Susan Cucuzza

Susan coaches executives and senior leaders to increase their leadership effectiveness. She applies the process of intentional change and focuses the executive forward for accountability, action, and success.

Susan Cucuzza is an executive coach and founder of Live Forward LLC. She coaches executives on leadership effectiveness - style and behaviors, 360-degree and stakeholder feedback, succession planning, career pathing, and emotional intelligence. She applies appreciative inquiry, the intentional change process, and authentic leadership to her coaching engagements. In addition to her own coaching business, Susan is a Master Executive Coach through Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management Executive Education programs, and also serves as adjunct faculty in the department.

Prior to launching Live Forward LLC, Susan led HR programs nationally and internationally in Fortune 500 companies for nearly 20 years, with special focus on leadership and talent development. She served on the HR executive team (top HR leaders) at Textron Inc. There she was responsible for succession planning, leadership and organizational development, recruiting, rewards and employee relations for key corporate functions, including international HR responsibilities. She coached key executives in new roles through new leader assimilation, Myers-Briggs, 360-degree feedback, and career development. Susan also designed and led leadership rotational programs, which achieved global recognition with a chairman's award for innovation at Textron. She also led the design of an enterprise-wide career development program for Six Sigma Black Belts, which Susan described in her article in iSixSigma Magazine (March / April 2010).

Previous to Textron, Susan managed workforce development at ArvinMeritor, a Tier One automotive supplier. This included programs for new managers and supervisors (plant and non-plant locations, union and non-union), leadership assessments, employee engagement / involvement, and team building. She also held global leadership roles in HR continuous improvement, performance and rewards, and she was the first corporate employee to become certified in HR continuous improvement / lean. Susan's consulting experience has included managing human capital projects at Deloitte & Touche and KPMG Peat Marwick. Previous to that she was an HR Officer at National City Corporation.

Certifications

Master Certified Coach (MCC)
Board Certified Coach (BCC)
Certified Life Coach (CLC)
Weatherhead Executive Coaching Certificate
Weatherhead Emotionally Intelligent Leader Certificate
Emotional and Social Competency Inventory (ESCI) 360-degree assessment
Lominger Voices® 360-degree assessment
Lominger Leadership Architect®
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI)
Fundamental Interpersonal Relationship Orientation-Behavior® (FIRO-B)
Development Dimensions International (DDI) Interaction Management: Exceptional Leaders (IM:EXLSM)
Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) Green Belt

Education

Master Executive Coach - Case Western Reserve University, Weatherhead School of Management Executive Education
MBA - Case Western Reserve University, Weatherhead School of Management
BA, Business Administration - Baldwin-Wallace College

Associations

International Coach Federation: Current Member and Past Chair, Nominating Committee - Global Board of Directors
International Coach Federation – Cleveland Chapter: Current Member and Past President

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“The coaching sessions were very helpful and insightful. Along with the 360-degree assessment, the ”homework“ and the one-on-one sessions, the process afforded me the opportunity to take stock of my professional and personal life to date, and to gain insight on what really matters to me. This then allowed me to focus on what I really want to do, and how I can best contribute to my work place and to the folks I work with. Susan was very helpful in guiding me through this whole process. And it was all very enjoyable.”

“My coach, Susan, was great! She helped me integrate both my personal and professional goals. This experience has not only benefited my employer with a platform for planning long and short term goals, but also for me personally as I work through work/life balance issues. I found great value in participating in this coaching program.”

“It is very easy to get caught up in daily demands, both personally and professionally. My coaching opportunity came at a time when there was a lot of change going on in my life. The experience reminded me that my ultimate ”ideal self“, which is a blend of both personal and professional goals, should drive me through all of the daily noise of life. The 360 approach to feedback was also important to ensure that I was on the right track to meeting my goals, in the eyes of those around me. It is a great tool to course-correct the areas of opportunity and continue to build the strengths that may be core. The coaching experience was a key component on my personal and professional developmental path.”

“As my Coach and always the true professional, Susan provided valuable feedback based on the results of the ESCI (Emotional and Social Competency Inventory), and it was through her keen and insightful questions that not only provided me a reflection of my core values and aspirations in both work and in life, but also how that has contributed to my career and personal life, Susan kept me focused on how to leverage the same in an effort to grow professionally as a trusted friend and resonant leader.If given the opportunity, I highly recommend considering working with Susan as your professional coach, her professional, warm and friendly approach are second to none.”

“I found Susan to be thoughtful and caring and she did a great job helping me explore my life/work choices. I appreciated that her focus was not only on what was best for my career, but also on what might be best for me as a person.”

“During my tenure at the MetroHealth Systems as Director of Business Development and Network Growth, I had the pleasure and distinct honor of having Susan Cucuzza assigned as my coach for the Weatherhead School of Management’s ”Coaching for Intentional Development“ program provided through Case Western Reserve, providing executives a full 360 degree view and exploration of a person’s ideal self, based on ”anonymous critique“ and feedback provided by peers, subordinates, clients, etc…”