The Scholarly Leadership Practitioner
Meet Dr. Will Ramey
Leading teams in one of the most austere and complex environments on planet Earth, Will Ramey brings to life the power of collaboration, shared leadership and team creativity. Will Ramey is the owner of Shared Leadership, LLC, a veteran-owned team development solutions provider.
Will has honed his expertise leading teams in Fortune 50 companies and the U.S. Army. He obtained his doctorate from Drexel University with a focus on organizational behavior. Will delivers a dynamic experience for audiences by blending his experience as a US Army combat veteran and leadership researcher.
Will’s Story.
Leadership is a people business.
My experiences have uniquely positioned me to see the power of collective purpose in every group, every business, every organization. I’ve lived it.
A father’s wisdom.
Valuable lessons in leadership
My journey began in northeast Ohio, where I first learned from my parents how to treat people with dignity and respect. My dad in particular taught me several valuable lessons in leadership. He had served in the Army during the Vietnam War, and he instilled in me an appreciation for good discipline, consistency, taking care of my siblings, and looking out for my friends. He taught me to do my part. He taught me the importance of teamwork.
For me, that meant defending those who couldn’t defend themselves. It often meant serving as the only voice calling out when something wasn’t right.
I knew I could carry that on in the U.S. Army. What attracted me to join was the collective, the aspect of “we.” I wanted to protect, defend, and do my part for the people of our country. Just as I had growing up, I wanted to stand up for what was right, for all those who had no one to defend them. That was the calling I had.
I enlisted in the Army National Guard at 17, went on to the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) in college, and later became a Captain. At that time, in the mid-2000s, our country was fully engrossed in the Iraq War. I knew I was going to deploy. In 2005, that call came in.
Leading my team.
Becoming an example for others to follow
At 24 years old, I became the executive officer of a company of 300 people who were conducting maintenance operations in Iraq. My job was complex and full of unknowns, but I knew if I didn’t figure it out, we were going to fail.
I encountered numerous challenging situations where I wasn’t fully prepared for what happened, nor was I expected to be. But what drove me growing up, what drove me to enlist, what drove me to lead at all, still burned in me: the intrinsic motivation, the leadership, the desire to bring people together. I knew if I could do nothing else, I could be an example for others to follow.
So, I stepped up.
I taught my team critical thinking. I showed them they were just as capable of making decisions as I was. I gave them the freedom to do what they had to do to protect the team. If someone made a mistake, I told them I would own it as their leader. I knew we were trained, we were equipped, and we would carry through.
I saw the change in my team from these conversations. Their embrace of empowerment kept us successful throughout many missions, including in combat. It was because they always came back to intent: as long as my team knew their objective, they figured out how to accomplish it.
We weren’t successful because everyone just took orders from me. We were there to work together to get a job done. We were successful because we had collective purpose, we collaborated, and we worked together and led each other.
Empowering Others.
You don’t need a title to lead
A series of professional developments ultimately led me to base myself here in Northeastern Pennsylvania, where I am fortunate to bring Shared Leadership, LLC to organizations across the country and the world.
My time in the Army taught me hard lessons I knew I could apply in the world of business.
I saw how much better my team performed when they were empowered to make their own decisions within our organizational framework.
I learned how to hone fear into solutions instead of letting it paralyze me.
I mastered adapting to situations that don’t go as planned.
I learned that if you can maintain your rational mindset and positivity, you can overcome anything.
I knew in the Army, and I know now, that you don’t need a title to lead. It’s what I tell employees in my team-development workshops. Managers and supervisors aren’t the only ones who can make decisions. Everyone can contribute, everyone can influence, and everyone can share ownership of the outcomes.
My committment.
Bring out the best in current and emerging leaders
My doctorate in business administration has allowed me to translate those military lessons into concepts for the corporate world. In the playful competitive games I use in my workshops, my clients discover that the teams that empower one another often win, while those that want to dominate don’t perform as well.
My work also produces a synergistic effect within businesses. If I enlighten one leader about the benefits of group leadership, that effect spreads to the 10 employees they lead, and the professional improvement keeps growing from there.
I’m optimistic that my experiences leading my own team in some of the harshest environments on Earth can help business leaders realize the valuable assets they have in their employees. When everyone contributes, everyone is a leader. That betters people’s lives all the way around.
If my services positively impact how even one person leads, connects to, and interacts with others, I have been fulfilled.
Bringing together the early lessons of my parents, my trials in the Army, and my commitment to empowering corporate teams – that’s what Shared Leadership, LLC is all about.
Intrigued by Will’s experience and expertise?
Intrigued by Will’s experience and expertise?
Leadership FAQ’s.
Leadership FAQ’s.
Leading teams requires intentional acts. Nobody is perfect, and nobody gets it right 100% of the time. Every day you have an opportunity to practice your leadership skills and develop as a leader so that you can positively impact your team.
Will merges the latest academic research with proven applicable practices. He helps bring out your best by listening, learning, and leading you towards your desired goal. Will wants to help you to empower your teams and elevate performance.
As a leader, time is a precious resource. Once it’s spent you don’t get it back. All programs are designed to help you identify where you want to be and provide engaging activities that lead to sustainable learning. We maximize the time spent together during programs. Whether it be one-on-one, in a cohort or team, the setting is built to be a distraction free, safe environment to dive into your goals where you currently are, identify opportunities to take, and clearly capture what you are willing to do to take the next step.
Will stays up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices in corporate training to ensure that our workshops are always relevant and effective.
