WBOC LEADING LADY

KATHRYN ADAMS COGNITIF CONSULTING By Sharee Turpin

When Kathryn Adams quit her job as a high school English teacher, she realized she had more to offer this world. She returned to college focusing on a degree to manage learning environments in a corporate setting and soon became the first ever instructional designer at the Raymond Corporation. Working in tech, manufacturing, and a stint at Philips, Adams helped build training programs for technicians and built an industry leading program for operators of lift trucks. After a planned location change of her then employer was set in stone, she declined and went back to the drawing board. As her resume grew, so did her longing for entrepreneurship and in 2005, she took that leap and joined a consulting firm.

Adams worked for them for a few years and decided to fly solo. Currently, she owns Cognitif Consulting Group here in Syracuse that helps companies with results in employee performance. It started with sales training, incorporating her own take and looked at performance levers like compensation aligning with job compensations, territory structure, and management behaviors towards their employees.

“All of those things contribute to how somebody performs,” she said. “I like to include all of that work in my consulting because if all of those things are out of whack and you just do training, the training doesn’t have much impact.”

In 2008 Adams got another degree in organizational development and completed retainer work returning to her former company. However, her mother needed care and Adams did more soul searching and believed it was time to change course again. The last few years she has been focused on developing a network of women partners and helping women grow their businesses. Acknowledging the challenges of the entrepreneurial lane, she welcomes the idea of “exploring how good can I really be?” In her words, the independ-ence and the sense of self-determination is more than satisfying.

“I’ve always had this notion when I was working for another company,” Adams said. “I always wanted to treat my employer like I was not consulting but like every moment counted. My job was not to be a passive employee but to be an active participant in advancing the business.”

As Chair of the Advisory Board for WISE (Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship) Business Center, Adams has seen the

growth and fortitude of women seeking opportunities to better themselves and the lives of their loved ones. Women of all backgrounds and situations have sought them out for direction in making a living including women from underserved communities or are newly immigrated. Women desiring flexibility while making a living or need guidance as a necessity; she aims to help whole- heartedly. Also a member of WBOC (Women Business Opportunities Connections) for 10 years, Adams requested to do more than just have speakers but to engage and be more involved with the career plans of incoming women to fit their goals. “Were going through a change as a culture and I think our traditional work environments are starting to change and that’s a good thing,” she said. “Because today many are not hospitable to the way that we want to grow our families and our cultures.” Adams’ passion for all women to succeed exudes into the many events she finds time to be a part of. Whitman Women in Business, an organization that focuses on women’s involvement in business and leadership, was able to spend time with her and the director of WISE for the women of Syracuse University interested in professional development. Organic conversations over cupcakes are just another way for Adams to pour knowledge into them. One of them being the importance of learning cash flow and networking. “I think you can do this without training if you’re a self-directed learner,” she said. “But a lot of women go into business without understanding money and you have to understand money… so if you don’t today [understand money] … find somebody that does, find some kind of training, get yourself there.”

As her consulting group grows in prospects, Cognitif Consulting Group is expanding services. By the end of this year, they expect to be certified in executive coaching and team coaching. They will also help with leadership and assisting organizations that want to handle their diversity more effectively as she puts it. For someone who has been on the entrepreneurial journey for some time and is still finding new ways to navigate it, seeing others grow is always a highlight.

“It’s soul satisfying work,” she said. “I’ve seen a lot of change over the course of my career and some of it’s been a challenge to be the only woman…we’re moving beyond that era and if I can do a little bit to help that then that’s cool.” SWM