Draft:Norm Smallwood

Norm Smallwood (born August 30, 1954) is a Canadian American figure in business and leadership development. He is known for optimizing human capabilities to enhance organizational value. Smallwood co-founded The RBL Group in 2020 and previously served as a key partner at the Novations Group. He specializes in strategic business initiatives, organization design, and change management.

Early life and education
Smallwood was born on August 30, 1954, in Rivers, Manitoba, Canada. He pursued his undergraduate education at Brigham Young University (BYU), where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and English in 1976. Subsequently, he obtained a Masters of Business from the BYU Marriott School of Management in 1979.

Career
Smallwood’s professional journey has encompassed various roles in organizational effectiveness and leadership development. He started his career at Procter & Gamble in 1979, Smallwood contributed to organizational effectiveness initiatives, laying the groundwork for his future endeavors.

Following his tenure at Procter & Gamble, he served as an OE Advisor at Imperial Oil/Esso Resources from 1979 to 1984. In January 1985, he co-founded Novations Group Inc. Over a period of 15 years, until December 1999, he played a pivotal role in the company, leading initiatives in organizational development and change management.

Later, in January 2000, Smallwood co-founded The RBL Group, where he continues to contribute his expertise in organizational effectiveness and leadership development. With a tenure spanning over 24 years and counting, Smallwood’s role at The RBL Group underscores his enduring commitment to advancing the field of organizational leadership. Additionally, he was a faculty member in executive education at the University of Michigan in the Ross School of Management between 2001 and 2003 and has also served on the HCI board.

Authorship
Smallwood has authored and co-authored eight books, including Real-Time Strategy, Results-Based Leadership, and Leadership Code. His work extends to over a hundred articles published in notable journals and newspapers such as Harvard Business Review, Washington Post, Forbes, and Financial Times. Additionally, he has contributed chapters and forewords to multiple books, significantly impacting the discourse on leadership and organizational studies.

Awards and recognitions

 * Change Driver of the Decade - HR Digest (2024)
 * Lifetime HR Achievement Award - Utah Business magazine (2019)
 * Distinguished Alumni, BYU Department of Organization Behavior

Personal life
Smallwood is married to Tricia, and they have children and grandchildren. The Smallwood home is also shared with a school of koi fish, a Great Dane named Frank, and a Bengal cat named Stein.