Ann Brown

Background

About Ann Brown

To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived - that is to have succeeded” is the quotation is attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson. It was my Granny who said ( and lived)"always leave things a little better than you found them". I hold this simpler version as a life direction especially if I can add "and have fun doing it". The principles and practice of appreciative inquiry backed up by the expanding knowledge of neuroscience, guide my approach to leadership development and strength based change. These day my role is a lot about connecting and mobilizing people, resources and ideas across the organization to accomplish extraordinary change. I'm fortunate to have worked in many different organizations and sectors, assisting leaders and leadership teams to imagine, define and move towards their goals and come together to tackle the next challenge and opportunity through relationships and partnerships built on a solid foundation of shared meaning. I appreciate the learning I got as a manager, project manager, and improvement consultant, and an understanding of work and data flow from a background in IT and quality systems. I'm not sure what my time as a computer programmer contributed but it's probably around persistence in problem solving and I'm sure it helps with Sudoku. My most recent work has been in guiding organizational, team and individual change including facilitating decision making. I also design and run workshops on a variety of topics, such as Appreciative Inquiry, Accountability, Facilitation and Trust Building. I love to speak at conferences and retreats, when I can engage the audience in discussion and experience of the subject. My favourite projects are where bright and passionate people work together to create, through their diversity, something good in the organization that was not there before.