ALEXIS FINK, FACEBOOK, VICE PRESIDENT OF PEOPLE ANALYTICS AND WORKFORCE STRATEGY
"Johanna Wu is an extraordinary talent in organization capability and leadership. She has a combination of deep content expertise, honed through decades of study and practice, and deep insight into humanity, as individuals and in groups. She is able to see systems clearly, diagnose opportunities, and work through creative and powerful solutions. She is both brave and compassionate during times of transition and uncertainty. She is an effective advisor and coach to senior executives, a capable leader herself, and a savvy partner with her peers and colleagues. I’ve had the privilege of knowing Johanna for decades, and of working with her across 3 organizations. In every partnership with Johanna, I have come away wiser and more capable for having benefited from her insight, expertise, and generosity of spirit."
"Johanna Wu is an extraordinary talent in organization capability and leadership. She has a combination of deep content expertise, honed through decades of study and practice, and deep insight into humanity, as individuals and in groups. She is able to see systems clearly, diagnose opportunities, and work through creative and powerful solutions. She is both brave and compassionate during times of transition and uncertainty. She is an effective advisor and coach to senior executives, a capable leader herself, and a savvy partner with her peers and colleagues. I’ve had the privilege of knowing Johanna for decades, and of working with her across 3 organizations. In every partnership with Johanna, I have come away wiser and more capable for having benefited from her insight, expertise, and generosity of spirit."
MINA SABET, TED TALKS, DIRECTOR OF VIDEO PRODUCTION
"Johanna has been a trusted resource for me more than 10 years. She brings with her a high level of emotional intelligence and deep expert knowledge to resolve the most complicated workplace dynamics and issues. Her dedication and passion for her work is evident in the way she thinks through the challenges of teams and individuals. She is a trusted advisor that helps maneuver through the most complicated landscapes."
"Johanna has been a trusted resource for me more than 10 years. She brings with her a high level of emotional intelligence and deep expert knowledge to resolve the most complicated workplace dynamics and issues. Her dedication and passion for her work is evident in the way she thinks through the challenges of teams and individuals. She is a trusted advisor that helps maneuver through the most complicated landscapes."
JEFF SAUER, LEXISNEXIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES
"We employed Johanna to develop and deliver a robust 360 interview to all of our technology executives. She developed a great process that leveraged quantitative and qualitative feedback captured through live and electronic methods. The result was a highly valuable set of comparative data and very well thought out insight from Johanna that was not only easy to understand but was hugely valuable to the executive team. A number of seasoned leaders commented on how this was undoubtedly the most valuable 360 process that they had ever participated in. Johanna exceeded expectations on the quality and delivery of the tool and the value of the investment in the process."
"We employed Johanna to develop and deliver a robust 360 interview to all of our technology executives. She developed a great process that leveraged quantitative and qualitative feedback captured through live and electronic methods. The result was a highly valuable set of comparative data and very well thought out insight from Johanna that was not only easy to understand but was hugely valuable to the executive team. A number of seasoned leaders commented on how this was undoubtedly the most valuable 360 process that they had ever participated in. Johanna exceeded expectations on the quality and delivery of the tool and the value of the investment in the process."
PAULA LARSON, CEO & PRESIDENT, DUGAN UNLIMITED; previously CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER, NEWELL RUBBERMAID AND WESTERN UNION
"Johanna is an outstanding Organization Effectiveness professional who can help at the individual, team, or organization levels. She comes with an excellent array of tools including her deep organizational psychology background as well as an intuitive nature that leads her to adjust as needed to meet or exceed clients’ expectations. Johanna gains credibility quickly in meetings or training interventions given her diverse array of clients and work experience globally. She differentiates herself in the midst of numerous organization consultants with her strong research background, her PhD, and her background as a Master Black Belt (Six Sigma’s highest accreditation) along with her relentless bias for action."
"Johanna is an outstanding Organization Effectiveness professional who can help at the individual, team, or organization levels. She comes with an excellent array of tools including her deep organizational psychology background as well as an intuitive nature that leads her to adjust as needed to meet or exceed clients’ expectations. Johanna gains credibility quickly in meetings or training interventions given her diverse array of clients and work experience globally. She differentiates herself in the midst of numerous organization consultants with her strong research background, her PhD, and her background as a Master Black Belt (Six Sigma’s highest accreditation) along with her relentless bias for action."
