Robert T. Whipple

Robert Whipple is CEO of Leadergrow Incorporated, an organization dedicated to development of leaders. He speaks on leadership topics and the development of trust in numerous venues across the country. He also teaches leadership and business classes at several universities. As a leadership coach and business consultant, he works with individual clients as well as large organizations such as government agencies, corporations, and The Rochester Business Alliance. A highly successful leader at Eastman Kodak Company for over 30 years, Mr. Whipple accomplished revolutionary change while leading a division of over 2000 people through the application of outstanding “people” skills.

Mr. Whipple is a student of the leadership process and has developed unique approaches to achieving excellent results through full engagement of people. He is author of three leadership books:

• The Trust Factor: Advanced Leadership for Professionals (2003),

• Understanding E-Body Language: Building Trust Online (2006), and

• Leading with Trust is Like Sailing Downwind (2009)

His ability to communicate pragmatic approaches to building Trust in an entertaining and motivational format has won him top ranking wherever he speaks. Audiences relate to his material enthusiastically because it is simple, yet profound. His work has earned him the popular title of “The TRUST Ambassador.” The Trust Across America organization has named Mr. Whipple one of the top 100 Thought Leaders on Trustworthy Business Behavior.

Mr. Whipple has been published in several Leadership and Training journals including Leadership Excellence Magazine, HR Magazine, and T+D Training + Development Journal. He is a frequent contributor to The Rochester Business Journal and is an active blogger. He was named one of the top 50 thought leaders in the country on the topic of leadership development by Leadership Excellence Magazine. His articles and other information about Leadergrow can be downloaded from the corporate website, www.leadergrow.com. Mr. Whipple also publishes articles on Trust and Leadership through the Evan Carmichael Motivation & Strategies for Entrepreneurs and is currently the #1 rated leadership author with over 280 published articles in the system. Whipple is listed on "Speakerwiki" as an "All Star" rated international speaker and holds a credibility rating as a speaker in the top 5% of over 4000 professional speakers in the system. He is currently the #1 rated speaker on Trust and Transparency.

Mr. Whipple holds a Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Union College, a Masters Degree in Chemical Engineering from Syracuse University, and a Masters of Business Administration from The Simon School at The University of Rochester. He is a Management Quality “Blackbelt” from Eastman Kodak and a Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) from the American Society for Training and Development (recertified in 2011).

He is the past Chair of the National Leadership Development Team of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). He is past president of the local chapter of ASTD and served on the National Advisors for Chapters Team for ASTD. He is a founding member of the OD SIG in Rochester. He is also a member of the Rochester Professional Consultants Network (RPCN), National Human Resource Association (NHRA), and The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). He has done volunteer work through SCORE and the United Way. Mr. Whipple is a member of the Rochester Business Alliance and a member of the Small Business Council. He is also a member of the National Speakers Association and is Treasurer of the New York Chapter of NSA. He is a certified Vistage Speaker and a member of The Global Speakers Federation.

Bob lives with his wife, Kay, in Hilton, New York, a small town outside of Rochester where he has a “gentleman’s farm.” He enjoys doing yard work, stained glass art, and woodworking.

Favorite quote: “The highest calling for any leader is to grow other leaders.”