Kathy Peterson Leader Profile (originally posted in February 2018 LEAD)

Kathy Peterson graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Communication Studies. She credits her three college internships, career adviser, and the professor of her first Speech Communications class for encouraging her to explore a spattering of courses until she found something that sparked her interest. She found it and it was organizational development. “I just knew that’s what I wanted to do!” she remembers and decided to major in Speech Communication. She called to share the exciting decision with her mom. Her mom innocently inquired, “So does that mean you’ll major in talking on the phone? You’re good at that!” Well - not exactly, but the question brought a smile.

Kathy’s business is PeopleWorks, Inc. and services including keynote speaking, training and consulting, and executive coaching. She left corporate America almost 20 years ago with one client and big leap of faith. “At that time, I’d speak to anyone that would have me,” she said, “I am so fortunate now to get almost all of my business thanks to word of mouth referrals from my network. It’s all about the people that you surround yourself with.”

Kathy Peterson credits the growth of her career and now her business to many caring, smart, and generous people. She is the first to point out others as a key factor in her business success. “The people that you know or just meet are so important to your success,” said Kathy, “I am blessed to have amazing people in my network. People have propelled my career in so many different – and often unexpected – ways. Things have happened because of the people that surround me.”

She also revels in the opportunity to make a difference for her clients. Kathy is a big believer that if everyone can be just a little bit better, the organization’s performance will skyrocket. 

“It’s great to immediately see the impact to teams and individuals. I mean, getting to do work that makes the world of work better for people and makes organizations more successful? It feels so good.”

Kathy is an amazing blend of confidence, energy, smarts, and humility. While a few key accomplishments are already in the books prior to 2018 – like hiring a team member and getting new office space – Kathy has her sights set on growth for the future.

While she immensely enjoys meeting others and is masterful at focusing on others “in the moment”, she wants to get better at reaching out to her network. “I want people to know how much I think about them,” she said, “And people judge you on your actions not on your intentions. This is a place where I want to begin drinking my own medicine and improving!”

Thanks to Kathy Peterson, President of PeopleWorks, Inc., for sharing her story. Learn about PeopleWorks, Inc. here.