Duncan Ferguson

Duncan comes to Scherer, Schneider and Paulick and has 22 years of broad based business and human resources management experience, including ten years as a senior HR leader with BP-Amoco and GATX Corporation.

Strong interpersonal communication skills coupled with a sincere, enthusiastic interest in assisting people helped Duncan build trust and develop great working relationships with individuals. Because of these characteristics he was sought out as an internal coach and consultant by several mid and senior level executives in both BP-Amoco and GATX. His internal coaching 'engagements' range from the facilitation of formal 360 degree feedback processes to numerous 'sounding board' discussions regarding leadership style and organizational issues.

Duncan couples his significant organizational experience with his unique leadership insight to help individuals see the value that they currently do and potentially can provide both to the business and the employees around them.  Using assessments, feedback and discussion, Duncan helps people better see their 'offer' (their distinctive combination of skills, experience and characteristics) while also helping them understand how to better leverage these strengths within the organization.

Duncan has had coaching assignments with firms such as Exelon, TruServe, BP, GATX, Ernst and Young, Amsted and Bank One.  These engagements have ranged from individual executive development to high potential and career management coaching.  Some highlights include:

• Coaching ten high potential leaders in conjunction with a newly introduced leadership development and succession planning process

• Coaching a leader as he assumed a new and significantly more senior role in his organization

• Coaching a high potential leader to help him align himself with future promotional opportunities

• Coaching three senior managers to help them better align themselves with their organization's leadership competency model

In addition to internal coaching, Duncan has coached several leaders, across many disciplines, through the transition process with SSP.  He also facilitates our College Transitions workshops.  He is certified for the Leadership Effectiveness Assessment and Myers Briggs assessment instrument.

Duncan grew up in Michigan and received both his Masters (MA, Labor and Industrial Relations) and Bachelors (BA, Economics) degrees from Michigan State University. He moved to Chicago in 1979 and currently resides in the southern suburbs with his wife and two teen-aged sons.