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Philip Zimmerman is Founder and President of Engineering Leadership Design Company, LLC; Founder and Principle of ZIMMERMAN Coaching Group; and Founder and Principle of KiteSurfers Academy (see: Services section of this website). He is an International Coach Federation (ICF) Professional Certified Coach (PCC), a registered Professional Engineer (PE), and holds a doctorate degree in organizational leadership program. Vocationally, Philip is an active executive and Millennial coach, consultant, author, and speaker who for the past fifteen years has been developing, empowering, and unleashing Millennial talent for Connected Age workspaces.
His forty year professional career can be broken into three distinctive phases. Phase I began immediately after college and involved development, advancement, and mastery in the area of professional engineering consulting. Phase II began twenty years out of college and involved development, advancement, and mastery in the area of Millennial student education and worldview studies. Phase III began thirty years after college and involved development, advancement, and mastery of understanding of how coaching can unleash the Millennial generations unique and most valuable assets in today's workplace environment.
Phase I: Environmental Engineering Consulting
1980 | Bachelor of Science - Civil Engineering (LSU)
1981 | Master of Science - Civil/Environmental Engineering (LSU)
1986 | Professional Engineer (PE) registration Civil and Environmental
Philip began his vocational career under the guidance and coaching of a masterful leader and environmental consultant who had recently opened his own company. Philip was the first hired employee of this new company and on his first day at work the founder told him that he would invest in Philip and then send him out to open his own business when he felt ready. Over the next six years the company grew from two people to seventy plus located in four offices in four different states. In the middle of the sixth year Philip felt he was ready to give it a shot and informed his employer/coach who blessed him and with words of encouragement sent him out to demonstrate what he had learned. ZIMMERMAN Environmental Consultants, Inc. was launched in mid-1988.
The blessing and coaching he received he passed onto others growing to over 50 employees in three offices in three states in just four years. With over $5 million and $1.5 million in annual revenue and net profits respectively, in 1992, Philip's company was acquired by a publicly traded company. He found his company rolled into a new global environmental consulting firm. He took the opportunity in his new position as Vice President Division Manager to expand the scale of work for his talent. Beginning with a divisional staff of 25 he expanded the scope, scale, and geographic reach of his talent and expanded the division to over 120 people in two offices and two satellite locations. His division was the fastest growing and second most profitable division in this 6500+ person company located in 60+ offices worldwide. Starting with net profits of approximately $700K in the first year, by year four net profits were approximately $4.5 million.
With a desire to help others achieve their own dreams for their own companies, Philip left his divisional position in 1996 to serve as COO of an environmental forensics consulting company. He helped the firm principle transition his company and talent from a consultant to an analytical data management software development and services company. In 1998, he joined another environmental consulting company whose principle wanted to expand services into new markets. Shortly after his arrival he helped the principle identify an investment group interested in acquiring his firm. After acquisition, Philip was made CFO of this eight figure revenue company and helped the new owners transition an entirely new leadership team.
Phase II: Millennial Student Educator
2003 | Master of Divinity (NOBTS)
In the midst of his professional consulting career, Philip experienced a life changing experience that radically altered the vector of both his vocation and career path. He had a spiritual awakening and a clear call to leave what he was doing and get prepared to invest in Millennial students. After much internal wrestling, he made the break and entered the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) as a full time student where in 2003 he received a Master of Divinity degree.
This degree opened the door for him to be hired as a faculty member of a private Christian college preparatory school where he served as campus Chaplain and Bible Department Head. Over the next seven years he was immersed in teaching (6th, 7th, and 8th grade science as well as junior and senior Bible) and getting to know how Millennial students thought about life and the world.
In 2010, Philip began a doctoral organizational leadership program through Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) in order to gain needed understanding for developing an Institute of Leadership for his Millennial students. It was while doing doctoral level background research on Millennials and teaching worldview studies in his senior Bible classes he discovered why Millennials thought as they did. He envisioned, designed and launched the Institute of Leadership.
While continuing to do doctoral research in preparation for a dissertation project Philip discovered the significance of two major Age shifts (i.e. philosophic and business model paradigm) that positioned Millennials at the center of significant workplace transformations in the days ahead. This discovery led him to develop for his dissertation project a coaching program to enhance Millennial engagement, productivity, and loyalty in the workplace. What Philip discovered in his research was his calling to prepare and invest in Millennials had shifted from the classroom to the workplace environment.
Phase III: Executive and Millennial Talent Coaching
2016 | Doctor of Ministry (DTS)
2017 | ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC)
While working on his dissertation Philip entered a rigorous 125 hour coaching certification program approved by the ICF, worked out a transition strategy with school administrators where he taught, and opened his coaching practice - Engineering Leadership Design Company, LLC. In 2014, Philip began actively coaching executives and their leadership teams on how to best prepare their Millennial talent to assume significant leadership roles. He also coached their Millennial talent, empowering them to rise to the challenge. In 2016, Philip completed his dissertation and was awarded a Doctor of Ministry degree.
Through a wide spectrum of workplace coaching Philip envisioned and designed what he called a Next Generation Leader (NGL) Initiative. The NGL Initiative is designed to optimally allow transfer of closely held institutional knowledge (IK) from key stakeholders into Millennial talent viewed by executive team members to be their future company leaders. Implementation of this program within organizations has resulted in tremendous appreciation by both NGL's and their internal Mentor/Coaches and real IK transfer.
Beginning in 2018, Philip began to put his research and coaching experience findings into writing. At the same time pilot tested an on-line modular coaching program with several companies and their Millennial talent. The result of his effort was the book, Unleash the Millennials and Save the World, and the development of a monthly membership coaching program for the Modern Professional. The metaphorical story in Chapter 2 of his book was the inspiration for his naming the on-line Millennia coaching program Kitesurfers Academy.
If you have an interest in Philip's coaching, consulting, and speaking please do not hesitate to contact him. Or if you would like to communicate, cooperate, collaborate, and co-create something of significance for advancing the effort to Unleash the Millennials contact Philip as this is his passion.
MILLENNIALS - NOW IS YOUR "GO" TIME!
Unleash the Millennials and Save the World
My coaching programs and consulting services are designed to empower your team and outfit them with the tools they need to survive the coming MCC crest. Talk to me today about how I can support your growth; limit turnover; enhance engagement, productivity, and loyalty; align, develop, and advance your talent; and infuse meaning, purpose, and calling into your people and organization.