CHANDRA LOVEJOY, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, SIERRA ONCOLOGY, GLOBAL REGULATORY AFFAIRS AND QUALITY
"Johanna has been a thoughtful and trusted advisor for many years. She consistently provides an insightful and compassionate perspective in the assessment of complex and critical issues related to leadership and team dynamics that are often encountered in the workplace. Johanna’s advice takes into consideration not only the points that are shared in the discussion, but also the nuances of the individual involved, and she always presents a compassionate view. Johanna’s extensive experience with both large and small organizations, and her deep sense of humanity are intertwined to provide a uniquely meaningful analysis of any leadership puzzle.In situations where I have found particular challenges daunting, her advice has not only resulted in a solid understanding of a path forward, but also the comforting satisfaction that comes with the certainty that the path is the right one for the individual and the organization overall. I hold her in the highest regard."
"Johanna has been a thoughtful and trusted advisor for many years. She consistently provides an insightful and compassionate perspective in the assessment of complex and critical issues related to leadership and team dynamics that are often encountered in the workplace. Johanna’s advice takes into consideration not only the points that are shared in the discussion, but also the nuances of the individual involved, and she always presents a compassionate view. Johanna’s extensive experience with both large and small organizations, and her deep sense of humanity are intertwined to provide a uniquely meaningful analysis of any leadership puzzle.In situations where I have found particular challenges daunting, her advice has not only resulted in a solid understanding of a path forward, but also the comforting satisfaction that comes with the certainty that the path is the right one for the individual and the organization overall. I hold her in the highest regard."
KRIS TAYLOR, FOUNDER, EVERGREEN LEADERSHIP AND LEAP CONSULTING
"Johanna blends her academic rigor with her keen insight into the nature of humans, teams and organizations seamlessly. She applies her deep knowledge and expertise in ways that are actionable and non-intimidating. Her caring presence creates a space where true insights can be gleaned and progress made. Whether working with an individual coaching client or a complex organization, Johanna can assess the situation, engage those involved in co-creating a solution and work side by side with them to achieve their goals."
"Johanna blends her academic rigor with her keen insight into the nature of humans, teams and organizations seamlessly. She applies her deep knowledge and expertise in ways that are actionable and non-intimidating. Her caring presence creates a space where true insights can be gleaned and progress made. Whether working with an individual coaching client or a complex organization, Johanna can assess the situation, engage those involved in co-creating a solution and work side by side with them to achieve their goals."
AMANDA ELAM, PHD., PRESIDENT, GALAXY DIAGNOSTICS, INC.; RESEARCH DIRECTOR, BABSON COLLEGE, CENTER FOR WOMEN’S ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP COMPANY
"Johanna has been a trusted coach for me for over 20 years now and continues to be an incredible resource for all things related to strategic leadership. With a practical approach to problem-solving and a keen ability to read people and situations, Johanna has always helped me figure out next steps in the most efficient and effective way possible. She cuts right through my moments of indecision and helps me focus on what is most important in those big painful decisions. She is a treasure!"
"Johanna has been a trusted coach for me for over 20 years now and continues to be an incredible resource for all things related to strategic leadership. With a practical approach to problem-solving and a keen ability to read people and situations, Johanna has always helped me figure out next steps in the most efficient and effective way possible. She cuts right through my moments of indecision and helps me focus on what is most important in those big painful decisions. She is a treasure!"
JESSICA EISE, AUTHOR
"Johanna Wu is an exceptional coach, far exceeding my expectations in every way. Working with her is a gift. She is quick to understand, gains extraordinary insights rapidly and is pragmatic about finding resolutions or paths to move forward. She also has the unique ability to speak truth about difficult issues in a compassionate and productive way. I cannot recommend her enough."
"Johanna Wu is an exceptional coach, far exceeding my expectations in every way. Working with her is a gift. She is quick to understand, gains extraordinary insights rapidly and is pragmatic about finding resolutions or paths to move forward. She also has the unique ability to speak truth about difficult issues in a compassionate and productive way. I cannot recommend her enough."
