About Us
Why We Exist
We increase awareness , so individuals and groups interact in ways that improve their lives and fortunes.
What We Do
The principals and affiliates of Strategic Positioning, Inc. bring broad successful business experience, an intense curiosity, exceptional tools, and a passion to serve to every engagement. Our programs are unique to the client situation and are relationships rather than events. We focus on creating a healthy organization through behavioral awareness and change.
What we believe in
- Personal engagement: We engage personally with each client to solve their unique problems within their own styles and culture.
- Telling the truth: With love in all situations.
- Doing excellent work: Adequate or good enough, ISN’T!
How we help you make money, save money, save time, reduce risk an feel good.
In Business: Successful Transitions and Transformations
For Individuals: Life Transitions & Personal Coaching
Strategic Positioning, Inc. is registered with the State of Texas as a Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) and is a woman owned Texas Corporation.
The Principals and affiliates of Strategic Positioning, Inc are Certified Master Birkman Consultants
What our clients say
Good morning - I wanted to take a quick minute to tell you how grateful I am that you were available and willing to walk our team through the Healthy Team session. I believe we had some real break through and had a great follow up session Friday morning where we had the opportunity to use the tools you gave us to walk through a tough discussion. We have a long ways to go but I believe you have helped us get on a better path.
I so appreciate you, your wisdom, and your leadership.
COO of a Human connection company
Many people ask why I have had such unbelievable success in my career. Outside of prayer I know without a doubt it is because a woman cared enough to show up with a loaf and seven fishes and see the possibilities in me.
Director of operations, Business information company
My experience with SPI continues to provide me value with each conversation. I’ve worked with a number of consultants and tools and none compare to the solution they provide. Jim and Genia are an important part of ensuring we have the right team headed into the future. I’d recommend their services to any business at any stage of the business growth curve.
CEO Heavy Manufacturing Company
“… the best business decisions are made by strong management teams — and the most important word is team. Not only does Blue Sage look for management teams with complementary skills, they also look for complimentary personalities within those teams. All the employees at Blue Sage have had Birkman personality profiles done and their portfolio companies do the same.”
Texas CEO magazine, Private Equity Client CEO.
Wanted to say thank you again for the (Team Development) session Wednesday. Very powerful stuff and can tell you the leadership team has already shared and implemented some of this with their teams. In fact, I was in a team meeting yesterday where we used not only the process of communicating with the sellers in what we felt was their “usual” behavior but also “Fists of Five” successfully and today, I’m excited to say, the team has 100% bought in (to) something we’ve honestly been struggling to get the team behind 100%.
Truly amazing and can’t wait to see what the upcoming months mean to my team. Thank you again for this and we’ll continue to provide feedback on this success.
Sales Leader, Austin Texas
Dear SPI,
We have used many personality assessment and management tools over the years; however, the Birkman method has provided the first meaningful tool that can be used on a daily basis. Rather than placing individuals in boxes that often have negative connotations, the Birkman method uncovers how people interact and how they hear. Through the Birkman method, I have gained an appreciation for the strengths and, more importantly, the needs of others. We now refer to people as being “red” (need to get things done), “green” (need to talk about issues), “yellow” (need to figure out a process) or “blue” (need some space to think). The most surprising result from going through this process has been the clear insight into my own needs and behaviors, helping me identify activities that are fast, effective stress reducers. Thanks for showing us the path.
Marketing Director,
National Recognition Product Company
"SPI provided invaluable tips, suggestions, and advice for a board presentation which we subsequently won. In the final analysis, winning is not usually comprised of the big things, but a hundred little things. The SPI consultants knows about the hundred little things."
Vice President of Sales, Real Estate Investment Firm.
Dear SPI,
Thank you so much for facilitating our Birkman Method session last week!
It’s empowering for all of us to have so much insight into each other’s personalities and needs. By helping us work more effectively as a team, you are helping us better serve children in need and making this an all-around great place to work. Thanks again for sharing your talents with us!
The Explore Austin Staff
It goes without saying, your contribution to our first-ever DSM “Open House” Orientation last week was invaluable.
What we were able to share with the group – through The Birkman Method and the understanding of individual personality profiles – will truly have lasting impact.
VP Sales, KIA USA
Our Team
Genia Logan Blanchard, President
Genia has spent the last 35 years developing individual and collective leaders to maximize their performance. In this time the business landscape has changed with multiple age cohorts in business together, different values driving corporate performance and new forms of personal interaction being introduced and adopted at an amazing rate. In order to continue to serve her clients and satisfy her curiosity, she has spent the last ten years actively observing and studying the changes in individual and collective behavior these demographic changes are creating. From this work she has developed strong insights into the motivation of the different generations and how they can work more effectively together. Recognizing the struggle within companies as the generations begin to converge, she has developed, using the Birkman Method, ways to facilitate deeper understanding and better results. Her focus is creating bridges between different cultures and generations to work toward “healthy organizations”. Genia's business experience is broad and deep. She trained Native Americans, ran a small manufacturing plant, edited architectural magazines, and coached CEOs. She has worked in multiple countries and cultures and with all age leaders and teams. Her consulting clients range from Fortune 50 to start ups. This experience has given her the opportunity to be personally involved in every facet of leading and operating a business, including marketing, advertising, administration and production. From these experiences, Genia has developed an innate sense of the how to grow and develop leaders in today’s complex business environment. Genia taught Professional Practices in the design school at UCLA. Her programs on Leadership Team Development have been used by both for profit and non-profit organizations. Genia lives in Austin, Texas with her partner and husband Jim where she is active in civic, church and school activities.
