Our greatest opportunity is to become resilient – to raise the bar on what excellence is, vow to make tangible change and prepare to outperform expectations in the future. A. RENEE THORNTON, PHD Performance Psychologist, CEO Pathfinder Resilience Fennville, MI https://www.linkedin.com/in/renee-thornton/ Dr. A. Renee Thornton is the chief executive officer and director of training and research at Pathfinder Resilience. With over 25 years of experience, she began advising executives on practical ways to develop employees who positively influence organizational outcomes after her honorable discharge from the U.S. Navy. In 2010, she expanded her client base into emergency services, focusing on the impact of self-care on mental health, employee engagement and performance. Her accomplishments in performance psychology have earned her recognition as an authority on resilience, agency culture and strategic leadership. Her seminal work in wellness established the first validated, multidimensional model of self-care proven to counteract the implications of mental distress for people in demanding professions. Today, that model has been expanded as a strategic planning tool for building high-performing cultures. In 2024, Dr. Thornton established the Pathfinder Resilience International Summit on Leading High-Performance Cultures, an invite-only executive retreat focused on strategically leading long-term professional culture change. She also published the first multidimensional, whole-person tactical training manual, which garnered international acclaim for its effectiveness in fostering resilience and accountability to an extreme standard of personal and professional excellence. How have you navigated disruptions in your industry to remain a top professional? Personal relationships. Consultants are a dime a dozen, but people who build relationships without expecting anything in return are rare. My focus when I meet someone is learning more about what matters to them. As an intentional listener, I can hear more than what they’re willing to say out loud. Then, I show them that they are heard. When a relationship exists before a need presents itself, I’m a natural first thought. The snake oil salesmen trying to capitalize on grant money for the latest trend might experience momentary gain, but success is not found in the almighty dollar. The real return comes when you see the people you’ve invested in turn around and make those same investments in others.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTQ5NDA2