Dr. Edward C. Starinchak
is the Founder and President of Polaris Leadership Solutions Inc. and has recently returned from a 10,000 mile sabbatical at sea. Ed does more than walk his leadership talk, he lives it by personal example! By sailing across the South Pacific, he had to plan and execute a vision, nurture a high performing team, mentor crew and community, be present with diverse lifestyles and customs, demonstrate flexibility, humility and fierce resolve.
Ed returns to his practice renewed as a leading Organizational Psychologist whose organization development practice areas include executive coaching, diagnosis, feedback, facilitating team alignment, career transitions, and leadership training.
Inspired by ancient mariners navigating via stars, Polaris Leadership Solutions is your trusted guide to exploring leadership potential. We understand piloting through “rocks and shoals” of training and development solutions can be challenging. Ed’s unique brand differentiates him from other vendors by providing practical counsel from (1) advanced behavioral science training and (2) real-world executive experience. Combining his engaging style and personal example, Ed skillfully challenges and supports clients through his results driven change process--reaching their personal and professional goals and enriching lives.
His career consists of over two decades of experience in firms such as Nike and BP/Amoco, as well as an external consulting both as an independent practitioner and with partner firms such as KRW International, Results Based Leadership (RBL), Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), Personnel Decisions International (PDI), and HOGAN Assessment Systems.
Academically, Ed serves as adjunct professor at Western Washington University (Top 100 MBA Programs by The Aspen Institute) teaching Leadership & Management Skills.
Ed holds a Masters and Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology and is a “Fightin’ Irish” Alum from the University of Notre Dame.
Executive Coaching Solutions
Successful leaders are always “tacking" to gain a competitive edge.
Updating one’s winning formula can be difficult, if not impossible, without accurate feedback. Our flagship program seeks to correct this void through a simple yet powerful three-step change process to:
1. Build Awareness, 2. Make Choices, 3. Practice Skills.
Over the course of a typical 3-6 month engagement, we provide the necessary challenge, and support to sharpen a leader’s edge and maximize potential.
Team Development & Offsite Solutions
We see it in sports—we see it in business.
Teams outperform individuals. Most likely your experience will attest, not all groups are teams, even though we label them as such. If a leadership team isn’t working at its peak, it is also a company’s most under-leveraged asset. We specialize in facilitating custom retreats to align your goals, roles and responsibilities, processes, and build trust using state of the art tools and interactive exercises.
Organization Development Solutions
Organizations today face constant storms of change.
Organizational Development (OD) is the application of behavioral science discipline dedicated to helping organizations and the people navigate these chaotic waters. Trained in the behavioral sciences and as experienced practitioners, Polaris is uniquely positioned to help bridge theory and practice when executing projects to align strategy, structures, processes, people, and rewards. By understanding strategic business challenges, we design solutions that are fit for purpose, results-based, and sustainable.
Some focus areas include:
• Culture change management
• Employee engagement
• Strategic planning & visioning
• Talent Management
• Training & Development
• Retreats & Alignment Offsites
Leadership Skills Solutions
When it comes to talent development, strategically you have five options.
We call it the "5 B’s.” You can Buy, Bounce, Borrow, and Bind your talent or you can Build it from within. Studies support that building a talent pipeline is by far the most efficient and cost effective way to ensure that your company maintains adequate bench strength long term. When it comes to executive education & talent management, Polaris transfers critical knowledge needed by your firm. From custom training programs or 1-1 skill development, we build powerful and practical educational solutions to grow your leadership brand.
“I have known Ed for almost two decades…we have served along side each other in several leadership capacities not only internally at Nike but consulting externally. I truly respect his organization development mindset and systemic approach to coaching and consulting. By understanding an individual’s context in relation to strategy, structures, processes, people and rewards, he effectively brokers the right balance of challenge and support to help build industry leaders…I can say without question when it comes to hiring Ed as your executive coach, Just Do It; his experience and skills are second to none.”
Ron Vasquez
Former
OD & HR Manager, Nike Inc
“We have been using Ed to help grow our organizational capability by explicitly focusing on leadership as competitive advantage. Ed's coaching of me and my senior team has been crucial in helping us develop our point of view what leadership is and how the management team needs to provide it in order to accomplish our goals. Ed's effective coaching style, depth of knowledge, teaching, and facilitation skill has made him a key resource for our transformation.”
Rick Porter,
Former Downstream
BU Leader, BP
"I have known and worked with Ed Starinchak for many years, and I think he brings integrity, results, and most importantly, his compelling personal example to the executives he works with. He has served as adjunct faculty in many CDR International leadership programs, including Bank of America merger. He embodies the principles we have set forth in the books, Action Coaching; Action Learning, and Unnatural Leadership. I recommend him without reservation."
David Dotlich, Ph.D.
Founder, CDR International
(Mercer Delta)
“We engaged Ed to design a
Sr. Executive Leadership development program for our Company. We are a global technology and services firm operating in a number of dynamic industries. In order to effectively organize and manage our growth and to build our global teams, it was vital for our Sr. executive leadership team be properly equipped and aligned. Ed developed an outstanding base-line assessment program, helped us design more effective executive management processes & tools and is providing ongoing coaching for our leadership team. Results have been immediate and significant, with ongoing positive expectations shared by the leadership team. Ed was able to establish credibility and quickly bond with our team. His style and experience bridge solid management leadership theory with practical, applied real world business applications. I can highly recommend Ed to any firm seeking to improve their leadership team effectiveness.”
Drew Zogby,
President & CEO
Alpha Technologies
