Who We Are
Have you ever wondered why we invest so much in leadership training, only to see so little of it translate back to the office? We send our managers away for days, arm them with binders full of theory, and hope they return transformed. Yet, more often than not, the binders gather dust, and the old habits remain.
There’s a scientific reason for this, first identified by a psychologist named Hermann Ebbinghaus over a century ago. He called it the "Forgetting Curve." It's a simple, humbling truth: our brains are wired to forget. Without immediate, repeated reinforcement in the right context, new knowledge simply evaporates. The daily pressures of the job—the strategic demands from above and the operational fires from below—don't just leave little time for new habits; they actively accelerate the forgetting.
But what if we've been looking at the problem all wrong? What if the solution isn't to cram more theory into a manager's head, but to change the very environment in which they learn and lead?
This question is at the heart of why Topstone Consulting exists.
We once saw a manager who had already decided to quit. She was disengaged, frustrated, and saw no future in her role. But then, a new leader arrived who introduced a small, almost trivial-seeming change: a culture of genuine professional respect and psychological safety. It wasn't a complex methodology. It was a fundamental human interaction. And the result? That manager didn't just stay. Over the next five years, she was promoted twice, becoming one of the organization's most valuable leaders.
This is the kind of outlier result that reveals a hidden truth. The tipping point for great leadership isn't found in a textbook; it's forged in moments of connection, trust, and practical application.
This Isn't Training; It's a Different Way of Thinking
Conventional wisdom in training has focused on filling seats rather than changing behaviors. It's an industrial model applied to human development—efficient to deliver, but disconnected from the messy reality of how people actually grow as leaders.
Our approach is built on a series of deliberate, counterintuitive choices:
- The Power of Small: We cap our cohorts at 9 participants or less. Why? Because true transformation requires a high-touch environment. It’s a space where every voice is heard, challenges are addressed personally, and anonymity—the enemy of engagement—is impossible. It’s where you don't just learn a theory; you pressure-test it against your real-world problems with a small circle of trusted peers.
- The Practitioner’s Insight: Our guidance comes from theory and practice, with over 20 years in the trenches—building tech teams, navigating complex turnarounds, and facing the same daily challenges you do. We focus on what works, not what sounds good in a presentation, because we've seen firsthand how managers become the critical
fulcrum of an organization. With the right support, they can be the pivotal point where a small shift creates massive positive leverage. Without it, they can inadvertently bring the most brilliant strategies to a halt.
- A Synergy of People-Centered Design: We noticed that the most powerful frameworks for success—whether it's Design Thinking, Change Management, or performance coaching— all share a common thread: they put people at the heart of the solution. We don't just teach you how to manage change; we explore the human side of why people resist or embrace it. We don't just discuss innovation; we teach people to approach problems the way designers do—starting with the human experience. We don't just deliver coaching interventions; we create continuous feedback loops that make improvement a natural part of daily work.
From Possibility to Reality
We believe great managers build bridges—between people, ideas, and possibilities. Great leaders turn those possibilities into realities. Our single-minded focus is on creating an engaging learning environment that beats the Forgetting Curve and produces practical results.
This is your investment in turning pivotal managers into transformational leaders. It's how you build the strategic capability to lead through uncertainty instead of just surviving it.
The question isn't whether change is coming—it's whether your leaders will be ready to shape it. Let's turn your managers into the fulcrum that moves your entire organization forward.
- Founder: Mark Jacaman
- Experience: Over 20 years in technology and people leadership, specializing in implementing technology, process improvement, driving change, improving service delivery, and building high-performing teams.
- Focus: Empowering technology leaders, managers, and directors to unlock potential, empower teams, manage and sustain change, and increase innovation with solutions designed for challenges in higher education, utilities, and small businesses.
- Core Services: Change Management, Operational Coaching®, Design Thinking, and IT Service Management Consulting.
- Certifications: Stanford LEAD (Corporate Innovation), PMP (Project Management Professional), CCMP (Certified Change Management Professional), ITIL Expert, Certified Customer Experience Professional (CPP), Six Sigma Greenbelt, and Certified Management of Risk (M_o_R).
- Approach: Collaborative, value-focused consulting and training designed to drive impactful and sustainable change.
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