ADA EMMETT, UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS, DIRECTOR AND FACULTY OMBUDS, OFFICE OF SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION & COPYRIGHT
"Johanna’s coaching has been critical to me as I consider reshaping and rethinking my personal career goals. Johanna is both a big picture visionary and a field marshal of possibilities– possibilities that need to be turned into actionable steps. She is very well connected in her communities of practice, in the world of ideas, as well as in the world of people, organizations, and institutions. She is a deep listener, intuitive, compassionate, and insightful. Using those skills she has helped me explore my professional situation and options. She shares her insights and networks with me to help expand my options and provide me with new people and ideas with which to connect. She uses a variety of modalities and tools in her coaching “toolbox” to meet the unique needs of the individual. I would highly recommend her."
"Johanna’s coaching has been critical to me as I consider reshaping and rethinking my personal career goals. Johanna is both a big picture visionary and a field marshal of possibilities– possibilities that need to be turned into actionable steps. She is very well connected in her communities of practice, in the world of ideas, as well as in the world of people, organizations, and institutions. She is a deep listener, intuitive, compassionate, and insightful. Using those skills she has helped me explore my professional situation and options. She shares her insights and networks with me to help expand my options and provide me with new people and ideas with which to connect. She uses a variety of modalities and tools in her coaching “toolbox” to meet the unique needs of the individual. I would highly recommend her."
EMILY CARTER, MATCHBOX COWORKING STUDIO, COMMUNITY CURATOR; FREELANCE VIDEOGRAPHER
"Johanna is a pleasure to work with. Her approach is thoughtful and she has a depth of knowledge in Organizational Psychology that lends itself to so many applications. Her experience shines in areas as diverse as human resources (and developing careers, leadership, and team building) and developing curriculum. I worked closely with Johanna on a video about mental wellness in the workplace. Not only was she critical to developing the script for the 20 minute piece, she was great on camera and helped everyone in the room feel at ease as well. It was a long day and her positivity and professional mastery were critical to the project’s success. I hope I have the pleasure of working with Johanna again!"
"Johanna is a pleasure to work with. Her approach is thoughtful and she has a depth of knowledge in Organizational Psychology that lends itself to so many applications. Her experience shines in areas as diverse as human resources (and developing careers, leadership, and team building) and developing curriculum. I worked closely with Johanna on a video about mental wellness in the workplace. Not only was she critical to developing the script for the 20 minute piece, she was great on camera and helped everyone in the room feel at ease as well. It was a long day and her positivity and professional mastery were critical to the project’s success. I hope I have the pleasure of working with Johanna again!"
SUSANNE ALEXANDER, MARRIAGE TRANSFORMATION LLC , RELATIONSHIP & MARRIAGE EDUCATOR AND COACH; CO-AUTHOR WITH JOHANNA OF “MARRIAGE CAN BE FOREVER” AND "STARTING WITH ME"
"What I appreciate about Johanna is that she clearly sees where collaboration is helpful and steps into constructive action. She also knows when her talents and capacities will contribute and is honest when the fit is not there. I can count on Johanna to be thoughtful, thorough, and excellent when we edit books or materials together. Johanna has been an encouraging coach to me when I make presentations, and I appreciate her own warm, lively, and engaging presentation style. When Johanna and I work together, the outcome contributes amazingly to the lives and relationships of others. Johanna has a warm heart and fine mind that make her a pleasure to work with."
"What I appreciate about Johanna is that she clearly sees where collaboration is helpful and steps into constructive action. She also knows when her talents and capacities will contribute and is honest when the fit is not there. I can count on Johanna to be thoughtful, thorough, and excellent when we edit books or materials together. Johanna has been an encouraging coach to me when I make presentations, and I appreciate her own warm, lively, and engaging presentation style. When Johanna and I work together, the outcome contributes amazingly to the lives and relationships of others. Johanna has a warm heart and fine mind that make her a pleasure to work with."
