HR Next: Role and Place of Coaching in HR | Podcast Ep. #4

Behnam Bakhshandeh is an accomplished business manager, known widely as a dynamic writer, speaker, personal and business coach and trainer. Implementing his skills as a passionate, visionary leader, he produces extraordinary results in record time. Behnam brings his broad experience and successful track record to each project, whether it involves personal development, implementing customer-focused programs, integrating technologies, marketing, redesigning operational core processes, or delivering strategic initiatives.

Before designing Primeco Education technology, Behnam led educational programs and later managed operations for a global education organization based in two major US cities. During this seven-year period, Behnam worked personally with tens of thousands of participants. He was accountable for expanding customer participation, training program leaders, increasing sales, and improving the finance department's efficiency and management of the overall operations for the staff and their team of over 400 volunteers, who together served an annual client base of over 10,000.

Behnam designed the Primeco Education technology in 2001. Since then, he and his team members have helped countless businesses and individuals not only achieve their goals, but also transform their thinking. His proven methodology is based on his extensive experience in business and human relations.

He consistently delivers and works with others to produce results beyond what was predicted or expected. This exceptional rate of business and personal growth is the result of his high integrity, unprecedented teamwork, open communication, and a contagious, unflinching commitment to excellence in all business operations, personal relationships, and professional interactions. Behnam is a shining example of how combining vision and goals with hard work consistently pays off beyond even the highest expectations. His work with businesses has resulted in successful team building, companies that grow through a shared vision, efficient process redevelopment, increased revenues, and work environments that support employee satisfaction and retention.

Committed to lifelong education, Behnam went back to school and earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from the University of Phoenix.  He continued his graduate studies at Penn State University to earn a Master of Professional Study in Organizational Development and Change, which was immediately continued by his Doctorate in Workforce Education & Development with a concentration on Human Resources Development (HRD) and Organization Development (OD) in College of Education at Penn State. Behnam enjoyed expanding into psychology as an addition to his already strong background in philosophy and ontology. He particularly enjoyed and was inspired by Positive Psychology and the work of many psychologists who used the Humanistic Psychology approach for empowering and treating their patients. Behnam finds these two psychological approaches very similar to his own work, methodology, and approaches. Behnam is widely known for his commitment to making a difference in every life he touches.  He is distinguished in his field for delivering outcomes that leave all his clients fulfilled in realizing their dreams.  His rigor ensures that results are produced while his compassion and sense of humor bring a play to every working relationship.

A Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) with a dual-title Ph.D. in Workforce Education & Development and Comparative International Education from the Pennsylvania State University. 

With over 25 years of experience in the learning and development field, the common thread that aligns my professional focus is the need to understand the challenges in cultivating an engaged and motivated work environment from the lens of improvement. As Dr Deming stated, “improve constantly and forever” with a focus on progress and evolution through incremental changes. As the world of work continues to change and evolve, so must the workplace learning strategies, including the professionals who implement these changes.

Master’s thesis was an exploratory case study on the implementation of diversity initiatives that utilized OD concepts as an approach to a planned change process involving the entire organization.

Dissertation research: The United Nations has recognized the importance of addressing the “worldwide shortage of health workers” (WHO, 2017, p. 4); and the World Bank has calculated a global shortage of 7.6 million nurses and midwives by 2030. This shortage is having adverse effects on health systems around the world (Oulton, 2006), and is leaving governments with a problem in urgent need of solving. A comparative case study was conducted to describe migration flow (magnitude and direction) of migrant Filipino nurses employed in North-America Sub-Group (the US and Canada) and the Middle-East Sub-Group (Saudi Arabia and the UAE). The research examined the ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors that influence the return of migrant nurses back to their home country. Influencing conditions of migration include (1) economic factors, e.g., wage differentials or purchasing value; (2) political factors, e.g., work visas or bilateral agreements; and (3) socio-cultural factors, e.g., work environment, social connections, and acculturation.

Rothwell & Associates, LLC. is an independent consulting firm that focuses on critical issues in human resource development and management. As a full-service consulting firm, we customize all programs to address the specific needs of the client. R&A specializes in succession planning, talent management, organization development, human resource development, and performance consulting. Our mission is to accelerate the potential of an organization's talent pool and to optimize the performance of its people.

Sandra Stewart coaches teams, senior and high-potential executives in leadership and personal development.  An executive coach since 1999 and an Adjunct Professor of Leadership Development at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, Sandi uses management and life balance tools, assessments and best-practice literature to complement her coaching.  Additionally, she teaches coaching for an ICF accredited training program at American University.

Sandra coaches senior-level government, corporate and nonprofit leaders and has experience in working with senior executives from billion-dollar organizations to small nonprofits.  She supports her clients to build awareness of their strengths and find opportunities and choices in resolving their professional and personal challenges and stress points.  Her work with teams builds stronger rapport, greater strategic focus and accelerates change in their organizations.

Clients have included senior executives at T. Rowe Price, Ernst & Young, the Federal Reserve Board, ID.me, Gunnison, Petco, Abbvie, GDIT, National Association of Manufacturers, The Commonwealth Fund, RTI, ACLI, and PBS.

Sandra Stewart coaches teams, senior and high-potential executives in leadership and personal development.  An executive coach since 1999 and an Adjunct Professor of Leadership Development at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, Sandi uses management and life balance tools, assessments and best-practice literature to complement her coaching.  Additionally, she teaches coaching for an ICF accredited training program at American University.

Sandra coaches senior-level government, corporate and nonprofit leaders and has experience in working with senior executives from billion-dollar organizations to small nonprofits.  She supports her clients to build awareness of their strengths and find opportunities and choices in resolving their professional and personal challenges and stress points.  Her work with teams builds stronger rapport, greater strategic focus and accelerates change in their organizations.

Clients have included senior executives at T. Rowe Price, Ernst & Young, the Federal Reserve Board, ID.me, Gunnison, Petco, Abbvie, GDIT, National Association of Manufacturers, The Commonwealth Fund, RTI, ACLI, and PBS.