Stephen G. Haines

Stephen G. Haines President and Founder Stephen G. Haines is the founder and President of the Haines Centre for Strategic Management® and Systems Thinking Press®, both located in San Diego, California. He is internationally recognized as the world’s leading expert in the field of Strategic Management as it relates to the successful application of Systems Thinking to create business excellence and superior results. Steve has over 30 consecutive years of CEO level experience with over 200 CEOs in complex and diverse international situations. His and the Centre’s purpose is to assist CEOs in developing and sustaining high performance organizations in today’s dynamic environment. The Centre has Master Consultants as Partners and Affiliates with offices across the USA and Canada, as well as a growing number of Partners and Affiliates World wide.

 

Steve personally serves senior management and boards in a wide variety of private and public sectors. His career focus is using his extensive "Best Practices" research to lead dozens of major consulting projects. These have included mergers and acquisitions, high growth, turn-arounds, restructurings, and strategic transformations. Steve specializes in Strategic Planning and Transformational Change. These changes include a strong emphasis on enhancing Leadership Competencies through executive coaching, leadership development, HR management, and executive team building. These organization-wide changes also include the realignment of delivery processes and attunement of people's hearts and minds needed to create customer value.

 

From Steve’s extensive research and 24+ years experience in Systems Thinking, the Centre has copyrighted state-of-the-art frameworks and processes for "The ABC's of Strategic Management" (Planning, Leadership, and Change), "The Rollercoaster of Changes" and an "Organizational Systems Model" to guide organizational design and strategic change. He is also the architect of The Systems Thinking Approach to Leadership Development and its six natural core competencies found nowhere else.

 

Prior to founding the Centre, Steve was president and co-owner of University Associates Consulting and Training Services, the pioneer firm in the development of human resource practitioners and their organizations. He was the architect of its renewal before devoting full-time work in Strategic Management and change through the Centre.

 

In addition, Steve was executive vice-president for ICA, a diversified $14 billion nationwide financial services firm. Prior to that, he was senior vice-president of Freddie Mac, a $32 billion financial institution. Steve has been a member of eight top management teams—both US and International—with corporate responsibilities for all aspects of organizational functions, including planning, operations, marketing, PR, communications, finance, HR, training, and facilities. His career included executive positions at MCI, Exxon, Sunoco, and Marriott Corporations.

 

Steve has a Master in Organization Development (minor in financial management) from George Washington University. He has a B.S. in engineering from the prestigious U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, MD (minor in foreign affairs) and is a graduate of the DOD Human Goals Institute. As a former Naval Officer he has flown Navy jets, piloted ships, and served in  Vietnam.

 

Steve is today’s new breed of "world-class executive consultant" providing priceless value-added advice as (1) a Master strategist and business expert, (2) a Systems Thinker on The DNA of Organizations, and (3) a leader with enormous skills in "facilitation" of difficult executive groups. He is an accomplished keynoter, as well as a prolific author and publisher.

 

Steve’s diverse background includes exposure to hundreds of firms, over 1000 CEOs, and extensive "Best Practices" research. He has received numerous Who’s Who honors, written 14 books sold in 68 countries, over 50 articles, and developed 12 volumes of comprehensive research, the Haines Strategic Library. He has taught over 80 different kinds of seminars and is in demand as an insightful keynote speaker at international conferences...with a special emphasis on CEO and Board issues. He is a premier TEC Organization Resource (groups of 15 CEOs) with over 75 presentations to his credit. He is also the co-leader of the prestigious Banff Centre for Management’s two-week senior executive and leadership development course. He has been on nine Boards, including a Credit Union Chairmanship. His personal interests include family, community service, sports, sailing, travel, photography, art, and design.

 

CEO and Executive Feedback on Steve Haines and the Centre's Systems Thinking Approach:

 

Joe Schroeder—CEO, Rockwell Federal Credit Union

"As a client for five years, we’ve discovered that Steve’s Systems Approach is 

logical and effective.  He has earned the respect of management and the 

Board.”

 

Jim Acridge—CEO and Chairman, Giant Industries, Inc.

“Steve and his associates have continued to deliver new, but proven, methods 

that are exciting and are delivering the desired result.”

“Your Strategic Management model successfully incorporates our personnel 

into the planning and implementation process.”

 

Captain Andy Brunhart—Commanding Officer USN, Navy Public Works 

Center, San Diego

"Last summer I attended the senior Executive course at the Kellogg Business 

School at Northwestern University.  I found that PWC San Diego was ahead of 

about 90% of all the companies represented in my session in our Strategic 

Business Planning and Change efforts.  This is a real tribute to Steve Haines 

and his Centre for their innovative Systems Approach to Strategic 

Management.”

 

Steve Barker—CEO, Eagle Creek Travel Gear

"Steve’s personal advice and coaching has been invaluable to me and helped 

me grow as a CEO while also dramatically growing our company.  We have 

adopted and now “own” Steve’s Strategic Planning and Change process.  It is 

the cornerstone of how we run Eagle Creek.”

 

Marla Shepherd—CEO, Santel Federal Credit Union

"The clarity, focus, and simplicity of the Centre’s approach is extremely 

effective.  The commitment to the Plan and the clear accountability have made 

implementation a resounding success.”

 

Don Fast—Assistant Deputy Minister, British Columbia, Environmental Lands 

and Parks

“Systems Thinking has provided the means to proactively adapt my 

organization during periods of growth as well as severe downsizing – it has 

been the key to survival.  ‘Creating the People Edge’ by applying systems 

thinking to HR management is the most exciting concept I have seen in 30 

years of management.  People are the greatest resource we have and this 

approach provides a practical way to have a win-win for the employees, our 

organization and our clients.”

“Steve Haines is a world leader in change management and systems thinking.”

 

TEC Group CEO participant

“Steve is really great, really lived up to his reputation”

 

Sheryl McTear—Past President and CEO, Central Credit Union

"Strategic planning and change have been the thrust for the positive results 

we have achieved the last two years: a decrease in expenses, growth of more 

than 20%, and a 70% increase in profits.  Steve and his state of the art 

strategic planning process has paved the way to a successful turnaround.”

 

Fred Holliger—COO, Giant Industries, Inc.

"Steve Haines is the finest facilitator I have ever worked with particularly in the 

strategic planning and change area.  His ability to probe, cajole and close the 

loop on key issues ensures a thorough and complete strategic review.  The 

Model is a superb design.”

 

Dr. Robert Reeves—Superintendent, Poway Unified School District

“Strategic planning and strategic change have dramatically changed our 

school district from a focus on teaching to ‘Excellence in Learning our only 

business’.”

“Steve Haines has worked with the Poway Unified School District over the past 

four years. Steve has facilitated us to new positive relationships with our 

teacher unions through patience, understanding, coercion, and a clear 

understanding of group dynamics. He has made a second substantial impact 

by working us through Applied Strategic Planning. By helping us adopt a 

business model to the school business, we now have a clear focus on the 

future, a commitment through the active organization, and an increased sense 

among all employees that what they do is important to our mission.”

“Steve, Great to hear from you; shaping PUSD’s strategic mission in 1988 is 

still working.  We even learned how to use KSF’s for learning.  Keep in touch.”