Consult.
Conceive.
Create.
helping you take your company to new heights!
professionalism, execution and accountability.
Professionalism
At UTDS, professionalism is the hallmark of our associates as well as of our company…
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Accountability
UTDS confidence in the quality of our work translates in our willingness to be fully…
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Execution
In addition to our strategic orientation, UTDS is particularly effective and efficient at…
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Alies Jordan
Our session last week was brilliant and that is all thanks to you. [I] Want you to know how very much I appreciate all that you have done and continue to do to get us on the right footing.
Kathy Lalazarian
Joan Underwood is a strong technical specialist in public sector management, civil service reform and in the overall area of government efficiency. As a government counterpart in Antigua and Barbuda she has served her country well in diligently and doggedly pursuing reforms to increase management efficiency for the betterment of the people she served. Joan’s style of directness, tact and a high amount of intellectual acumen gets people’s attention. I hope to have the opportunity to work with Joan again in the future.
Mariano Lafuente
Joan worked with us recently in the preparation and delivery of a high level mission to China to discuss leadership development in Latin America and the Caribbean’s public sector, and explore opportunities for collaboration with the Chinese government. Her in-depth knowledge of the topic, her actual expertise as practitioner and her superb interpersonal skills were crucial for the success of our mission. We are now starting a partnership with China’s Executive Leadership Academy Pudong (CELAP) and we are looking forward to continue working with Joan on this project!
Mark Lambrides
If you have a program or project that you really need to be implemented carefully and on-time, then Joan Underwood should be seriously considered for its implementation. I have had an excellent experience in working with Joan to support the execution of energy policy work in the Caribbean. I give Joan my highest recommentation.
Marjorie Wharton
Joan Underwood has long been a lecturer/facilitator for the programmes offered by the Cave Hill School of Business. Over the last six months I have had the opportunity to work more closely with Joan on two projects; one focusing on leadership development and the other on change management in a client organization. Throughout that time I have found myself repeatedly impressed by the knowledge that she possesses, her skills in putting learners at ease, helping them be open to learning, her comfort with new concepts and her ready access to cutting edge information which is always easily incorporated into her consulting, coaching, training and facilitation sessions to ensure that participants and organizations have ready access to up-to-date and relevant information. I would unconditionally recommend Joan as a leadership development specialist and as a change management practitioner.
Kithinji (KK) Kiragu
Joan was the key client contact/director in a consulting project to address issues of public service employment and payroll management in the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, in 2011. She directed the assignment with a high degree of resourcefulness, diligence and amity. Joan not only guided the successful completion of the assignment but also made me enjoy performance of the tasks. She is an exceptionally endowed public servant.
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clients we've worked with...
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GREAT MEETINGS – 6 STEPS TO MASTER THE HOT SEAT
The success or failure of a meeting is determined in large part by how it is facilitated. The person in the hot seat has a tremendous responsibility. Far too often, they don’t get it right.
July 31, 2021 -
HOW TO PLAN A GREAT MEETING
There’s a saying that a meeting is an event at which the minutes are kept and the hours are lost. Get ready to break out of that rut and reclaim your time and productivity!
July 25, 2021 -
HOW TO FAIL BETTER
Want to master a new skill? There’s a formula for that. Here it is: Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
July 10, 2021 -
What To Do When It Feels Like You’re Going Through Hell
What’s the best course of action when it feels like you’re going through hell? Keep moving! This article provides insights on how you can do so.
May 23, 2021 -
Millennial Workers – Myths and Insights
Millennials now occupy managerial positions, and they’re pretty ambivalent about that. As one female executive put it, “we feel like kids with adult jobs.”
April 25, 2021 -
Four Steps to Master a New Skill
Any journey of learning and development can be an emotional rollercoaster. With these four steps, you can effectively navigate that treacherous terrain.
May 9, 2021 -
Business Coaching – It Makes Dollars and Sense
Whether you’re the head of the organization, or a supervisor/manager with responsibility for a major department or a member of line staff, coaching is something that you should be thinking about.
April 10, 2021 -
THE MANAGER LEVEL UP: Overcome Self-Sabotage
“I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I keep on doing the evil I do not want to do.” Can you relate to that statement?
March 22, 2021 -
THE MANAGER LEVEL UP: Three Essential Nuggets to Help Manage Your Boss
One of the keys to success is establishing mutual respect in your relationship with your boss. This article outlines three nuggets to help you do just that.
March 7, 2021 -
THE MANAGER LEVEL UP: Make Difficult People Disappear
Learn how to make difficult people disappear – legally.
February 23, 2021 -
THE MANAGER LEVEL UP: 5 Step Action Plan to Jumpstart a Stalled Career
This 5 step plan could be just what you need to redesign the job you’re in into the one you want.
February 15, 2021 -
THE MANAGER LEVEL UP: Getting Others to Say YES
High Stakes Negotiation In June 2004, I was appointed as Antigua and Barbuda’s Non-Resident Ambassador to several Latin American countries. Among my assigned portfolio was Brazil. As a congratulatory gift, a colleague commissioned a special lapel pin for me. It consisted of the intertwined flags of the two countries. He was thoughtful and kind enough
January 26, 2021 -
THE MANAGER LEVEL UP: Don’t Stop Until You’re DONE
One rainy Friday morning, I decided to do a YouTube workout rather than hitting the highway for the four-mile walk that I had originally planned for that day. I settled on a HASfit video. I chose that video because it promised a full body resistance band workout – sounded like just the thing I needed
January 8, 2021 -
THE MANAGER LEVEL UP: How To Take Management Performance To The Next Level
During a quiet moment of reflection have you ever thought “I know that our team has the potential to excel, but we’re not there yet? What can I do to help take our performance to the next level?” Management performance is one of the key determinants of success factors such as profitability, employee engagement and
January 1, 2021 -
Achieve Your Full Managerial Potential – #TheManagerLevelUP
Greetings from UTDS Publishing – the new division in the UTDS family. We hope that you, your family, friends, and colleagues are well in these unprecedented times. What’s new with me? I am delighted to share that I have finished my long-awaited book and will be launching it in December – just in time for
November 7, 2020 -
THE SH!T CAN STOP WITH YOU
A bad manager can take good staff and destroy them – causing the best employees to jump ship and those that remain to become dermoralized.
June 19, 2021