This month marks an incredible milestone: Newberry Solutions has been in business for 17 years! As I reflect on this journey, I’m struck by how much has changed—and how much our core mission has remained constant.
When I launched Newberry Solutions in 2008, just three months before the economic downturn, I simply knew I was passionate about developing high-performing leaders and wanted to create something that could have real impact. Looking back, starting a business right before a recession might seem like terrible timing, but it taught me something invaluable: the power of resilience.
Building Through Challenge
That early lesson in resilience has served us well. Over the past 17 years, we’ve navigated economic uncertainty, a global pandemic and my own battle with cancer. Each challenge forced us to innovate and adapt to our clients’ changing needs.
The creation of our New Lens® platform is a perfect example of this evolution. When I founded Newberry Solutions, I never imagined we’d become a technology company. But as we worked with our clients, we kept hearing the same challenges: Traditional approaches weren't meeting the moment. Organizations needed a way to develop more leaders, not just a select few high performers. They needed solutions that fit into the reality of hybrid work, remote teams and overstretched managers. They needed practical tools that could drive sustainable high performance across their entire organization.
So we built New Lens—a mobile platform that combines the power of coaching with micro-learning, peer connection and real-world application. That's what true innovation looks like: not chasing the latest trend, but solving real problems for real people.
Leadership for the AI-Powered Future
Now, as we look ahead, our mission is more critical than ever. AI transformation is coming at us fast, and it’s putting leaders in completely new territory. While technology will handle many routine tasks, it’s actually heightening the need for uniquely human leadership capabilities.
Leaders will need stronger emotional intelligence to navigate the human side of rapid technological change. They’ll need to be master change agents, helping their teams adapt to evolving workflows and new ways of working. Most importantly, they'll need to focus on the highest-impact work that only humans can do—strategic thinking, relationship building and creative problem-solving. The organizations that invest in developing these human capabilities now will be the ones that succeed when artificial intelligence reshapes entire industries.
Looking Ahead
Throughout this 17-year journey, I've held onto a simple philosophy: Small steps lead to big results. Progress comes from taking one meaningful action at a time.
As I think about the next steps for Newberry Solutions, I'm energized by the possibilities. The challenges our clients face are more complex than ever, but the opportunities to make a real difference are unparalleled. We'll continue innovating, listening and adapting to serve leaders who are navigating uncharted territory.
What won’t change is our commitment to practical, relevant solutions that drive real results. Whether through executive coaching, the New Lens platform or new innovations we haven't imagined yet, we’ll keep focusing on what matters most: helping leaders turn potential into performance.
To everyone who has been part of this 17-year journey—our clients, partners, team members, and supporters—thank you. You’ve made this work possible, and you continue to inspire us to think bigger about what leadership development can accomplish.
Here’s to the next chapter, whatever challenges and opportunities it may bring!
Ready to explore how New Lens® can help develop leaders at your organization? Learn more about our platform or contact us to start a conversation about your leadership development needs.
Don’t wait for performance to drop before taking action. Discover how the New Lens® platform helps organizations support managers with bite-sized, actionable learning—built for today’s fast-paced, high-stress environments.