About Us
The word Fjell is Norwegian for mountain, and we approach our work with clients as if they are an organized climbing team on their own path towards success, fulfillment and impact. Along this journey, we help our clients navigate the challenges, opportunities and unknowns of the ever-changing terrain and conditions around them as well as focus on individual and collective preparation, skills, behaviors, norms and mindsets that fuel team success.
We’re here to help you navigate the path ahead.
With more than 35 years of combined experience teaching leadership and management, learning with and from clients, and leading high-performing groups in the wilderness, we’ve developed a set of core values that we bring to every client engagement. As with any mountaineering expedition, we fundamentally believe that people and practices must come first - above profit and products, which we see as important downstream outcomes that flow from having the right people and processes in place.
Through a transformative and collaborative engagement, we help leaders and organizations design practices and develop people wherever they are along the path - whether it’s helping to draw a map of the market landscape, to locate your team on the map, chart a course towards a tangible goal, or simply help your people train and prepare for the journey.
Our Philosophy
Our team’s philosophy stems from the research and experience of founding partners Michael Doyle and Christopher Myers, who developed a framework of Present Moment Leadership based on careful review of extant literature and consideration of the challenges facing leaders at all levels in today’s world of work.
Building on decades of research in behavioral and situational theories of leadership, the Present Moment Leadership framework focuses on leadership as the moment-to-moment enactment of differing levels of three interrelated dimensions: Empathy, Competence, and Agility.
Organizations are more interdependent and collaborative than ever before, and leaders who engage others with empathy are often those best positioned to bring together the diverse experiences, insights, and expertise needed to generate innovative solutions.
As the world of work grows in complexity, building competence in emerging knowledge domains, as well as core business fundamentals, is necessary to keep pace and guide organizations to innovative solutions.
Leading modern organizations requires agility and a readiness for change, understanding when to let go of old habits and embrace new ideas, and how to flexibly navigate new challenges and innovations.
Present moment leadership is the ability to assess situations, circumstances and interpersonal dynamics and swiftly answer the (seemingly) simple question:
“What does this moment ask of me as a leader?"
This framework reveals that effective leaders are those who can mindfully make sense of the moment they’re facing and intentionally apply the appropriate touch of empathy, competence and agility to help themself and others work through moments of challenge, crisis or opportunity. Every moment – whether working with a new team, facing an unexpected challenge, or taking over an existing project – asks leaders to address a different set of needs, and the most effective leaders find innovative ways to combine the right amount of concern for others, of their own skills, and of willingness to embrace different approaches.
Our Team
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Mike Doyle
Partner & Co-founder
Mike is an instructor, trainer, coach and facilitator in areas of leadership, personal growth and professional development and specializes in translating research into innovative practices for emerging and experienced leaders. He is passionate about helping individuals, teams and organizations in their pursuit of defining values, improving process, building culture and achieving success.
Mike serves as the Executive Director of the Center for Innovative Leadership at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School as well as adjunct faculty in management. He has taught leadership courses at Carey, JHU’s School for Advanced International Studies and the University of Maryland, and has led adventure-based leadership expeditions throughout the U.S., Norway, Italy, Belize, Fiji and Jordan.
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Chris Myers
Partner & Co-founder
Chris is a management professor, researcher, and speaker in the areas of leadership development, knowledge sharing, and organizational learning - with a particular emphasis on the health care industry. He holds faculty appointments in the Carey Business School and School of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University, and previously served on the faculty of the Harvard Business School.
Chris has consulted, delivered workshops, and given presentations for organizations and leaders from a variety of backgrounds and countries, including local and national government agencies, as well as academic medical centers and emergency services industries. Prior to earning his PhD at the University of Michigan, he worked as an outdoor expedition instructor in his home state of North Carolina.
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Jeannette Stawski
Affiliated Consultant
Jeannette currently serves as the Executive Director of the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education [AORE] where she works with an international complement of outdoor professionals to develop and refine industry best practices and provide professional educational support. Additionally, she also helps high potential leaders through executive coaching and international leadership experiences. She contributes to the team 25 years of experience helping leaders, teams, and organizations achieve high performance through coaching, advising, and facilitation. Asked to write a book published by The Mountaineers, “The Outdoor Leader: Resilience, Integrity, and Adventure” will be published in Spring 2024. Jeannette has experience across competitive athletics, nonprofit leadership, education, and visionary leadership.
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Russ Watts
Affiliated Consultant
Russ is a leadership coach and facilitator of organizational development who works with leaders to find their own trail to reach their potential by using mindfulness, the ability to assess situations and behaviors objectively, compassion, humor and authentic support. Russ works to develop leadership awareness for the betterment of themselves, their communities, and institutions. He has strengthened and encouraged hundreds of clients in understanding their patterns, potential, strengths and weaknesses, thus providing a richer understanding of themselves and the culture and relations they are surrounded by. He is the founder & CEO of The Watts Group focusing on leadership coaching and organizational consulting as well as an Integral Facilitator for organizations around the world.