Schedule a Free 1:1
We will connect, take time to understand your current goals, and ensure we are a good fit. Being aligned and establishing trust is a critical component to working together.
Choose or Create a Program
We offer programs based on your goals and objectives. We help leaders transition into their role. We help teams improve mutual support and communication. We help leaders build teams that embrace shared leadership.
Reach Your Goals
Discovery, insights, and action plans are done during workshops. Accountability and sustained progress is done with our follow-up coaching sessions. The work…that happens between our touchpoints. You will be set up for success!
YES!
Coaching is effective for leaders and teams in every stage of their development. Pairing workshops with follow-up coaching increases the likelihood of sustained transformational change. We don’t believe in one and done approaches. True change and positive development take time. We want to help you take what you learned in the classroom and put it into practice.
- Gaining self-awareness
How leaders lead and how teams interact is a critical input to improve performance. Using a Coack to follow-up will help improve self-awareness through conversations and follow-on learning activities. - Importance of Relationships
Time and again research shows that relationships with management is a top factor in employees’ job satisfaction and organizational performance. Having a Leadership Coach can help you pinpoint opportunities to improve interactions with your team after learning how to structure these critical conversations. - Lower Your Stress
Stress is high, work-life and home-life are blending, and leaders are working hard putting employees first. Working with a Leadership Coach gives you a personal champion to help you navigate an ever changing complex environment long after you leave the classroom.
- Experiential Learning Methods
Learning by doing is FUN and allows for greater knowledge retention. - Trust and Connection
Will creates a psychologically safe environment for candid conversations. - Results through Personal Growth
Together we bring out results achieved through behavior based action plans. - Champion for your Success
Will is proud to serve and provide solutions to help you reach your full potential; helping to bring out the best in you to achieve your goals.
The experiential learning approach incorporates hands-on activities and reflection so you learn by doing. Engaging in activities, discussing how to apply the principles to your work, and reflecting on the process amplifies sustainable change.
Coaching is most effective for, new leaders, leaders who have hit a wall, leaders who are moving into a new role, or teams that want accountability to sustain their growth and development.
Coaching is personal, specific, and focuses on behavior. Coaching occurs in a psychologically safe environment with a focus on getting you results through positive personal growth. Coaching is a great compliment to workshops to sustain learning and achieve team goals.
Depending on your needs, most objectives can be accomplished in 4-8 months. Short burst workshops combined with follow up coaching allow for a partnership for development over time.
The experiential learning approach incorporates hands-on activities and reflection so you learn by doing. Engaging in activities, discussing how to apply the principles to your work, and reflecting on the process amplifies sustainable change.
Coaching is most effective for, new leaders, leaders who have hit a wall, leaders who are moving into a new role, or teams that want accountability to sustain their growth and development.
Coaching is personal, specific, and focuses on behavior. Coaching occurs in a psychologically safe environment with a focus on getting you results through positive personal growth. Coaching is a great compliment to workshops to sustain learning and achieve team goals.
Depending on your needs, most objectives can be accomplished in 4-8 months. Short burst workshops combined with follow up coaching allow for a partnership for development over time.
- Experiential Learning Methods
Learning by doing is FUN and allows for greater knowledge retention. - Trust and Connection
Will creates a psychologically safe environment for candid conversations. - Results through Personal Growth
Together we bring out results achieved through behavior based action plans. - Champion for your Success
Will is proud to serve and provide solutions to help you reach your full potential; helping to bring out the best in you to achieve your goals.
YES!
Coaching is effective for leaders and teams in every stage of their development. Pairing workshops with follow-up coaching increases the likelihood of sustained transformational change. We don’t believe in one and done approaches. True change and positive development take time. We want to help you take what you learned in the classroom and put it into practice.
- Gaining self-awareness
How leaders lead and how teams interact is a critical input to improve performance. Using a Coack to follow-up will help improve self-awareness through conversations and follow-on learning activities. - Importance of Relationships
Time and again research shows that relationships with management is a top factor in employees’ job satisfaction and organizational performance. Having a Leadership Coach can help you pinpoint opportunities to improve interactions with your team after learning how to structure these critical conversations. - Lower Your Stress
Stress is high, work-life and home-life are blending, and leaders are working hard putting employees first. Working with a Leadership Coach gives you a personal champion to help you navigate an ever changing complex environment long after you leave the classroom.
Schedule a Free 1:1
We will connect, take time to understand your current goals, and ensure we are a good fit. Being aligned and establishing trust is a critical component to working together.
Choose or Create a Program
We offer programs based on your goals and objectives. We help leaders transition into their role. We help teams improve mutual support and communication. We help leaders build teams that embrace shared leadership.
Reach Your Goals
Discovery, insights, and action plans are done during workshops. Accountability and sustained progress is done with our follow-up coaching sessions. The work…that happens between our touchpoints. You will be set up for success!
Will merges the latest academic research with proven applicable practices. He helps bring out your best by listening, learning, and leading you towards your desired goal. Will wants to help you to empower your teams and elevate performance.
As a leader, time is a precious resource. Once it’s spent you don’t get it back. All programs are designed to help you identify where you want to be and provide engaging activities that lead to sustainable learning. We maximize the time spent together during programs. Whether it be one-on-one, in a cohort or team, the setting is built to be a distraction free, safe environment to dive into your goals where you currently are, identify opportunities to take, and clearly capture what you are willing to do to take the next step.
Will stays up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices in corporate training to ensure that our workshops are always relevant and effective.