Customer Service Training
Resume:
Yona Lunken
** ******** **. ******, ** *****
****@**********.***
Objective:
I am seeking consulting work developing 21st century, forward-thinking leadership that
focuses on teaming, problem solving, and empowerment.
Work experience:
Thinking Skills Inc., (2002-present)
Workshops, seminars, master facilitator, keynotes, consultant.
In 2002, I started Thinking Skills as a Software Training service teaching people how to use and optimize
Microsoft Office. As more people became adept at this, the need for this service declined. It was clear that
there was a need for softskills training and so Thinking Skills shifted to training in team building, customer
service, and problem solving. Thinking Skills now focuses on Leadership, Team Building, Problem Solving,
Strategic Planning, and Future Think, all of which are explained below.
As the owner of Thinking Skills, a small consulting business, I wear many hats. I perform the needs analysis,
develop the training material, market the product, initiate and maintain customer relationships, lead project
teams and deliver the services. Additionally, I write my own business newsletter.
Programs offered, workshops led:
The following program areas are the core of what I have developed and offered through
my consulting business, Thinking Skills Inc.
Building Innovative Leadership
Leadership programs help participants develop their unique leadership styles by understanding that there are
many different leadership types, learning tools for promoting participation, developing techniques for
encouraging team problem solving, understanding how to create an empowered culture, building trust,
understanding the difference between expertise and leadership, and learning tools for moving to action.
Creating High Performance Teams
Teams are essential to 21st century leadership. The world is getting more complex and high performance
teams are best able to synergize the critical skill sets for success. Teaming workshops develop leaders by
teaching team stages, increasing knowledge and understanding of team members, improving team
communications, setting team goals, leveraging past successful team experiences, identifying skill sets for
effective teams, exploring the attributes of an effective team, and creating a trusting team environment.
Problem Solving: Leveraging Team Creativity and Innovation
Our changing world is creating more problems than solutions. 21st century leaders need to know how to
promote an atmosphere of high quality problem solving and innovation on their teams. Creativity and
innovation workshops help leaders develop problem solving teams by teaching break-through thinking
techniques of invitational questions, tools for creating copious ideas and receptivity to new ideas, techniques
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for evaluating ideas and deferring judgment, and approaches for overcoming fear of failure and creating a
supportive environment working with others.
Strategic Planning
Many organizations are experiencing increasing responsibilities and decreasing budgets. I work with them to
help them focus their efforts more effectively so as to produce greater results with less effort. In the strategic
planning programs, we use the green light, yellow light, red light technique to assess the current situation, a
visioning exercise to identify possible futures, and brainstorming to develop methods to achieve these goals.
We also look at supporters and detractors, and develop an action plan of who, what, why, by when, and to
whom to achieve these goals.
Future Think
This is a board and leadership team approach to looking at the organization s current situation and creating a
new one. Changing the mindset of the board and leadership team generates the new culture and new
direction. That vision filters down, but marketing the vision and engage others are also critical.
Clients serviced:
Citizens Equity First Credit Union. Peoria, IL. 2006-present.
Work with Management Training program to deliver leadership workshops and strategic planning of program
set up.
Dr. Dina s Dental Practice. Peru, IL. 2005-present.
Work with entire dental team to develop a high performance team, and strategic planning to optimize busy
time; and to enhance organizational communication and problem solving to improve performance.
Peoria Hebrew Day School. Peoria, IL. 2007-present.
Board member. Facilitate leadership development, workshops, fundraising, newsletter, and new initiatives.
Sun Foundation. Washburn, IL. 2008-present.
Strategic planning to assist with summer camp programming.
Illinois Valley Community College. Oglesby, IL. 2006-2010.
Help client develop stronger team environment and teach leadership to do more with less after budget cuts.
Key Builders. Princeton, IL. 2002-2009.
Leadership coaching and counseling, team building and communications workshops.
Leadership involvement/Board positions:
President of Bradley University Hillel. Peoria, IL. 2009-present.
President of the corporate board, providing leadership development to improve organization communication
and program implementation. We are also currently building a new facility.
Development Chair for Peoria Hebrew Day School. Peoria, IL. 2008-present.
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Leadership development and board training. Staff and parent workshops. Develop and implement fundraising
program. Started, editor and advertising sales for Community Newsletter. Started major multi-year gifts
program. Co-chair major community-wide art and fundraising event.
Advisory Board for Regional Economic Planning. Oglesby, IL. 2010-present.
Advisor to group planning to create the economic future of Central Illinois.
American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). Peoria, IL. 2010-present.
Board secretary.
Board of Education for Henry-Senachwine. Henry, IL. 2003-2007.
Initiated new board member training, presented at conferences, helped establish annual goals for
superintendent, initiated computer-based achievement testing for students.
Earthday organization. Putnam, IL. 2001-2008.
Started and led community-based programs to plant trees, clean up land and water, and promote community
awareness.
Professional conference presentations:
Association of Fund Raising Professional (AFP) annual national conference.
Chicago, IL.
Innovative Leader Generating New Ideas to Create Collaborative Teams. March 2011, breakout session.
Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
Future Think, March 2011, keynote, Rockford, IL.
Future Think, January 2011, keynote, Sauk Valley, IL.
National Association of School Boards (NASB) annual national conference.
Chicago, IL.
Team Building and the Board of Education, 2010, Highest attended pre-conference workshop.
American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) regional conference.
Peoria, IL.
The Innovative Leader: Generating New Ideas to Create Collaborative Teams, 2009, breakout session.
Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) annual state conference. Chicago, IL.
Team Building & the Board of Education, 2008, Pre-conference workshop.
Regional Chambers Peoria, Rockford, East Peoria, Princeton, Illinois Valley Area
Chambers, Streator, IL.
Topics include Innovative Leadership, Creating Effective Teams, Building and Improving Communications,
Achieving Excellent Customer Service, Creativity and Innovation. 2006-2008.
Publications (a selection):
9 Common Mistakes Leaders Make, 2010, Thinking Skills Newsletter.
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Customer Service Abroad, 2010, Thinking Skills Newsletter.
Creating Competent Teams, 2010, InterBusiness Issues
Eight Marketing Strategies for Taking Your Business Forward, 2010, Thinking Skills
Newsletter.
Eight Thinks to Know about Building and Enhancing Communications Skills, 2009, Thinking
Skills Newsletter.
The Critical Event, 2009, Journal of the Illinois Association of School Boards
Skill Sets of a Successful Team Are You Playing with a Full Deck, 2008, Thinking Skills
Newsletter.
How to GET Excellent Customer Service, 2006, Thinking Skills Newsletter.
Leadership and Teams, 2006, Thinking Skills Newsletter.
Kayaking A Metaphor for Team Building, 2005, Thinking Skills Newsletter.
Board Work and Governance, 2004, Thinking Skills Newsletter.
The Art of Presentation, 2004, Thinking Skills Newsletter.
Invest in Your Teams, 2003, Thinking Skills Newsletter.
Building Effective Teams, 2003, Thinking Skills Newsletter.
Education:
Master of Science in Cognitive Psychology
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 1995
Masters-level coursework in Cognitive Science
State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 1990-1992
Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 1984
Minor in Biological Sciences
Certified in the DiSC assessment and FourSight assessment.
Contact this candidate