Lisa Achen is an MRG affiliated consultant with over 30 years of experience in public sector Human Resources. Lisa received her Master of Public Policy and Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree in Strategic Management from California State University Sacramento  and attained an Associate of Risk Management (ARM). As a lifelong learner she is currently becoming certified as an Organizational Development Coach.

What should your clients know about you from the start? What is your “superpower”?

I want to make sure that a new client understands me and how seriously I take my work. I want them to walk away with a thorough product that drives their organization in the direction they desire and ensures they have the tools needed to accomplish the end goal.

The most important thing I try to do is start off with a comfortable setting so that we can get to know each other. I get to know their style, help them better understand me, and ensure we collaborate to achieve a successful end result.

Superpower: Adaptability. A lot of times there are things that will come up midstream that neither client nor consultant thought about initially. Understanding that there may be things that need to be addressed in addition to an original project is part of any improvement process. Keeping the lines of communication open so the client also knows to expect the unexpected throughout the project is key while striving to help support strategic outcomes.

Do you have a motto? Is there a phrase that people associate with you?

Help how you can. Continuous improvement is so important, and the sharing of ideas and information is critical to making informed decisions. Sharing previous efforts, projects, results, and ideas allows recommendations to be made that are specific to a client’s effort. I’m striving, on a continuous basis, to be the best person I can be, which in turn allows me to help others achieve their best.

What other career paths have called to you?

Growing up, I planned to be a teacher. And I somehow have done that, through my training and organizational development work with various organizations.

I have always had a calling to help people. Over the course of the last 25 years, I’ve worked with those less fortunate in different parts of the world, whether it’s water filtration, building homes or medical types of efforts. This type of volunteer work fills my cup and gives me hope that the small things I am doing will make a broader impact.

Most recently I reached out to CASA, the Court Appointed Special Advocate program. I’m really intrigued by their mission, and I’d like to become more involved in my local community.

What inspires you about working in the public sector?

When I first started with a public sector human resources department, after eight years in the private sector, my first thought was ‘My gosh, there’s so much that I can do to help change the way things are done’ and I’m still saying that, today. At every job, I take the philosophical approach to look at things from a different lens, identify good ideas, and find ways to make things better.

I also believe that helping leaders better understand the importance of effective communication techniques to help motivate staff is critical. When you have employees who may share ideas and then they don’t get any response from their leadership – or get responses that aren’t necessarily supportive – it can be demoralizing for employees. When staff know their ideas aren’t valued, they stop sharing and a negative undercurrent may surface. Team members need to speak up and share their ideas, and leaders need to listen. I am always focused on helping bring about positive change and helping build stronger teams. Sometimes, this might require direct conversations with leaders on how to say things using positive language to guide their teams toward desired outcomes.  

What made you want to affiliate with MRG?

It was the people on the MRG team.

Quite honestly, I admire and have previously worked with some of the affiliated consultants and I’m looking forward to working with on projects together.

This is a great time for me personally. I’m very lighthearted and enjoy the work I do. It’s great to be able to recognize how my personal and professional attributes/achievements can be helpful to other organizations. Joining MRG allows me to contribute my broad skills attained so other agencies can enhance the services they provide while striving to have fun in the process.  

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