Member Spotlight, Jeff Holmes, ACC
- Oct 1, 2024
- 2 min read
Jeff Holmes, ACC
The YOU in You Consulting, Owner
Fun Fact
I’m a dual US-Canadian citizen, a former pro skateboarder, and I contributed as a
reviewer to the first-ever CCMP exam.
Background
I was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, and later moved to Raleigh, NC, where I became a full-time Senior Consultant in instructional design, training, and facilitation. In 2011, I received my Prosci certification and pursued an opportunity with my company in Regina, Saskatchewan. After experiencing the tough winters in Regina, I moved to Victoria, BC, where I became a Canadian citizen. I will be relocating to the Seattle area in a couple of months. I love to travel, spend time with my partner, and have fun with my dog, Rumi, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. A few times a year, I attend week-long silent meditation retreats, integrating those practices and coaching into my change management work. I hold a BS in Business Management, am an ICF ACC certified coach, and a dual-certified (Vedic and Theravada) meditation teacher.
Path to Change Management
In North Carolina, a colleague of mine suggested that I would be good at Organizational Change Management (OCM). When I took the Prosci course, it was a lightbulb moment for me, as it provided a structure and framework for what I had been trying to accomplish with my clients for so long. Most of my clients over the years have been in government (provincial, state, and federal), with a sprinkling of non-profits, private sector, and Indigenous community organizations. Over time, my focus has shifted from primarily technology projects to embedding organizational change competencies and practices within client organizations. I still work on tech projects, but I especially enjoy partnering with clients who are looking to establish an enterprise change function, build a Change Management Office (CMO), or strengthen their organizational change 'muscle'.
Biggest Obstacle Getting Established in Change Management
When I began my career in Change Management, many people didn’t know what OCM was, so much of my time was spent educating them on what it was—and what it wasn’t—through conversations about my role, their role, and our shared responsibilities. In consulting, clients usually want to see a certain number of years of experience in change management. Since I didn’t have that when I started, I reflected on my experience as a trainer and facilitator, mapped those skills to what I had learned from Prosci, and then updated my resume accordingly.
Biggest Reward from this Career
I enjoy the variety in my career, and the challenges of change management are always unique and surprising. It’s a perfect fit. Change management is the best career investment I’ve ever made in myself.
Bucket List Yet to Accomplish
Having already traveled to five of the seven continents, I still have two more to go—Africa and Antarctica. I’d like to attend a month-long meditation retreat, learn to play guitar, and write a book.
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