ANU SUBRAMANIAN, PH.D., CCC-SLP, UNIVERSITY OF IOWA, CLINICAL ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, DEPT OF COMMUNICATION SCIENCES AND DISORDERS
"Johanna is a compassionate and smart person. She combines her instinct, openness, and easy social skills with a strong work ethic, emotional intelligence, and efficiency. Johanna embraces challenges and is innovative in her approaches to problems. She has a strong background in organizational leadership and facilitation that have been honed in various organizations. She is experienced in coaching individuals or groups, facilitating meetings, creating materials and processes. In addition to her strong grasp of the information, Johanna seeks to deeply understand the needs of her clients. Together, any product she provides is of the highest quality."
"Johanna is a compassionate and smart person. She combines her instinct, openness, and easy social skills with a strong work ethic, emotional intelligence, and efficiency. Johanna embraces challenges and is innovative in her approaches to problems. She has a strong background in organizational leadership and facilitation that have been honed in various organizations. She is experienced in coaching individuals or groups, facilitating meetings, creating materials and processes. In addition to her strong grasp of the information, Johanna seeks to deeply understand the needs of her clients. Together, any product she provides is of the highest quality."
NATASHA D. WATKINS, PH.D., PURDUE UNIVERSITY, CLINICAL ASSISTANT, PROFESSOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND FAMILY STUDIES
"For the last two years, Dr. Merritt-Wu has been an invited trainer for the career development workshop I host for my undergraduate interns. Dr. Merritt-Wu is well-regarded among my team for her expert knowledge, warm interpersonal nature, and insightful facilitation. The content she has specially crafted on career planning and visioning has been extremely effective in stimulating students’ reflections of their career future. While some of the questions students have are about concrete steps to take (e.g., where do I look for a job?), much of what students are pondering are existential questions such as what are my passions? Dr. Merritt-Wu demonstrates the ability to anticipate and connect with students’ affective needs and provide them with tangible strategies to work through their anxieties. She is adept at evaluating the diversity of students’ needs and modifying her presentation content and style responsively. Prior to her workshop, she actively consulted with me enabling her to tailor her content in alignment with my learning goals.
Dr. Merritt-Wu is a conscientious professional. The most compelling example of this is when she extended herself during a time of personal illness in order to fulfill the commitment she made to my group. During the workshop, Dr. Merritt-Wu never skipped a beat. She was as enthusiastic, optimistic, and generous in her interactions as always. She even stayed beyond the workshop to individually connect with interested students.
It has been a professional boon to our program to have Dr. Merritt-Wu lead her career development workshops with our students. Her talent in this area seems to be somewhat of a hidden gem. We are grateful to be connected with her and highly recommend her for groups looking for an artfully skilled trainer/facilitator."
"For the last two years, Dr. Merritt-Wu has been an invited trainer for the career development workshop I host for my undergraduate interns. Dr. Merritt-Wu is well-regarded among my team for her expert knowledge, warm interpersonal nature, and insightful facilitation. The content she has specially crafted on career planning and visioning has been extremely effective in stimulating students’ reflections of their career future. While some of the questions students have are about concrete steps to take (e.g., where do I look for a job?), much of what students are pondering are existential questions such as what are my passions? Dr. Merritt-Wu demonstrates the ability to anticipate and connect with students’ affective needs and provide them with tangible strategies to work through their anxieties. She is adept at evaluating the diversity of students’ needs and modifying her presentation content and style responsively. Prior to her workshop, she actively consulted with me enabling her to tailor her content in alignment with my learning goals.
Dr. Merritt-Wu is a conscientious professional. The most compelling example of this is when she extended herself during a time of personal illness in order to fulfill the commitment she made to my group. During the workshop, Dr. Merritt-Wu never skipped a beat. She was as enthusiastic, optimistic, and generous in her interactions as always. She even stayed beyond the workshop to individually connect with interested students.
It has been a professional boon to our program to have Dr. Merritt-Wu lead her career development workshops with our students. Her talent in this area seems to be somewhat of a hidden gem. We are grateful to be connected with her and highly recommend her for groups looking for an artfully skilled trainer/facilitator."
