In December, 2022, Mike and Barb relocated back to the Chicago area to reside closer to their daughter, Katy, and son Andy, along with their six grandchildren. They are now fully engaged in "doing life" with an active family. Mike is "almost" fully retired but continues to support the executive coaching needs of one client organization with whom he has been engaged for twelve years in Scottsdale, AZ. The partnership is gratifying and mutually beneficial, allowing Mike to share his organizational and leadership wisdom with an exceptional group of senior leaders. Mike created Michael McDermott Consulting to achieve client, professional and personal goals as he wound down a fifty-five year career in the human resources, organizational effectiveness and executive coaching arenas. Professionally, it allowed him to passionately focus exclusively on a small, but select group of client organizations with emphasis on senior level executive coaching and organizational development. Over the last five years, Mike's professional emphasis has been exclusively focused upon C-Suite executive team coaching and corporate culture development.Personally, his consulting and coaching practice enabled him to dial back his time commitments and achieve his goal of spending more time with his family, including the aforementioned six young grandchildren.

Mike and Barb relocated to the Phoenix, Arizona area for both personal and professional reasons in January, 2010. He continued his consulting and business development role with BPI group through August, 2010.Mike then joined Leathers Milligan & Associates in September, 2010 to lead the firm's executive coaching practice. In that capacity, he delivered business focused coaching solutions for senior level organizational leaders ranging from high potential development to performance improvement and effectiveness engagements. Mike successfully completed executive coaching and talent management projects within organizations including First Solar, Meritage Homes Corporation, ING Investments, Dignity Health, Medicis, Raytheon, SCF of Arizona, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. Several of these engagements included corporate officer and C-suite level executives.Relatedly, he built an exceptional adjunct team of highly capable, diverse and business experienced executive coaches enabling client organizations to achieve "best fit" in selecting coaches for executive development.

Originally joined BPI group’s acquired business, Scherer Schneider Paulick, in early 2005 as an equity partner, to plan and implement the firm’s growth strategy into southeast Wisconsin. His accomplishments in this role:• Successfully launched initial office in Racine, Wisconsin in early 2005, seizing business from local competitor and quickly achieving marketplace competitive advantage and financial success. Following startup year, attained profitable year over year results from 2006 through 2009.• Planned and executed the successful startup of a Milwaukee office in 2008, again achieving better than projected financial results.• Recruited, selected and led an exceptional staff of business development, coaching delivery and administrative professionals within the two Wisconsin offices.• Managed the business development strategy which led to successfully securing a strong client base of Wisconsin public and private organizations including Snap-On, Inc., BRP, Inc., InSinkErator (Division of Emerson Electric), Johnson Controls, Harley Davidson, Rexnord, Inc., Exel, JohnsonDiversey, First Midwest Bank and Omron Electronics.• Served as member of BPI group US operations management committee.• Successfully performed over twenty executive coaching engagements focused on both high potential development and performance improvement objectives.• Designed and delivered client leadership development programs, organizational effectiveness initiatives and numerous development workshops and seminars for local business associations and human resources groups, including Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, Racine Area Manufacturers and Commerce (RAMAC) and Kenosha Area Business Alliance (KABA).• Delivered executive transition coaching to multiple candidates during the five year period.• Wrote an article entitled “Top Ten Reasons Why Leaders Fail” published in the Kenosha Area Business Alliance (KABA) magazine in 2008.

Chief Human Resources Officer for this privately-held, 5000 employee multi-national apparel products business. Reporting to the President and Chief Operating Officer, the position managed a staff of sixty and encompassed the broad array of Corporate Human Resources, facilities management and office services responsibility. Served as a strategic member of the senior operating committee.• Designed, implemented, and managed a market value based salaried compensation and total rewards program.• Led organizational effectiveness reviews within all Jockey functional groups resulting in promotability status, succession plans and human resources planning.• Achieved 75% of all management level positions filled from within.• Annual salaried turnover reduced from 25% to fewer than 4% during tenure with company.• Designed and implemented an Individual Development Planning process for all company salaried employees.• Replaced traditional performance appraisal process with a progressive leadership accountability/coaching/counseling model. In support of this, designed and taught three day Leadership Development and Performance Management workshop for all Company leaders (500+) over a three year period.• Designed and implemented formalized internal cross functional mentoring program within the company.• Designed comprehensive executive compensation initiatives (LTI, SERP).• Formulated and designed team based policy review process which created progressive trust based Human Resources policies and practices.• Converted and enhanced company’s defined contribution plan (401K).• Managed the design and implementation of the first ever flexible employee benefits program. Generated medical cost savings of $1.5MM.• Collaborated with senior management to effectively facilitate numerous corporate reorganizations including a European-based apparel acquisition, and several facility closings without issue.

Publicly traded $1 billion, twenty location manufacturer of brown paper, corrugated boxes, multiwall and grocery bags. Company assets were subsequently acquired by Temple-Inland (Austin, TX) and then by International Paper Corp.Reporting to the Chief Administrative Officer, was responsible for the entire Human Resources function including recruiting/staffing, organizational and leadership development, management and succession planning, sales training/development, employee and labor relations, employee involvement strategies and programs, HRIS, total compensation development and administration and employee benefits. Position managed seven direct reports and a total staff of fifteen.

Principal Partner with this multi services human resources consulting firm following the acquisition of my business, People Management, Inc. Used expertise to provide consulting services focused on progressive workplace design, organization assessment, planning and development, managerial coaching and leadership effectiveness. Clients across the U.S. included: Ford Electronics, Rohr Industries, TRW, Textron, Square D, Johnson Controls and Bridgestone USA.