Mark is the Founder and Managing Principal of IA, applying over thirty years of experience in the implementation of internal and external HR transformational initiatives for public and private sector clientele worldwide. By offering unbiased and candid advice to C-level leaders in nearly all geographies and vertical market segments, Mark has brought billions of dollars’ worth of value to his clients and employers. He has spent his career fostering relationships through attention to detail, natural curiosity, and a self-deprecating sense of humor.

At the intersection of people, process…and purpose.

By Mark Stelzner / Mar 28, 2022

Before the modernization of society, we had to wait weeks, if not months, for letters from family or news from afar. Items as basic as coffee or fruit were luxuries enjoyed infrequently. And worksites were often located days away from leadership, with infrequent updates on progress, let alone the day-to-day wellbeing of the workers. We’ve […]

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Your job is not your soulmate – and that’s okay

By Mark Stelzner / Feb 25, 2022

We’ve been conditioned to believe that you must “love” your job to be successful. Workers are inundated with quotes about how if you find something you love, you’ll never work another day in your life. People are writing about how they turned their hobby into their career, or even producing commercials about it. Clearly, if you don’t […]

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The Spirit We Should Embrace

By Mark Stelzner / Oct 29, 2021

In a desperate attempt to avoid the traditional Halloween-related content for this month’s newsletter, I researched what else October is known for. It has been a fascinating learning journey; for example, did you know October has no fewer than four culinary observances alone? Thank goodness pizza got its own month – we may never have acknowledged its […]

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Strength in Vulnerability

By Mark Stelzner / Oct 5, 2021

It was day two of a global three-day workshop, and I was utterly and completely exhausted. The preparation work had been all-encompassing in the weeks leading up to the event, and last minute changes meant a hectic morning of getting everything ready to address a complex and emotion-filled topic with a team who had never […]

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Back to school lessons for new employees

By Mark Stelzner / Sep 1, 2021

It was almost the first day of school, and my son had no belt.  This may seem like an insignificant detail, but when your 7-year-old is about to start at a brand new school in a brand new city with brand new uniforms, a belt is incredibly important. To be honest, it had completely slipped […]

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Group PTO and Reclaiming Your Space

By Mark Stelzner / Aug 3, 2021

Two years ago, we recognized the fact that no one on the team was very good at taking time off. Despite unlimited PTO and a (nearly) weekly reminder that time away is necessary to recharge, the team just kept working. And working. And working. So we decided to shut down the whole company for one […]

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Back to life, back to reality

By Mark Stelzner / Jul 1, 2021

This month, I had a business trip (on a real plane and everything) for the first time in 15 months. Before the pandemic, I was on the road more than 50% of the time and the process was second nature – packing, check-in, security, flight, rental car, hotel, meeting, and back again. #Flightmares aside, everything […]

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More Quitting

By Mark Stelzner / Jun 2, 2021

There’s an interesting tension in the work we do as advisors to our clients. Organizations seek us out because they are facing an immediate and often immovable catalyst for change. At first, everyone agrees that the change is necessary, and in fact is a long time coming. Where the tension comes into play is when […]

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More Quitting

By Mark Stelzner / May 27, 2021

There’s an interesting tension in the work we do as advisors to our clients. Organizations seek us out because they are facing an immediate and often immovable catalyst for change. At first, everyone agrees that the change is necessary, and in fact is a long time coming. Where the tension comes into play is when […]

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Growing Pains – Value in the Journey

Growing Pains

By Mark Stelzner / Apr 30, 2021

This post originally appeared in IA’s April Newsletter. If you’re interested in subscribing, you can do so here. They say April showers bring May flowers, which is really just a fancy way of saying that in order to get to something good, you often have to endure some challenges along the way. I’ve been thinking […]

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