Executive and Leadership Coaching Clients
"Heaven  knows—how will I cope without the security of knowing I can call you for a couple of sessions when things were getting rough!  I feel so much better prepared to manage this complex environment with the leadership skills you helped me develop.  My enduring thanks.” - Kay Crull, CEO, Northern California Red Cross Blood, upon her promotion to a new role in Southern California for the Red Cross.

“I am thankful for all of the wisdom you have given to me.”  - Barbara Lane

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank you personally for all your support during my coaching sessions. The development plan identified through the feedback report was helpful in providing an outline to focus my attention for improvement. . . . I progressed in my verbal communication more aggressively than I had planned. As a result I have also begun building stronger alliances with field personnel.. . . The support and direction provided by the program gave me confidence and assisted me in setting goals. The coaching sessions enabled me to express concerns, receive direction and food for thought. Thank you for your insight and support." -Jeanne Scigliano, Assistant Manager, Line Underwriting Operations, Underwriting Services, California State Auto Association

"Diane brings expansive vision and rich experience to her work as a coach and consultant. Her ability to both support and challenge leaders, and to provide essential mentoring for coaches has helped pave the way for a new model of management within the Dept. of Labor Employment Training Administration. Thanks to Diane, we're on our way to creating a coaching culture where emotional intelligence is the new benchmark for high performance in the public sector." -Dan Stone, Project Manager, Coaching for High Performance With Emotional Intelligence Program, OHR/ETA, U.S. Department of Labor

"I was a first time manager and the third supervisor for my staff in four years. I needed to learn how to quickly build trust with a cynical group. Diane's coaching helped me to communicate more effectively, and to act as a leader, not just as a manager. She is unique in how she facilitated my leadership focus on the strategic big picture while prioritizing day-to-day managerial issues. I have a new picture of my work as a leader because of Diane, and my staff feels much more comfortable with my role as their supervisor." Tracy Jensen, Senior Services Manager, City of Oakland And Elected Member of City of Alameda Board of Education, 2003

"Diane is a very effective professional coach for those who are grappling with personal doubts midst the chaos of upper management work in a highly charged political setting. She comes with a lot of experience and tools, and is very supportive and validating.” Al Auletta, Workforce Development Manager, City of Oakland

"Since the work with your coaching model, I've used it several times with great results both personally and professionally. It works! Thanks, Diane!'"-Amanda Druckemiller

"I wanted to let you know that I'm working with a 'spring in my work' - just wanted to let you know the coaching sessions are helping me a LOT. Thanks Diane." Director, Large Bio-Tech

"Diane and I had easy communication. She made me feel very trusting of her skills and expertise in guiding me. I would recommend her to anyone. Hiring Diane was the best step in my career management process. She was a great mentor and guide" -Kathryn Moir, Executive Director

Skill Kit for Leaders.
“The Skill Kit for Leaders, by Diane Foster is one of the best collections of tools and activities I have seen for developing leadership.  The 8 leadership roles and 34 skills to develop them, creates a treasure chest of gems sure to improve leadership at all levels.” - Relly Nadler, Psy. D., Author, Leaders’ Playbook:  How to Apply Emotional Intelligence-Keys to Great Leadership

"I'm immensely impressed with the Skill Kit for Leaders: Emotional Intelligence Module. Diane Foster has leveraged her extensive high level experience with coaching for emotional intelligence, into a highly practical, valuable toolkit for professional coaches." Dr. Jeffrey E. Auerbach, President, College of Executive Coaching

"Thanks so much for the resources in your Skill Kit for Leaders units on Delegation, Team building, and Managing Change have given me. Very helpful!" Division Director, Large Public Agency

"Can I share the resources you gave me on Listening and Communication from the Skill Kit with another Director who doesn't have you as a coach? He really needs them too." Regional Manager, U.S. Department of Labor

"I love the practicality of the "Skill Kit for Leaders" that you have developed for "real time" integration. You suggest tangible activities that a Manager/Leader can use immediately with their staff and you provide a wealth of resource materials -- available through books and workshops and on the Internet, as well as videos on particular business topics. I especially like the format because it is clear and makes the resources easy to access." Gabrielle Parkinson, MA Executive Coach and Certified Coach Facilitator

Organization Development Coaching and Consulting
"As the new Executive director of the community and Economic Development Agency (CEDA) for the City of Oakland, I inherited a great many civil service disempowered systems, and a culture of “entitlement.”  The agency embraced diverse functions with a large staff of nearly 400 people operating in 15 “silos.”  My direct reports were not used to having cross functional responsibilities or collaborative problem-solving as a team  We developed a team-building process supported by Diane and her Associates who coached key leaders in the five major CEDA Departments.  Her skilled and sensitive work directly supported improved performance management, increased cross-organization collaboration, and substantially improved business processes.  Diane supports leaders in difficult times and enhances their ability to work in high performing teams." - William F. Claggett, Former  Director of CEDA for the City of Oakland

"Diane Foster has been “organizational coach” to the Kitchell Corporation for over 3 years.  Her work has supported the program that made the front page of the Wall Street Journal."

