Lee Riley — UW POD Consultant

Last Updated: August 21, 2026

PHILOSPHY STATEMENT

Your workplace culture is the foundation of your organization and, over time, is the best determinant of long-term success. It will augment or undermine everything else you do. Gallup’s research tells us that 70% of the performance differential across groups arises from the culture created by those in leadership. Their metrics for success go far beyond mere financials and reflect variables such as employee engagement, customer satisfaction, turnover, innovation, quality, and other intangibles. Skilled leaders are that important.

Creating a positive, professional, and productive workplace doesn’t just happen. When left on its own, workplace culture declines. Think of this as organizational entropy — the inevitability that all human systems (e.g., teams, departments, and even whole organizations) will become less effective over time. The antidote to this is intentionally engineering your workplace culture through a “best practice” approach to leadership and employee engagement.

This perspective drives everything I do. I partner with leaders and leadership teams to help them recognize their strengths, grow beyond their challenge points, and create a positive impact on those they lead. As a coach, I enjoy working closely with leaders to help them develop leadership awareness, core competencies, and strategic wisdom — and be the boss employees want to work for and the peer colleagues want to work with.

Areas of Expertise

Management/Leadership Training

• Personal growth for leaders
• Embracing boundaries in the workplace
• Understanding employee engagement
• Utilizing your power differential
• Decoding your office through behavior styles
• Moving from boss to coach
• Leading through your organizational structure
• Leading change/creating sustainability

Personal Growth and Development

• Growing your adaptive skills for life and leadership
• Understanding and changing your mindset
• Managing stress, burnout, and self-care
• Maximizing work-life balance
• Creating a plan for personal growth

Executive/Performance Coaching

• Personal growth and self-awareness
• 360 assessments
• Competency development
• Goal setting and accountability

Team Development/Retreat Facilitation

• Team culture assessments
• Team training and coaching
• Facilitating difficult conversations
• Action plans and goal setting
• Personal growth workshops
• Keynote presentations

Work Experience/Selected Projects

• Consultant, Teleios Consulting/LeeRiley.com
• Consultant/trainer, Nash Consulting
• Lead facilitator, PREVENT, Whidbey Island Naval Air Station
• Leadership instructor, Scimitar Ridge/Leadership Academy
• Designed and delivered
  • Workshops focused on helping managers transition from “boss to coach”
  • Workshops to public sector employees considering leadership opportunities as their next career move
  • Executive leadership retreats focused on improving communication, creating alignment, removing barriers, and establishing common commitments
  • Leadership training programs for supervisors in both private and not-for-profit organizations
  • Employee workshops designed to equip non-supervisors with communication, problem solving, and team development skills
  • Coaching programs to assist mid-level managers in helping employees entering new leadership roles
  • Multi-day leadership retreats for large corporate clients using both experiential and traditional team development methods

Education

• M.A., Global Leadership
• M.Div., (emphasis in human development, Princeton)
• Graduate Studies, Education
• B.A., Philosophy

Select Client List

Testimonials

Working with Lee Riley has been transformative for my own leadership and for the Meany Center’s senior team. Through his coaching, we’ve developed shared practices for trust, clarity, and healthy conflict, dramatically improving how we communicate and make decisions together. Lee created a safe yet challenging space for candid dialogue and accountability—work that has strengthened our culture and the effectiveness of every meeting we lead.

–Michelle Witt, Executive & Artistic Director, Meany Center for the Performing Arts

Lee Riley is a valuable advisor to University Marketing & Communications as we continue to develop our organization’s adaptive skills and team culture. He’s worked with individuals, with our team leads and with our entire staff, providing support on a range of topics, from leadership coaching to recognizing our different communications styles. Too often, organizations don’t make the same sort of investment in teaching adaptive skills as they do in teaching position-specific skills. Lee’s work with our team on adaptive skills – such as giving and receiving feedback or being clear in communications – is helping our team members be better professionals and create stronger working relationships, which at the end of the day creates a more effective organization.

–Jack Martin, Vice President, UW Marketing & Communications

I have worked with Lee in the context of my work at UW planning large-scale events for Washington social workers. The audiences are full of heart and often underappreciated, and Lee connects with them every time. I appreciate both his ability to work independently with little direction and the way he truly listens and builds a bespoke presentation that will make an impact. Knowing we are contracting with a professional who is reliable, consistent and truly a joy to work with is why we continue to come back to Lee year after year.

–Robin Blomster, Director of Strategy and Communications, The Alliance, UW School of Social Work

It has been a pleasure working with Lee. He brings empathy, thoughtful listening, and a genuine commitment to helping people grow. His coaching has had a meaningful impact on our department, and he has been a valuable thought partner in our work, offering intentional guidance and constructive feedback when needed. Lee has coached our faculty on leadership development, management skills, and strategies for setting clear goals and fostering accountability. He is always open and adaptable to the needs of our department, and I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to work with him.

–Julie Arenivar, SHRM-CP, Human Resources and Equity Specialist, Department of Pediatrics | UW School of Medicine

If you’re seeking guidance through the complex landscape of leadership, you’re in the right place. Over the past three years, Lee has been instrumental in my growth as a director, equipping me with the tools and confidence to lead effectively. His coaching has helped me transition from relying solely on relational strengths to embracing a more directive leadership style—one that involves clear communication, structured guidance, and decisive action.

Lee’s approach is deeply practical, and the skills he imparted yielded immediate, tangible results that I continue to build upon. His ability to recognize and enhance my natural strengths while pushing me toward new leadership dimensions has been transformative. I’m profoundly grateful for the impact he has had on my journey and the lasting value of his mentorship.

–Dr. Lindi Rubadiri-Mujugira, Director of STEM Programs, Washington MESA

I selected Lee as an executive coach because I valued his strengths-centered philosophies for both individuals and organizations. He delivers results through direct and insightful conversations that inspire change. He grows your viewpoint on how you can best serve the needs of your organization based on your unique abilities and personality. In his coaching, Lee strikes the right balance of developing both soft skills and tactical approaches within the workplace.

He is equally nuanced and methodical in his analyses and feedback. I highly recommend working with Lee if you are looking to enhance your skills as a leader, individual contributor, manager, and/or to more clearly understand and fulfill your professional calling.

–Maggie Keelan, Associate Vice-President, University of Washington

As UW Emergency Management has been re-envisioning our program and building our department, I brought on Lee to facilitate our work on a 5-year Strategic Plan. He asked insightful questions to uncover the “why” and help us get to a high-level strategic document. It was great having Lee in this role to help structure this work into a practical, time-bound plan that earned buy-in from multiple stakeholders.

–Kelley Biastock, Executive Director, UW Emergency Management