BARBARA S. CLARK, DIVERSITY ROUNDTABLE, CO-FACILITATOR; BARBARA S. CLARK CONSULTING
"I have been fortunate enough to work with Johanna Merritt Wu in several capacities over the last few years. As Co-facilitator of the Greater Lafayette Diversity Roundtable, I have worked with Johanna as a valued member of our team. Johanna served as Co-chair and facilitator of our semi-yearly Diversity Summit in spring 2017. She has the unique ability to make every person feel valued and included, while at the same time being able to pay attention to the task at hand and keep on time and on task. Under her leadership, she and her team planned and executed the day-long Diversity Summit that ended up attracting about 135 people, was well-executed and on budget. As a member of the monthly Diversity Roundtable, Johanna is seen as a thought leader. She contributes ideas, helps others see connections and has assisted me in navigating complex issues.I am an Organizational Consultant myself. I have sought out Johanna’s advice on issues in my own practice. I have found Johanna to be knowledgeable, insightful, and effective as a personal coach and mentor. It is without reservations that I recommend Johanna Merritt Wu as an Organizational Consultant or Coach."
"I have been fortunate enough to work with Johanna Merritt Wu in several capacities over the last few years. As Co-facilitator of the Greater Lafayette Diversity Roundtable, I have worked with Johanna as a valued member of our team. Johanna served as Co-chair and facilitator of our semi-yearly Diversity Summit in spring 2017. She has the unique ability to make every person feel valued and included, while at the same time being able to pay attention to the task at hand and keep on time and on task. Under her leadership, she and her team planned and executed the day-long Diversity Summit that ended up attracting about 135 people, was well-executed and on budget. As a member of the monthly Diversity Roundtable, Johanna is seen as a thought leader. She contributes ideas, helps others see connections and has assisted me in navigating complex issues.I am an Organizational Consultant myself. I have sought out Johanna’s advice on issues in my own practice. I have found Johanna to be knowledgeable, insightful, and effective as a personal coach and mentor. It is without reservations that I recommend Johanna Merritt Wu as an Organizational Consultant or Coach."
HOPE GULKER MSW., PURDUE UNIVERSITY, CLINICAL ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING SCIENCES
"Johanna has demonstrated on repeated occasions an ability to connect with people in diverse settings, including graduate students in the classroom and individuals in community building discussion groups. She applies organizational concepts to building group cohesion, workplace relationships, and therapeutic alliances. She outlines practical tools for service providers to use in therapeutic environments, as well as with colleagues. In facilitating groups, Johanna shows a capacity to provide a safe encouraging environment which allows others to share openly and she can spontaneously synthesize the threads of discussion to move it forward productively. Her abilities are unique and important in a world where conversation across diverse views and building understanding is critical."
"Johanna has demonstrated on repeated occasions an ability to connect with people in diverse settings, including graduate students in the classroom and individuals in community building discussion groups. She applies organizational concepts to building group cohesion, workplace relationships, and therapeutic alliances. She outlines practical tools for service providers to use in therapeutic environments, as well as with colleagues. In facilitating groups, Johanna shows a capacity to provide a safe encouraging environment which allows others to share openly and she can spontaneously synthesize the threads of discussion to move it forward productively. Her abilities are unique and important in a world where conversation across diverse views and building understanding is critical."
GLENN BALSIS, PURDUE UNIVERSITY NAVIGATORS, CAMPUS DIRECTOR
"Johanna has an amazing ability to inspire people to learn, ponder, and consider the outer and inner dynamics of learning. I’ve not only watched the intriguing content she presents, but also how she presents. After forty years in multiple leadership settings, I marvel at how she can guide and graciously engage a wide variety of people. She enthusiastically can build a team, allowing each team member to thrive within their responsibilities. She doesn’t shy away from tough challenges, but excels in training, curriculum development, leadership, and facilitating group interaction. In every conversation, I have walked away with gratitude for the way she creates hope and success for those she works with."
"Johanna has an amazing ability to inspire people to learn, ponder, and consider the outer and inner dynamics of learning. I’ve not only watched the intriguing content she presents, but also how she presents. After forty years in multiple leadership settings, I marvel at how she can guide and graciously engage a wide variety of people. She enthusiastically can build a team, allowing each team member to thrive within their responsibilities. She doesn’t shy away from tough challenges, but excels in training, curriculum development, leadership, and facilitating group interaction. In every conversation, I have walked away with gratitude for the way she creates hope and success for those she works with."