as a business leader and consultant is that she applies to herself first all the consulting principles in which she engages her clients. In her work as an organizational development / change management consultant, her goal is not to be positioned as an expert but rather as a trusted advisor. She is a voracious learner and places a high value on her own journey of discovery.

Leslie earned her Master of Science in Organizational Development at Case Western Reserve University after graduating cum laude from Wittenberg University with a Bachelor of Arts. She founded Catalyst Consulting Group, Inc. in 1987. Her philosophy is simple: People are basically good, well intentioned, courageous, and able to learn. Her job is to provide a framework in which people can draw on their own inner resources to find creative solutions.
Leslie has taught at John Carrol University, Baldwin Wallace College and is on the faculty at the Weatherhead Dively Center for Executive Education. Like children, Leslie’s work is now play. Leslie lives and works in Cleveland, Ohio. When she plays she likes to play in Australia and Europe. Her list of favorite play includes fly-fishing, scuba diving, cattle drives, Community Theater, swimming with dolphins, and time spent with family and friends.

Leslie is co-author of the bestselling 301 Ways to Have Fun at Work and the author of Fun Works: Creating Places Where People Love to Work. Leslie’s third book entitled Beans: Four Principles for Running a Business in Good Times or Bad was published in 2003. Leslie will have two new titles in 2005, They Just Don't Get It and Beans: The Second Cup.
She will deliver a meaningful message about the core of a good business — honor your customers, trust your employees, and build passion around your product. These universal principles are the blueprint for creating a better business in any industry.