Founder, Chairman – The Inventure GroupFounder and Chairman of The Inventure Group, a coaching and consulting firm in Minneapolis, MN, Richard has a worldwide practice working with leaders from organizations such as AARP, Caterpillar, Ericsson, Habitat for Humanity, MetLife, Pfizer and PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
Richard is consistently rated as one of the top executive educators and coaches in the world. He is ranked by Forbes as one of the “Top 5” most respected executive coaches, by Linkage as one of the “Top 50” executive coaches, and by the Conference Board as a “legend in coaching.”
As a speaker and seminar leader, he has taught over 100,000 executives from 50 corporations worldwide. He is an Executive Fellow at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management and is a guest lecturer in the Harvard Business School’s General Management Program and Duke Corporate Education’s Global Resource Network.
Richard is the author of eight books, including three best sellers, and his work has been translated into 21 languages. Repacking Your Bags and The Power of Purpose are considered classics in the personal development field. Claiming Your Place at the Fire andSomething to Live For, have been touted as breakthrough books on “positive aging.” He is a contributing author to many leading edge coaching books, including: Coaching for Leadership, The Art and Practice of Leadership Coaching, Executive Coaching for Results, The Leader of the Future, and The Organization of the Future.
Richard holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling and is a Nationally Certified Master Career Counselor. He is a Senior Fellow at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Spirituality and Healing where he is a founder of The Purpose Project. As a commentator on “life work” issues, Richard appears in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and USA Today, and on PBS public television, NPR public radio and other media sources.
A pioneer and leader in the field of coaching, Richard is widely recognized for his leading edge work on helping people discover “the power of purpose.” His work received recognition from the Bush Foundation, from which he was awarded a Bush Fellowship to study “purposeful aging.” He was named a “Distinguished Alumni” by Gustavus Adolphus College and to the “Hall of Fame” at Central High School in St. Paul, MN.
Along with his professional pursuits, Richard has led annual Inventure Expedition walking safaris in Tanzania, East Africa for 27 years.
Speeches / Presentations
- “Creating Meaning in Your Life and Work: The Power of Purpose,” Pfizer World Wide Human Resources Conference, Mystic, CT
- “Working On Purpose in a Changing World,” University of Minnesota 19th Biennial Alumni Institute Medical Health Administrators Alumni Association/Foundation, Minneapolis
- “Repacking Your Bags for the Good Life,” American Express Financial Advisors’ Women Venture Conference, Minneapolis
- “The Power of Purpose,” Strategic Executive Education Network Conference, Boston
- “What Do I Want Out of the Second Half of My Life and Work?” The Stewards First Annual Gathering, Santa Monica, CA
- “Working On Purpose in a Changing World,” Nippon Wilson Learning Client Conference, Tokyo
- “Repacking Your Bags: Igniting the Spirit of Growth and Renewal,” Quality Leadership Conference, Fairview Health Systems, Minneapolis
