Testimonials for distil Work
“I can honestly say that I have never seen such an approach produce such positive outcomes, goodwill and energy for our organisation.” (see case study, PDF)
– Dee Anderson, CEO, U@MQ, Macquarie University
“Brilliant"
– Malcolm Gunning, Managing Director, Gunning Commercial; Chair, Kings Cross Business Partnership (See letter of recommendation, PDF)
“It has been a real enlightenment to go through the City Edge Initiative process. The identification of ‘common ground’ was an absolute success.”
– John McInerney, Councillor, City of Sydney
“I have not seen an event like this produce such energy and goodwill.”
– Ian Longbottom, Mayor, Lane Cove Council
“Thank you very much for your well lead professional workshopping. I have had very good feedback from my internal Council colleagues.”
– Paul William-Smith, Economic Development Officer, City of Ryde Council
“Excellent”
– Lydia Scuglia, President, Eastwood Chamber of Commerce
“A great contribution to our strategic thinking! We were challenged and enthused and motivated to take the next step. Well done!”
– Rosemary Sinclair, Managing Director, Australian Telecommunication Users Group
“I thought the outcomes were going to be good but they far exceeded my expectations.”
– Stephen Carnell, fmr General Manager, Kings Cross Partnership [the business association for the 6 suburbs of the Greater Kings Cross region]
“Inspirational”
– Wendy Foster, President, North Sydney Chamber of Commerce
“Very impressive”
– Professor Craig Mudge, Director, Institute of Innovation, Macquarie University
“A great leadership workshop. It’s a pleasure to deal with somebody with such integrity.”
— Doug Jacka, Executive Officer, Golf Management Australia (NSW Division)
“The approach was a wonderful way of getting engagement and ongoing action from the community, business, agencies and government around community and organisational wellbeing.”
– Doug Grand, Chair, Kings Cross Licensing Accord; CEO, Swans Club
“The energy and enthusiasm generated by the CEI workshop was extraordinary.”
– City of Sydney staff
“I was very impressed.”
– Richard Morgan, Principal, The Pittwater House Schools
“The approach was a great way to break down the barriers that can impede large community groups from working collaboratively. Our objectives were achieved in an enjoyable and empowering environment and outcomes provided the basis for our strategic plan.”
– Suzanne Atteridge, Executive Officer, North West Business Education Network
“Joe Bowers is on the money! I have been to many seminars on marketing and Joe makes it (including marketing on the web) an easy to understand process and shows you how to add value to your business.”
– Sandy Thomas, Health & Lifetstyle Excellence
“The approach was excellent.”
– Bill Owens, Chair, North West Business Education Network; (& Education Officer-Secondary Vocational Learning, Catholic Schools Office, Diocese of Broken Bay)
“I have never seen such a process create a feeling of wellbeing and mutual energy and harmony.”
Testimonials for Future Search Workshops
(Future Search is an approach that has received worldwide acclaim for its outstanding results in Change Management, Strategic Planning, Team Building, Marketing and any other systemic area of significance. More on the approach and our services.)
“By my likes Future Search is the most useful, tangible, actionable output that I have ever seen - and I’ve seen some in my time.”
– Dennis Alter, CEO and Chairman, Advanta Corporation
“A remarkably unique and clear method for creating conditions for dialogue that brings out the best in people. It has forever changed the way we run community health meetings.”
– Richard Aronson, MD, MPH, Maternal and Child Health Medical Director, State of Maine, Fellow, American Academy of Pediatrics
“This has given me the hope that I lost in countless sessions of strategic planning. Now I have a way that to my mind can effectively change our school for the better.”
– Pieter Booysen, Principal Afrikaans High School, Randburg, South Africa
“This approach really does empower people and enables them to take some control and action around what they feel is important. It brings the structure for allowing the voices to emerge and choices to be made. People can then work on the things they believe are important and for which they know they have system support.
– Sue Rowan, Toronto District School Board Superintendent
“I wholeheartedly endorse the Future Search approach.”
– Robert Knight, Manager Organisational Development, Hepburn Shire Council
“[This approach] helped us achieve a level of common understanding that otherwise would have taken us years.”
– Dick Haworth, Chair, Haworth Inc
“An exciting and inspiring approach to tackling deeper systems transformation.”
– Professor Michael Fullan
“Coming out of the Future Search conference, I felt pride and trust. This encouraged me to take risks. When I heard about TIMMS (Third International Mathematics and Science Study), I went back to my colleagues and said, “I think we can do something with this.” [Naperville finished 1st in Science and 6th in Maths in this International Competition].
– Pat Franzen, Science Teacher, Naperville Community School District
"The average scores for youth apprenticeship students went up 200 points on the Statewide standardised tests and enrolments increased by 300%. Today there is a waiting list!"
– Mike Erwin, Principal, North Montgomery County Technical Career School
“If only every facilitator worked like this, we would all sign up to attend meetings rather than avoid them!”
– Judy Schector, Director, Developing Leadership In Reducing Substance Abuse
“By the summer of 2000 we knew that without important changes, air traffic, rife with parochialism, would grind to a halt….We made magic in that meeting. This result was previously thought impossible.”
– Jack Kies, Program Manager for Air Traffic Operations, Federal Aviation Administration
“No other event in the history of my own professional career changed my ability to function as a leader more than this approach. It could be used in nearly any organization. It is a positive, energizing and productive approach to dynamic leadership.”
– Dr. Sandra Chapman, Principal, Oak Hill Elementary School
“An exceptional approach that is task focused, makes full use of everyone’s experience and expertise, and generates collaborative actions that people will be inspired to implement.”
– Joanne Burke, Coordinator, UN Capacity for Disaster Risk Reduction Initiative”
“I have worked with this approach for almost a decade now in Northern Ireland where meetings can be, without being too dramatic, a question of life and death. The techniques for bringing people with vastly different perspectives together in search of a common goal make powerful tools for helping to embed the practices necessary to peace.”
– Aideen McGinley, Permanent Secretary, Department for Employment and Learning, Government of Northern Ireland
“I got more done in 2½ days than could have been done in 5 years of phone calls.”
– Gloria Valoris, General Manager, Berrett-Koehler Publishers
“How do we achieve consistent 20% growth per annum? We run a Future Search every 5 years.”
– John Mackey, CEO and Chair, Whole Foods Markets (one of the fastest growing Fortune 500 companies)
|
“I have never seen an approach produce such positive outcomes, goodwill and energy.” 
“It has been a real enlightenment to go through the City Edge process. The identification of ‘common ground’ was an absolute success.”
“Brilliant.”