Jim Blanchard, Principal
For over 40 years, Jim has been developing individual and collective leaders to maximize their performance. In this time, the business landscape has changed, creating many leadership teams without alignment around purpose and values reducing their effectiveness. Jim’s passion is to support leaders in finding their purpose, and the values that are common to their organization and assisting them with clarity which leads directly to productivity, profitability, and personal and organizational growth.
Jim has learned and practiced leadership skills and awareness at 3M, Xerox, and Prudential. His experience ranges from first line sales management to the executive leadership team of a multibillion investment management organization. He has led marketing for internal and external start ups and was part of a team that planted a new business in Japan. He has also started and runs a small business.
As a consultant Jim has facilitated executive team alignment, leadership skills training, and the development of team purpose, clarity and psychological safety. Using the Birkman Personal Style Assessment and 360 tools, he creates personal development plans for members of executive teams and coaches them individually toward gap closure and increased efficiency.
His broad business background and situational awareness allows him to quickly assess developmental needs and apply the correct tools and coaching to improve performance and job satisfaction. He has worked and consulted in both small and large organizations at all levels of leadership and identified business solutions in many different industries.
Jim has lived in Los Angeles, the New York City area and now in Austin, Texas with his partner and wife, Genia where he is active in church, civic and school activities.
Affiliates of Strategic Positioning, inc.
John Goodwin
Mary Lynn Patton
Mary Lynn Patton
Mentor. Highly relational and market-oriented consultant, Board member. As corporate executive in global and early stage companies, venture investor, and consultant--John has substantial and broadly-based domestic and international business experience, frequently tapping his wide range of contacts in the US, Canada, Western Europe, India
Mentor. Highly relational and market-oriented consultant, Board member. As corporate executive in global and early stage companies, venture investor, and consultant--John has substantial and broadly-based domestic and international business experience, frequently tapping his wide range of contacts in the US, Canada, Western Europe, India and China.
John developed his capabilities with global companies (Dunlop, Alcan, Ernst&Ernst, and MacMillan Bloedel--he was "chief of staff" for the COO) and then in early stage applied technology enterprises (public and private).
John was educated at the University of British Columbia, UCLA (The Anderson School) and the LSE (London School of Economics).
Specialties: • Mentor and trusted advisor to leaders
• Birkman Personal Style Profiles as Certified professional for the Birkman Method
• Independent corporate Director
• Building and refocussing management teams
• Issue-oriented strategic planning and actions
• Orchestrating “outside the box” strategic thinking, ensuring decisions and actions to achieve
• Acquisitions and strategic alliances—orchestrate and realizing results
• Commercializing new products, entering new markets
Mary Lynn Patton
Mary Lynn Patton
Mary Lynn Patton
Dr. Mary Lynn Patton
Mary Lynn is a licensed psychologist that lives full time in Mexico. She is an active consultant for the USMBA and LLM advising program in Mexico City. She is a Certified Birkman Consultant that mentors the talented young adults going through the application process for admissions to advanced study programs in the US
Dr. Mary Lynn Patton
Mary Lynn is a licensed psychologist that lives full time in Mexico. She is an active consultant for the USMBA and LLM advising program in Mexico City. She is a Certified Birkman Consultant that mentors the talented young adults going through the application process for admissions to advanced study programs in the USA, Canada, and Europe from Mexico. Mary Lynn's background is in Education and her dissertation topic upon graduation from University of Houston was on "Creativity and Regression in the Service of the Ego”. She and Dr. Birkman became friends with their mutual interest in Education and Creativity.
She lives with her husband in Tepoztlán, Morelos where she is an active hiker, biker, and follower of yoga. She has also written children's books that can be found on the Apple eBooks website by typing in Apple Books for Mary Lynn Patton “Sounds of Mexico”.
John Steck
Mary Lynn Patton
John Steck
John Steck
John Steck is a seasoned executive with extensive experience as a CEO, having successfully built and operated a manufacturing company. During his leadership, John fostered a Healthy Organization and a high-performing leadership team by introducing lean manufacturing principles and driving process improvement across key busin
John Steck
John Steck is a seasoned executive with extensive experience as a CEO, having successfully built and operated a manufacturing company. During his leadership, John fostered a Healthy Organization and a high-performing leadership team by introducing lean manufacturing principles and driving process improvement across key business functions. He led the company through to a successful sale.
Before that, John spent nearly a decade with Danaher, overseeing more than 1,000 professionals across 28 countries. His leadership was marked by operational excellence and the implementation of effective strategies that enhanced productivity and performance. John attended the Darden School of Business prior to Danaher, and still feels most at home along the coast of southeast Virginia.
John is deeply passionate about helping others thrive. He believes that in today’s complex business landscape, human capital is an organization's most valuable asset. He focuses on creating purpose-driven, healthy environments where people can grow and contribute meaningfully. His approach is rooted in his engineering background, entrepreneurial education, and extensive leadership experience.
Now partnering with Strategic Positioning, Inc. (SPI), John brings his expertise in building and maintaining Healthy Organizations to SPI’s proven methodologies. Together, they are committed to transforming teams and organizations by fostering environments where people collaborate, innovate, and succeed.
John is known for his high energy, hands-on leadership style, and his ability to simplify complex challenges. He enjoys working directly with people, influencing and persuading them toward a shared vision, and creating spaces where everyone’s contribution is valued. His straightforward approach, coupled with a passion for making lives better, defines his unique leadership style.