Barbara Koenig

Barbara Koenig is an insightful, personable coach with over twenty-five years of experience working as an organizational development consultant and executive coach, primarily in areas related to leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship, and career transition. With a technical background and experience holding a variety of leadership roles in manufacturing, engineering, entrepreneurship, and higher education, Barbara brings a unique perspective to her work. She is known for quickly establishing rapport with her clients and co-creating strategies that align with internal motivations and external goals, ultimately producing sustainable and rewarding results.

Barbara specializes in workplace learning and organizational initiatives that inspire leaders to embrace new strategies for change. Through executive coaching, design, development, and facilitation of learning, she helps individuals increase their self-awareness and develop behaviors needed for successful organizational performance.

Career Summary

Before working as a consultant, Barbara worked in production management, and advanced manufacturing engineering at Corning Glass and Lockheed Martin. After moving back to her hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Barbara started her own business as an executive coach and learning consultant. In this capacity, she has partnered with all types of organizations, from start-ups to small businesses to global organizations such as Toyota, Stryker, JTEKT and ProQuest. Most recently, Barbara worked at the University of Michigan’s Stephen Ross School of Business consulting with MBA students interested in entrepreneurship, venture capital, careers with impact, and technology, and currently identifies talent and engagement strategies for UM Office of Tech Transfer.

In 2009, Barbara was part of a regional collaboration known as the New Economy Initiative, which coordinated partner organizations to promote economic revitalization in Southeast Michigan. As part of this initiative, Barbara co-developed and led a five-day Boot Camp on Entrepreneurship. She also partnered with Ann Arbor SPARK and MEDC, both of which are economic development organizations, to develop, lead, and facilitate a career transition program known as Michigan Shifting Gears.

Barbara is a speaker at various professional, business and educational organizations, including the Ann Arbor ASTD chapter (American Society for Training and Development), Automotive Women’s Alliance Foundation (AWAF), various corporations and the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and University of Michigan Medical School. She presents on topics related to leadership, communication styles, organizational development, career transition, and bridging the gap with Millennials. 

Education and Certifications

  • Centre College of Kentucky, B.S., Chemistry (Liberal Arts)
  • Eastern Michigan University, M.S., Human Resource Management and Organizational Development (2006)
  • Member, Management Research Group consultant network
  • Member, Organizational Development Network
  • Board Member, Ann Arbor American Society of Training and Development (ASTD)
  • Certified in the LEA 360 for leaders, LEA for Strategic Directions, Individual Directions and Motivators (IDI), Denison Culture Survey, Denison Leadership 360, DiSC Work of Leaders, DiSC Workplace Solutions, DiSC 363, Management Research Group (MRG)

Areas of Expertise

  • Executive Coaching
  • Leadership Development
  • Organizational Change
  • Teambuilding
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Career Transition

Frequent Speaking Topics

  • Career Transition
  • How to Leverage Your Strengths
  • Communication Preferences
  • Generational Differences in the Workplace
  • Successful Behaviors of Women Leaders
  • Executive Talent for Startups

Client Experience

Senior Executive to Director Level: Engineering, Investor Relations, Communication, Manufacturing, Marketing, Sales, Human Resources, Purchasing, Information Technology, Finance, Legal, Audit and Compliance

Representation of Clients

Bodman PLC, Dorn Martella, PLLC, Barton Malow Company, Masco, Stratford-Cambridge, CHE Trinity Health, Ricardo, Thomson Reuters, Cequent, Kellogg, American Axle, NSK, Autoliv, Gerdau ,Toyota, Yazaki, ProQuest, Stryker, Borg Warner, Ingersoll Rand, DTE, Ford, MEDC, Ann Arbor SPARK, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan

Coaching Niches

  • C-Suite Executive Leadership
  • Team Development and Alignment
  • Culture Transformation
  • High Potential Development
  • Retirement Transition Coaching
  • Role Transition Acceleration
  • Executive Presence
  • Succession Planning
  • Global and Virtual Coaching

Coaching Approach

  • Define successful outcomes for coaching engagement that align with client’s ideal vision for career and life
  • Through the use of various assessments and stakeholder interviews, identify key themes that surface to create a picture of how the leaders is perceived
  • Explore the leader’s core values and intrinsic motivations for how he/she desires and/or intends to be perceived
  • Identify where the gaps may occur and brainstorm various strategies to bridge the gap within the current cultural and environmental constraints
  • Focus on strengths-based strategies to build and sustain positive stakeholder relationships
  • Enhance executive presence and how to adapt one’s communication style in order to communicate effectively across functions and across cultures
  • Explore and identify areas of ambiguity that are opportunities to demonstrate risk-taking and leadership
  • Assist in creating strategies to enhance leadership and team effectiveness