Stephen Balzac

Stephen R. Balzac, "The Business Sensei," is a consultant, professional speaker, and psychology professor. He is the president of 7 Steps Ahead, LLC, (www.7stepsahead.com) a consulting firm specializing in helping businesses get unstuck and transform problems into opportunities.

Steve's background in engineering, psychology, martial arts, and competitive sports makes him a popular speaker on topics ranging from leadership, motivation, team building, interviewing skills, and sport performance to computer game design. His articles have appeared in a number of journals, including The Journal of Interactive Drama, The IBM Systems Journal, Mass High Tech, Enterprise Management Quarterly, The CEO Refresher, The Journal of Corporate Recruiting Leadership, Analog SF/F and the Worcester Business Journal.

Steve is a contributing author to "Ethics and Game Design: Teaching Values Through Play." He is the author of "The 36-Hour Course in Organizational Development," in which he draws heavily on his experiences as an engineer, manager, and consultant. His next book, "Organizational Psychology for Managers," is due out in late 2013. He is a frequent guest on radio shows including Motivational Minds and Leadership Radio, and is quoted in a variety of publications including the NY Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Steve served on the board of the New England Society of Applied Psychology (NESAP) and is the president of the Society of Professional Consultants (SPC). No stranger to the challenges of achieving peak performance under competitive and stressful conditions, he holds a fifth degree black belt in jujitsu and is a former nationally ranked competitive fencer.

Building effective development organizations, improving team morale, focus, and enthusiasm, developing effective communications between team members, reducing employee turnover, helping businesses identify and attain strategic targets, and applying sport psychology techniques to business have been some of his most successful projects.

Steve blogs irregularly at http://www.TheBusinessSensei.com.