"Diane Foster has a strategic outlook, while tactically she is a good catalyst for keeping projects moving and as needed uses her considerable skills in bridge building." -Edward Chan, VP and General manager, CA State Automobile Association

"As an external consultant, Diane works with her H.R. colleagues in a true spirit of collaboration. With close attention to communication, she builds leverage for the internal staff and program." -Ken Petron, Manager, Training and Organization Development, E.P.R.I.

"Diane enables those she works with to engage in ways that have not been the norm. She helped to stimulate the whole environment to learn, grow, and change." -Jocelyn Scarborough, VP of Human Resources

Executive Team Building
"As the new Executive Director of the Community and Economic Development Agency (CEDA) for the City of Oakland, I inherited a great many civil service disempowered systems, and a culture of"entitlement." The agency embraced diverse functions with a large staff of nearly 400 people operating in over 15 "silos." My direct reports were not used to having cross functional responsibilities or collaborative problem-solving as a team. We developed a team-building process supported by Diane and her Associates who coached key leaders in the five major CEDA divisions. Her skilled and sensitive work directly supported improved performance management, increased cross-organization collaboration, and substantially improved business processes. Diane supports leaders in difficult times and enhances their ability to work in high performance teams." William F. Claggett, Executive Director, Community and Economic Development Agency, City of Oakland

"Diane, thanks, again, for facilitating our retreat last Friday. I believe it was a big step towards building a stronger leadership team! My hope is that that kind of dialogue can continue and we learn more about what each of us brings to the table. In addition, I believe learning more about each of our roles will help us see the bigger picture and will allow us to be more understanding of each other. --- this is already helping me in my personal life as well!" Director of Nursing, California Pacific Medical Center

"Because of Diane Foster's MBTI sessions, I understand why my coworkers act the way they do, and I've learned to understand my reactions and my feelings towards them. It's been tremendously helpful to me to draw upon this information in difficult decision-making situations. Being included in Diane's MBTI team-building sessions was the best thing my boss did for me!" Barbara, Team Member, Electric Power and Research Institute

"I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the assistance you have been giving to our middle management group in becoming a more effective team. The San Francisco AIDS Foundation is, in many ways, a unique organization facing continuing challenges. I am impressed with how quickly you have tuned in to our group's needs and helped them to work through some current issues. The use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator has been especially helpful in building better understanding within the group." - Director

"Hi Diane! I talked with Bill about the results of the meeting to investigate the possibility of a DSO advisory-type group. Bill said that it was the best meeting he's ever attended! He said that prior to the meeting there were some marked disagreements in some cases about structure and responsibilities, that moved to consensus in just a few hours. Well done!!!" Division Director, Electric Power and Research Institute

Career Management Clients
“I knocked on your door a couple of months ago and my life changed.  I was hoping for some clarity around my career and I got so much more.  You showed me the way to open my heart to find the answers I’d been looking for.  What an incredible gift!  Thank you for touching my heart in such a meaningful way.  I’m forever grateful!” - C. E.

"Diane's expertise with assessment tools and as a career coach insures that her clients have a clear idea of the steps they need to take to market themselves effectively into a new career path. She has the kind of comprehensive, in-depth knowledge of a variety of industries and fields that makes her a great reality check for a broad range of career transitioners. With her personal warmth, knows how to support both the nuts and bolts and the self-esteem for getting results in this process." Kathy Ziegler, MFC/Psychotherapist Transitioning to Consultant/Filmmaker

"I was extremely impressed with the way the program was designed, and the way you implemented it. I now know well what my priorities are, and how to go after them." Leo Simon, Financial Services Vice President

"My situation was one which may easily be described as mid-life crisis. No more job satisfaction, raising of family, or any deep sense of fulfillment to replace an active and exciting career and the ardor of single parenting. Having experienced great burnout and total workaholism as the downside of my journey, I was certainly in no position to objectively put form to the next phase of my life. Diane helped me redefine my skills and capabilities through her analysis and thorough assessment coupled with acute perception. Her telephone support gives courage, grounding, and guidance to my inner yearnings. I highly recommend Diane for her professional guidance in a very personable way." Lauren Goldman, Transitioning Travel Company owner