Dr. Sheila Margolis Headshot
Report a problem with this profile
[email protected]

Dr. Sheila Margolis  

An international speaker and author of four books on organizational culture, change and employee engagement

Sheila Margolis helps leaders define organizational culture, manage organizational change, and increase employee engagement. She holds a doctoral degree in Human Resource Development, teaches part-time in the Professional MBA Program at the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University, and is President of the Workplace Culture Institute. She specializes in workplace culture, organizational change, employee engagement, and the strategic use of human resources. As an organizational development expert, Sheila is quoted in newspapers and magazines including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Dr. Margolis is the author of the culture and change management workbook for leaders--Building a Culture of Distinction: Facilitator Guide for Defining Organizational Culture and Managing Change (2010)--and the companion workbook for employees--Building a Culture of Distinction: Participant Workbook for Defining Organizational Culture and Managing Change (2010). She is also co-author of There Is No Place Like Work: Seven Leadership Insights for Creating a Workplace to Call Home (2006). The principles in these books were derived from Margolis’ groundbreaking research that earned the Award for Distinguished Contribution to Human Resource Development Research. She has also written a workbook for job seekersto help people find a meaningful and fulfilling workplace by screening for culture fit. Dr. Margolis conducts culture initiatives with a variety of organizations such as Philips, UPS, Shaw Industries, Acuity Brands, Lotus Cars USA, Decision Sciences Institute, and Cherokee Town and Country Club. She has designed and delivered employee training programs to build high performance work teams for companies such as General Mills, Allied Signal, Tenneco and Reliance Electric. Dr. Margolis is a professional member of the National Speakers Association and speaks regularly at corporate and professional meetings and conferences. She informs audiences on topics such as workplace culture, employee engagement, recruitment and retention, managing change and the human side of mergers and acquisitions. Additionally, she teaches business writing and presentation skills on the MBA level and works with companies in strategic business communications. Dr. Margolis has been published in the Human Resource Development Review, Performance Improvement Quarterly, Training Today magazine, Association Management magazine, AmericanVenture Magazine, Latitude Magazine, and Connections magazine. She also wrote a chapter for the text The Cultural Context of Human Resource Development (2009).

Speech Topics


Alignment At Last: Practicing the Principles that Drive Performance

In this competitive landscape, organizations cannot afford deficiencies in execution. Discover a new way to achieve alignment so your valued and strategic principles are infused throughout the organization. Discover how to define the mission and the distinctive & strategic core values of your company and achieve organizational alignment using the Five Ps. Use this practical and actionable approach so that your organization delivers on its promises and thrives.

Making a Difference: Seeing the Big Picture and Your Role in It

You go to work each day for a reason. No, it’s not just to get a paycheck; it’s also to make a difference. Your daily activities at work are connected, within the fabric of the organization, to other employees, the achievement of goals, and personal and organizational success.

Stop for a moment and look at the big picture. Uncover the “why,” the “how” and the “what” of your organization, and use this knowledge to guide you in achieving meaningful work. You are a vital link in the workplace for your organization. By seeing the big picture, you can understand the value you offer through your work, and discover how to increase that value so you and your organization thrive.

Using Core Culture to Drive Organizational Change

Is everyone in your organization practicing the principles critical to your organization’s success? For example, if your organization needs to be innovative, are your processes and practices driving innovation? In this competitive landscape, organizations cannot afford deficiencies in execution.

Discover a way to focus, unify and align everyone in the organization around a few vital core principles. Learn what principles never change and how to introduce change into the core of your organization’s culture. Use this practical and actionable approach to drive organizational change so that your organization delivers on it promises and thrives.

Engage, Retain, Prosper

Employee engagement is a connection between the worker and work. Engaged employees are committed to the company and willing to put forth extra effort to deliver superior performance. Discover the six Universal Priorities that promote employee engagement. Use the Employee Engagement Audit to assess your company’s level of engagement, the pre-??????engagement threshold motivators and the drivers of engagement. Develop your Employee Engagement Action Plan so that you have a strategy for improving engagement in your organization. Engagement is a responsibility of everyone. Addressing the social and human side of the worker is key to achieving optimal performance. Engaged workers can and do have a profound impact on your company’s success.

Related Speakers View all


More like Sheila