ROBERT J. SCHOUT, LCSW

Bob Schout has been speaking to audiences across this country and across the world, delivering messages of prosperity, purpose, and passion. His mission is to inspire each of us to realize the potential for growth that dwells within and cultivate that potential for prosperity at work, in relationships and in life. His mission is to be a catalyst, helping people build skills, spirit and community at work. Placing a focus on the human dimension of work, he is committed to building positive relationships at work. His training programs for Building Spirit at Work, Building Community at Work, Team Building, and Inspired Leadership all improve relationships, improve productivity, decrease conflict and create environments where people's assets and strengths are cultivated so that they can more effectively serve others at work.

As a professional speaker, Bob has worked with companies in both the US and Europe. Bob's speeches focus on engaging the head, heart and hands of participants so that each person recognizes the power she/he has to make substantive change happen in their workplace and their life. Bob represented the United States as the opening speaker for a conference convened at the German Bundestag (Parliament) in Berlin, speaking on the topics of Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Volunteerism. He has worked with the Munich Institute for Social Science conducting research in the area of Corporate-Employee Volunteer Programs in the U.S. and speaking at Seimens Forum in Munich to business leaders from across Europe.

Bob is committed to the holistic development of people and organizations. His training programs are dynamic, energized, interactive and fun. Experiential, interactive and peer learning guarantee an 80% retention in knowledge and Bob uses all three approaches in every training program. He uses a systems framework so that participants can see and understand the consequences of strategic decisions and human relations choices on individual employees, teams, work units, corporate goals and consumers. Bob's expertise in training ensures that four core principles of participant development take place in every training program: 1) enhancing attitudes, 2) increasing knowledge, 3) building skills, and 4) changing behavior.

As a professional trainer and meeting facilitator, Bob has worked with thousands of individuals and hundreds of organizations such as Abbott Labs, AC Nielsen, Kraft Foods, Motorola, Kohler Company and the Texas Department of Health. As an educator at the University of Chicago, Bob taught courses in Ethics in Organizations and Team-Based Management. His commitment to serving others is demonstrated by his commitment to helping companies develop and bring to life their value and vision statements by infusing those statements in everyday work practices and personal interactions.

What companies need today are innovative training solutions and Bob's work as an OD/HR consultant has helped organizations develop internal programs that are innovative, cost-efficient, sustainable, and that build the leadership capacity of all managers and employees simultaneously. His work with organizations to build executive-management mentoring programs, corporate-employee volunteer programs, and business ethics guidelines promote those companies as companies of choice, employers of choice and partners of choice.

Bob's educational background in Management & Policy (MA), Social Work (MSW) and Pastoral Studies enables him to see the multiple dimensions of challenges at work: the organizational, the interpersonal, and the intra-personal. Bob has the ability to tap into the passion of your people, helping them rediscover purpose and meaning at work, enabling your company to prosper in the process.