Nan
Andrews Amish, MBA, CLU, is a multidisciplinary,
collaborative business strategist. With over 15 years of corporate
experience, Nan has held management positions in start-ups,
Fortune 500 organizations and a "Big-5" consulting firm. She
is the ultimate systems thinker and integrator, bringing strategy,
marketing, finance and organizational effectiveness expertise
to her high tech, health care and financial services clients.
Nan is an expert in team and group facilitation, and led a team
to an award-winning Business Week Product of the Year. A veteran
speaker, she facilitates over 100 programs and board retreats
annually. With an MBA from the University of Michigan, Nan currently
serves on the faculty of The University of San Francisco and
has previously served on faculties of Boston University and
Lesley College, among others.
Nan has previously served on the Board of Directors of Northern
California Chapter of The National Speakers Association. Nan
is also the Past President and past Chair of the Board of a
1000-member Chapter of the American Marketing Association.
The Big Woman
with the Big Picture Perspective. Nan Andrews
Amish is a large woman. Not that that has any bearing on her
ability as a speaker, consultant or trainer, but she is difficult
to miss. Petite she is not. Her big-ness is consistent: she
has a big voice (the better for keynote addresses), big hair
(totally irrelevant, but memorable) and large powerful presence
(useful in effecting motivation and change).
Nan's focus is on the big picture perspective:
- What is most important?
- Do we have the data from all relevant stakeholders?
- What core competencies and organizational strengths can
we bring to bear on the strategy?
- Where do we get the biggest bang for the buck?
- How can we best align our often-scarce resources to the
big picture vision?
- Where is the long-term profitability?
She is a "what you see is what you get" sort
of woman.
While "big" may not be on your list of consultant criteria,
unless it is to specify "Big-5" firm, you may be interested
in how bigness serves Nan's clients. Size is the last legal
category of discrimination in this country. In many cases, people
associate laziness with size. Nan's very presence which counters
stereotypes of success, Nan's big energy and supercharged smile
allow her to open discussions about those unspeakable issues
such as difference, diversity, corporate norms and politics
in ways that are less charged than the average diversity consultant,
more subtle than the average management consultant. Nan is large
enough that she can be credible talking about the elephant on
the table. She uses her size and her vulnerability to open discussion
to other touchy subjects. It is big, it is huge and it is powerful
beyond belief.
Big is beautiful, when it comes to doing the work with the most
impact.
