
Advanced Leadership Program
The TLC team is passionate about perfecting the leadership development process. The Advanced Leadership Program is a result of that passion and dedication. The program’s lead instructor is Dan Stotz, TLC Founder and Managing Partner. The instructional team includes senior executives and there will be guest appearances by professors from several universities.
This leadership development program is based on the Competing Values Framework (CVF) which was named one the Top 20 business models by Financial Times. The CVF was an outcome of the ground-breaking research conducted by Professors Robert E. Quinn and John Rohrbaugh who studied the factors that account for highly effective organizational performance. They discovered that high-performing organizations have learned how to create and deliver value in four primary—and often competing—ways.
The Compete Quadrant: The leadership and value-creation activities are aggressive and forceful in the pursuit of competitiveness. These teams like to do things fast and are held together by goals. The leadership roles and skills covered in TLC leadership programs are:
Leaders as Visionary Directors
- Clarify the Vision and Higher Purpose
- Set SMART and Everest Goals
- Delegate Effectively
Leaders as Respected Producers
- Drive Productivity
- Attract, Develop, and Retain Top Talent
- Manage Time and Stress
The objective is to develop leaders who accelerate success. Visionary leaders who attract and retain the top talent needed to achieve aggressive goals.
The Create Quadrant: The leadership and value-creation activities deal with innovation in the products and services the organization produces. These teams like to do things first and are held together by vision. The leadership roles and skills covered in TLC leadership programs are:
Leaders as Creative Innovators
- Understand the Innovation Process
- Create a Culture of Innovation
- Get the Organization Ready for Change
Leaders as Change Agents
- Clarify the Need for Change
- Master the 7-Step Change Process
- Build and Broker Relationships
The objective is to develop leaders who drive innovation. Creative leaders who discover new ways to make the organization better and new.
The Collaborate Quadrant: The leadership and value-creation activities deal with developing people and building a positive organizational culture. These teams like to do things together and are held together by core values. The leadership roles and skills covered in TLC leadership programs are:
Leaders as Inspiring Communicators
- Communicate with Empathy
- Improve Listening Skills
- Present Inspiring Ideas
Leaders as Relationship Brokers
- Build High-Performing Teams
- Resolve and Leverage Conflict
- The Six Stages of Cultural Mastery
The objective is to develop leaders who inspire collaboration. Caring leaders who build professional relationships that forge unbreakable trust.
The Control Quadrant: The leadership and value-creation activities include pursuing continuous improvement by perfecting the core processes. These teams like to do things right and are held together by processes. The leadership roles and skills covered in TLC leadership programs are:
Leaders as Data Storytellers
- Understand Data Analytics
- Master the Art of Storytelling
- Develop and Present the Data Story
Leaders as Project Champions
- Define the Project Scope
- Monitor Schedules and Budgets
- Communicate with Stakeholders
The objective is to develop leaders who deliver quality. Adaptive leaders who continuously improve the core processes that ensure high-quality outcomes.
Excellent leaders understand the importance of continually communicating, and clarifying, the organization’s higher Purpose and then developing the Practices and hiring the People needed to achieve the higher purpose.
The TLC Collaborators
We are dedicated to helping organizations achieve success by developing innovative, inspiring, and caring leaders. Everyone on the TLC team has extensive experience as program designers, instructors, and coaches. We specialize in leadership development, innovation, change management, cultural transformation, and human capital strategy.

Dan Stotz, M.S. is the TLC Founder and Managing Partner. He has dedicated his entire career to helping people reach their full potential as leaders, innovators, and change-makers. Dan is well known for his expertise in designing leadership development programs that blend the flexibility, and fun, of gamified online learning with the power of classroom action learning. Dan has worked with dozens of clients including GE, NASA, the FBI Crime Labs, Cox Enterprises, NCR, and the Wellstar Health System. He is a highly-rated MBA instructor and has over 100,000 people enrolled in his Coursera programs on the subjects of business model innovation and successful career development.

Lynn Stotz is the Chief Financial Officer for The Leadership Collaborative. She leads the TLC finance, operations, and legal teams and is responsible for the project management, administration, and contracting processes. Lynn has 30+ years experience as a senior executive and successful entrepreneur. She is co-owner of I.J. Kapplin, LLC, one of the oldest commercial real estate firms in Atlanta. I.J. Kapplin, LLC specializes in asset management and sales for family owned commercial real estate holdings. Lynn takes pride in developing the processes needed to ensure TLC’s success. She earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Economics from Georgia State University.

Steve Olson, PhD is an award winning instructor, a Rollins Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and President of Generative Consulting. He has extensive experience consulting, training, and coaching senior executives on the topics of values-based leadership, innovation, corporate culture, change management, diversity and inclusion. Steve also forged and led a partnership with the Great Places to Work Institute. Steve’s clients regularly appear on Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For,” including the #1 Best Place to Work (2000). Clients include: Atlanta Falcons, AT&T, Cox Enterprises, Curtiss-Wright, Kaiser-Permanente, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Panasonic, Piedmont Health, and the United States Marine Corps.

