Christopher Smith & Associates LLC

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Christopher, Smith & Associates LLC

Leadership Consultants Dealing with Difference Since 1999

Our mission is to equip, empower and inspire leaders for the 21st century. We define 'leader' as someone with followers. We recognize that a leader is only one component of leadership, but an essential one. Leadership is more than "the capacity or ability to lead." It is not a person or a position but a process of influence involving a leader with followers in a particular situation toward a determined goal.

"A leader is best when people barely know he exists Not so good when people obey and acclaim him Worse when they despise him But of a good leader who talks little when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: 'We did it ourselves.'"
- Lao Tse c. 565 BC

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles."
- Sun Tzu, 500 BC

"First be master over yourself if you would be master over others."
- Machiavelli 1469-1527 ADC

"This above all: to thine own self be true. And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man."
- William Shakespeare (Hamlet) 1564-1616 AD

CSA trains executives and administrators to become more effective as leaders of people who come from different social and cultural backgrounds. The focus of CSA training is Dealing with Difference. Differences include race, color, citizenship, religion, national origin, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, economic level, geographic region, professional domain, political affiliation, philosophy or any combination of these.
Our emphasis is on SELFLEADERSHIP as we help people answer the questions "Who am I?", "Why am I here?" "Where am I going?" and "What time is it?". We believe that one can lead others more effectively if s/he has keen self-awareness and self-control with skills in social awareness, and relationship management. For us, SELF is more than the individual so as to include relationships as well as memberships in work groups and teams. Perhaps the most important ability in self-leadership is based on contextual intelligence.
CSA frequently works with organizations developing effective:

Competencies for Cross-Cultural Communication
Recruitment, Training & Development of New Staff
Leadership and Ethics

We also work with individuals who are at a defining moment in their lives as they plan for a more productive future.