Paul Trout
ABOUT ME
Paul Trout helps leaders unravel complex business problems. Leaders often find themselves “stuck” when facing critical leadership, innovation, change management, marketing and/or sales issues. By leveraging cross-industry expertise in business strategy, internal politics, team dynamics, communication, research, facilitation, training and coaching, he brings an uncommonly wide range of problem-solving tools, talents and approaches to unravel clients’ complexity. He feels fortunate to have helped guide leadership through change in organizations as diverse as IBM, Harley-Davidson, Merck Group – EMD Chemicals, Alcan Packaging, the City of Green Bay, Alvarez & Marsal, Wisconsin Women in Government, Hu-Friedy, Foley & Lardner and many others. Early in his consulting career, he was selected to appear in IBM’s worldwide advertising campaign, “Who Do You Need?” in recognition of my work as a leading IBM Business Consultant. It was quite something to open the Wall Street Journal, the Economist, Fast Company and 12 other major business publications and see his name and face! More recently, his previous company, Shift Worldwide, was named a finalist in both the 2010 Chicago Innovation Awards and Innovate Illinois Competition. As you might have guessed, he enjoy writing. From 2005-2008, he was a syndicated columnist on the topic of sales and “building buy-in”; my columns appeared in nearly 50 association and trade magazines, bringing total weekly readership to over 300,000 people. He as also written articles on the topic of organizational change for the publications of ASTD (American Society of Training & Development), ALA (Association of Legal Administrators) and Human Resources IQ, among others. He ispassionate about giving back and was the past chairman of both the Professional Development and Entrepreneurship Committees for the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. He also regularly volunteers with Howard Brown Health Center, a community‐based health services clinic. He received a Masters in Business Administration from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University in Marketing and Information Systems in 1999 and also received a Bachelor of Arts from The University of California at San Diego in Urban Studies and Planning in 1991. He is one of the brave souls who has moved from Southern California, where he was raised, to Chicago, Illinois. He gets his “water fix” every day by living right on the shores of Lake Michigan in the Rogers Park neighborhood. Though he misses West Coast sunsets, he has come to love Midwest sunrises even more.