Yvette Cook Darby is a certified leadership coach and a proficient business strategist with over 20 years of experience developing leaders within top-tier organizations. As the Founder of Doyenne Coach, she uses positive psychology as the basis of her coaching. She has witnessed great success with this approach to enhance the culture of organizations through coaching and supporting leadership team members into achieving higher levels of performance. Yvette specializes in unlocking potential, allowing her clients to experience the breakthroughs that boost productivity. She has a track record in creating outcomes that are impactful, responsive, and innovative. She is a mentor to emerging leaders, and a sought-after moderator and speaker.

Jamie Bunch, M.B.A., is a highly respected pioneer in the Learning and Development profession. Driven by her passion for the learner, the client’s business objectives, and the learning process, she creates innovative teaching and learning solutions that deliver positive business results. Jamie has worked in large corporations such as AT&T, IHG, and Mars contributing to the growth of employees and leaders through a myriad of learning
solutions. She is the Founder and Chief Learning Nerd for The Learning Bunch consulting company. Jamie states: “I joined the TLC team to become part of something big and meaningful.”

Bob Collins has over 35 years of measurable results in manufacturing, biotech, healthcare, food services, entertainment and professional sports with operations in Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. As a trusted advisor to numerous CEOs and Boards, Bob ensures that the c-suite is aligned with an innovative workplace culture and is directly linked to talent strategies and business operations. He has helped his clients execute growth plans, integrate acquisitions, and access new markets that grew revenues by 600% and created an EPS CAGR of 32%. Bob serves as Chair, Board of Trustees of Mount Pisgah Church and is the past Board Chair of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM)-Atlanta Chapter.

Everett Darby is a Partner at Growth River Consulting where he specializes in creativity and innovation. Everett, in collaboration with Steve Olson and Dan Stotz, developed the Certified Professional Innovator (CPI) program that helps leaders at all levels create a culture that improves and accelerates the innovation process. At Growth River, his work centers on developing leaders and teams who understand that businesses grow at the speed their leaders develop. He partners with leaders of large to mid-size enterprises to resolve a common constraint to business team performance; the capability of business leaders to lead change. Everett is former VP of Innovation at The Coca-Cola Company and held numerous senior level roles at The NutraSweet Company and Monsanto.

Robin Dorff, PhD brings more than 35 years of experience in higher education, business entrepreneurship, and strategic leadership development to the TLC team. A student, teacher and practitioner of strategy and strategic leadership, Robin was the first civilian to serve as Department Chairman (National Security and Strategy) at the Army War College, advising senior military, political, and business leaders. In higher education, he served as Provost/VP of Academic Affairs, and as Dean (College of Humanities and Social Sciences). He retired from Plymouth State University in 2020. Robin brings a breadth and depth of experience in applied leadership excellence combined with extensive teaching and coaching expertise.

Holly Firestine, Executive MBA, SHRM-SCP has over 20 years of leadership within the healthcare industry. Her unique combination of talents and entrepreneurial-minded business approach to human resources, enables her to draw upon her diverse career experience to lead teams through the creation and advancement of interwoven business and people strategies to win in the marketplace and create best places to work. Serving twice as the first Chief People Officer for employers, Holly is a nationally recognized executive and speaker known throughout the profession as an innovator and transformer of the human resource function. Holly’s strategies and initiatives directly contributed to a $1.5B pediatric health system being named a Top 100 Best Place to Work in the country.







Virginia Means, SHRM-SCP, SPHR is the Chief People Officer for United Distributors and the past Board Chair for both SHRM-Atlanta and the HR Leadership Forum. She is a highly-respected thought leader in the areas of human capital strategy, talent acquisition, talent development, total rewards, and employee engagement. Virginia specializes in aligning people solutions with business strategy by evaluating, designing, and implementing innovative HR partnerships and service-delivery models. She has extensive experience in executive coaching, organizational design and effectiveness, and multidimensional performance management techniques.

Tywana Minor, SHRM-SCP, SPHR is an accomplished and purpose-driven human resource leader with diverse experiences spanning various industries. She is known for leading with a people first mindset and being a trusted advisor. She has an extensive background in talent management, leadership, employee relations, workforce planning and co-collaborating with the business to deliver meaningful results. She has a passion for enabling inclusive work environments and giving back to the community. Tywana is a two-time Past President of SHRM-Atlanta and she currently serves on the board for Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency, the diversity task force for SHRM National and is a commissioner on her city’s social justice racial and equity commission. Tywana is a certified life coach and a proud graduate of Clark Atlanta University.
