About
Gigi Woodruff LLC
About Gigi
Gigi holds a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership with an emphasis in Servant Leadership from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington and an undergraduate degree from Austin College in Sherman, Texas where she graduated with honors. She is an adjunct faculty member for Springfield College, Houston campus, where she has taught courses such as Leading Organizational Change, Business Ethics, and Human Rights. Gigi is certified as an Advanced Governance Consultant with BoardSource and holds multiple certifications as an executive coach.
Until Gigi expanded her consulting company to a full-time enterprise in 2020, she served as the Director, Leadership Development & Board Governance at the YMCA of the USA. There she focused her attention on developing executive and volunteer development initiatives to advance a leader’s competence and confidence.
Gigi began her work in the YMCA as a volunteer in Dallas after graduating college, She has held positions in all levels of program management, Executive Director in both Dallas and Conroe Texas and served as the Vice President for Program Development and Staff Training in Houston prior to joining YUSA.
Gigi is an active volunteer in her hometown serving Education for Tomorrow Alliance, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and is the co-chair for a mentoring program for young women at Conroe High School established by the Executive Women’s Alliance. She also serves as a board member for EWA.
I believe in the capacity of people to leverage their gifts and strengths to change this world for the better and I am honored to be trusted as partner on the journey…
How to Proceed—How to Succeed
Gigi’s style as a consultant is rooted deeply in co-creating solutions – holding space for honest and even challenging dialogue. She possesses an inherent ability to get to the heart of any matter by asking catalytic and often challenging questions using appreciative inquiry to frame the opportunity being faced.
Gigi becomes your thinking partner – identifying the problems, uncovering root causes and limiting beliefs held about an issue and then framing possible strategies for overcoming obstacles and achieving or even exceeding goals.
Going Beyond Merely Enhancing Your Career
A comprehensive study of one of Gigi’s past programs, a National Executive Preparatory Institute (EPI) revealed that 99% of participants said that not only did the program enhanced their career but that their work with Gigi changed their life.
People who work with Gigi develop their willingness to be open and vulnerable. They have heightened capacity to share their own personal strengths, weaknesses, and mistakes. As a part of this humility, they deepen their openness to other’s perspectives as well as a desire to listen to and learn from others.
Gigi helps to heighten a professional’s curiosity and openness to learning. Those who work with her have a willingness to be challenged and to sit with discomfort and disequilibrium. Graduates of her programs report experiencing a significant shift toward reflection and curiosity in their work.
Gigi believes a leader’s primary role is to empower and inspire. She inspires others to have faith in the ability and gifts of others. Following her programs, participants report having an increased sense of value in people and an enhanced ability to see and leverage an individual’s strengths.
Gigi also inspires others to have a strong commitment to values-based leadership, specifically in the form of leading with integrity, honesty and a commitment to advancing the organization’s or individual’s mission. Those who work with her say they deeply understand what it really means to be a values-driven leader. She enhances their understanding of how to truly live that style of leadership aligned with their values.
Perhaps most importantly, Gigi’s work facilitates truly inclusive environments. Those who work with her learn to more authentically and effectively value the voices and perspectives of others. They seek out and listen to perspectives different from their own. They practice teamwork and place value on working together to accomplish goals. They also value people of all backgrounds and perspectives. Graduates carry these principles of valuing voices and relationships forward, and see the potential impact on the organization at large.
Gigi is in a class by herself as a leader who inspires transformational change, whether through her outstanding expertise in nonprofit board governance; as powerful facilitator of large- and small-group leadership gatherings; as a developer of compelling professional-development experiences for leaders at all levels; or as trusted and esteemed executive coach. Gigi’s exceptional reputation and impact span her professional work and her wide-ranging community volunteerism, about which she is a passionate advocate. She is an innovative thinking partner and an excellent collaborator on any initiative designed to instigate positive change.