At I. Rodriguez and Associates, we provide personal and organizational development consulting to help individuals and teams thrive. With 36 years of highly decorated experience at the CIA, we bring proven expertise to non-profits, businesses, and government organizations throught the United States and in Hispanophone and Francophone countries. Thus, our business solutions can be developed and delivered in English, Spanish, and French.

Leadership Coaching and Management Consulting

We subscribe to the following definition of leadership: a process of influencing, teaching, and enabling others to contribute toward the success of a shared goal and/or vision. It is a social and collaborative process requiring precise communication, integrity, and the  empowerment of those who are being led. Our approach is shaped by our extensive experience in an international organization, giving us a unique insight into what makes a true leader.

Whether you lead in non-profits, business, or government, we guide you to maximize the talents of your direct reports and create a professional environment which fosters a motivated workforce through:

• Customized interactive workshops and one-on-one coaching; and 
• Custom leadership assessments and progress improvement programs.

Strategic Planning

We guide organizations in setting clear goals and the action steps needed to reach them. Our strategic planning service is rooted in our experience handling complex missions, ensuring your team is prepared for any challenge ahead. Many times, goals seem to compete for resources. Integrating goals and allocating resources to optimize return on investment requires significant attention to detail and deep understanding of the organization’s operations and its capabilities.

Our process engages key stakeholders and turns vision into actionable plans for lasting impact by:

• Uncovering any rooted issues that might impede the creation and implementation of the strategic plan;
• Developing wide range of approaches to address these issues;
• Assessing available resources;
• Creating an investment strategy for those resources;
• Facilitating planning sessions;
• Addressing vision and mission alignment; and
• Crafting short- and long-term roadmaps for strategic plan implementation and adaptation as needed.

Team Development

We believe a high-functioning team is the cornerstone of every successful organization. Our team building services are designed to foster trust and collaboration across diverse groups.

We work with teams of all sizes and backgrounds and focus on further developing skills that are the hallmarks of effective teamwork: listening, receptiveness to others’ viewpoints, interpersonal acumen, willing collaboration and sharing credit through:

• Interactive activities and exercises;
• Problem-solving and conflict resolution training; and
• Flexible solutions for remote and in-person teams.

Language Proficiency and Cultural Competency

As the complexion of workforces across the globe changes, a  diverse workplace is evolving at an unprecedented rate.  While a diverse workforce contributed to innovation and growth, it can create unique management challenges to obtain maximum productivity and enable the workforce to included and valued, thus promoting superior performance and consistent retention. We specialize in helping organizations unlock the power of diversity, drawing on cross-cultural skills developed over a distinguished international career. Whether the challenges come in the form of language and communication or different cultural backgrounds, processes can be implemented to promote goal-directed activity and teamwork, thus, enabling all employees to derive job satisfaction and recognize their career potential. In support of this, we provide:

• Customized and business domain-specific Spanish language instruction for heritage speakers of Spanish with pre and post proficiency testing;
• Customized and business domain-specfific English as a Second Language instruction for native speakers of Spanish with pre and post proficiency testing;
• Cultural awareness and understanding training; and
• Practical strategies for inclusive hiring and retention by eliminating unconscious biases that can undermine an organization’s reputation.

Consultancy to Academia

Now, more than ever, traditional academic institutions are challenged to demonstrate how a university education can lead to timely hiring upon graduation, professional competitveness and advancement and, ultimately greater earning potential. I. Rodriguez and Associates has extensive experience in managing and leading learning organizations and knows how to blend academic rigor with business administration expertise to enhance universities’ revenue generation and create a practical and impactful learning experience for their students. We:

• Have the capability to serve as force multipliers for universities’ existing recruitment, screening, admissions, and mentoring functions;
• Can develop and deliver customized and academic domain-specific solutions in the aforementioned functions for student groups of any size or individual students; and
• Have the capacity to take a “train the trainer” approach when developing the mentoring skills of upper classmen and those faculty members seeking to further develop their skills sets in this area.