Joe Torrez

Background

About Joe Torrez

I am a seasoned guide for leaders and teams, helping them move in response to questions about their organization’s culture and performance relative to the aspirations they hold, opportunities they’d like to pursue, and challenges and uncertainties they face. An organizational performance psychologist, I specialize in designing and building high-performance cultures and helping leaders better lead themselves and others to achieve the results they value. My goal is to build fearless, flourishing organizations. Over the past 30 years as an internal and external consultant and executive coach, I have worked with many leaders and employees in diverse organizations across the globe. My portfolio includes experience in spaces such as organizational systems and structures, innovation and product design, sales, banking, asset management, and investment in companies such as Shell, ABN AMRO, Whirlpool Corp, and in past 13 years the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (UAE). I hold an MA Psychology from the University of Notre Dame specializing in Applied Behavior Analysis and certifications in Executive Education Programs from Harvard Business School. I am passionate about family, sports, wilderness, and my own personal growth. I'm an idealist, believing in the power and generative potential of people and businesses to create positive impact in the world, one person, one community at a time. I'm also a scarred pragmatist; I know it’s not easy to create and lead a company, nor to work in one that falls short of the values they aspire to. I have been a part of and seen many that leave leaders frustrated and uncertain and employees helpless, fearful, marginalized, and disengaged. It's especially a shame when the shadows of our work culture follow us home, leading to moodiness, exhaustion, stress, and burnout, impacting health and relationships. It has happened to me, hopefully not to you. We yearn for peace of mind, vitality, and wholeness; we exhort,"there's got to be a better way." There's always a better way. Good leaders, and I’ve seen many, know how they impact others and understand the importance of creating a culture that allows individuals the space to be themselves and use their strengths to solve problems, innovate, and contribute to shared objectives, where they feel safe, appreciated, and valued. Changes in culture begin with AWARENESS and LOVE as a creative force, ’woo woo’ words maybe, but principles that lead to very real financial returns for organizations. But it requires courage, to remove the masks we often wear that hide our vulnerabilities.