Greyt Big Talk w/ Rick Simmons
Cleveland's Breakfast Lecture Series for the Creative Community. #GREYTBIGTALK
Watching
Rick Simmons | Greyt Big Talk
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Rick Simmons
Co-founder and CEO, the telos institute
Rick Simmons is co-founder and CEO of the telos institute, the global organizational consulting firm he co-founded in 2006. telos works with leaders and leadership teams around the world on business strategy, leadership development and change management. Rick shapes the firm's vision and strategic direction and coaches senior leaders, including at Fortune 500 organizations, through complexity, disruption and growth. He is co-author of Unleashed: Harnessing the Power of Liminal Space.
Before telos, Rick spent ten years in senior strategy and sales leadership roles in financial services, leading several organizations through periods of transition. He earned a master's degree in organizational behavior from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, where his research focused on quantifying the value of coaching, along with his professional coaching certification, and he has studied at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland. He was named a Founding Fellow of the Institute of Coaching, and he has presented or taught at The Ohio State University, the University of Notre Dame, Case Western Reserve and Indiana University. He also holds a B.A. in economics and finance from Baldwin Wallace University.
At Greyt Big Talk in November 2021 he asked whether the answer to our why might lie in our when, in the in-between periods he calls liminal space.
Greyt Quote

“Liminal space is the moments of discontinuity that creates an openness to change.”
Designed by Nick Seink
Playlist
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Location
Breakforth Studio
2310 Superior Ave., Suite 230, Cleveland, OH, 44114
Breakforth Studio is a natural-light rental studio on the second floor of the historic Bloch Building on Superior Avenue, just east of downtown Cleveland. The open, 3,000-square-foot loft has huge north- and west-facing windows, hardwood floors, a kitchenette and a built-in sound system, with a modern, minimal look. The studio rents by the hour for photo and film shoots, workshops, gallery events, small music sets, micro weddings and other gatherings of up to 49 people. Breakforth hosted and sponsored Greyt Big Talk in November 2021, when executive coach Rick Simmons, CEO of the telos institute, spoke on resilience and change.
About this event
GREYT BIG TALK is an arts and entrepreneurship lecture series for inspiring creativity, filmed before a live audience.
Live talks feature: • local culinary artisan breakfast and coffee, • live music performances • original art by local designers • startup pitches for anything our community is making • a short talk from a successful creative person • all filmed to share with our community online. (interested in a feature, artisan maker space, company recruiting tabletop space, or other placement within the program? email us at omg@thatsgreyt.com)
Since our founding in January of 2015, we’ve hosted nearly 10,000 attendees in pop-up locations all over the city of Cleveland.
over the city of Cleveland.
SPONSORED BY: Breakforth Studio North Water Productions Phoenix Coffee Co. Rapid Mortgage Co.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Rick Simmons
Rick is an experienced coaching and consulting professional with more than a decade spent collaborating with leaders at the highest levels of organizations to optimize their businesses and their lives. Currently, he serves as chief executive officer of the telos institute, a leading global organizational consulting firm he co-founded in 2006. telos offers specialized expertise to leaders and leadership teams around the world in the areas of business strategy, leadership development, and change management. In his role, Rick is responsible for shaping the vision and guiding the strategic direction of the firm, while inspiring a growing cohort of world-class practitioners to deliver insight, growth, and transformational experiences for telos clients.
Prior to founding telos, Rick spent ten years in various senior strategy and sales leadership positions within the financial services industry. Most notably, he led several organizations through periods of transition, which afforded him the opportunity to share his experience and insight in the best practices of managing personal and organizational change.
Rick earned his Master of Science in Organizational Behavior from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, a program annually ranked as a global leader in the field of Organizational Behavior. While at Weatherhead, Rick focused his research on quantifying the value of coaching to individuals and organizations. The insights gleaned from this research has enabled Rick to achieve a balance in delivering both the quantitative and qualitative benefits of a successful coaching or consulting engagement. Rick also earned his professional coaching certification from the Weatherhead School and has studied at the world-renowned Gestalt Institute of Cleveland.
More recently, he was named a Founding Fellow at The Harvard Institute of Coaching at the MacLean Medical School where he contributes insights and best practices to the growing field of executive coaching. Rick is a sought-after speaker on the topics of resilience, achievement, and personal and organizational performance. He has presented or taught at The Ohio State University, The University Of Notre Dame, Case Western Reserve University, Indiana University, and many other institutions and organizations around the world.
Before receiving his Master’s at CWRU, Rick earned a B.A. in Economics and Finance from Baldwin Wallace University. In addition, he is certified in numerous multi-rater feedback instruments and psychometric assessment tools. Personally, Rick tests his beliefs around achievement by running ultra marathons. His recent tests include the 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015 US Track and Field 24 Hour Run National Championships. He lives in Cleveland, Ohio with his wife and telos co-founder Amy, and their four children.
“The success of any organization is directly related to the quality and character of those involved.”



