I'm Louis Carter
But if it’s simpler, you can just call me Lou.
I want to help you future-proof your business.
I’ll never stop beating the drum for your success. I am passionate about helping you tap into your motivation for doing what you do. When leaders are in-tune with their purpose and in alignment with their values, those attributes can be effectively adopted throughout the organization to create a workplace that is loved, both by its employees, as well as its customers.
How I began down this path:
After 9/11, I was in New York earning my master’s degree in organizational leadership at Columbia University. At the time, it did not require any special insight to understand why so many of us in the city and across the country felt bereft and alone in our grief and loss. As a way to connect with others and exchange emotional support, I created and facilitated a campus drum circle that suddenly became popular around New York City. It was transformative for me to see how creating an emotional connection with other drummers based on shared values and interests can align and motivate people in a very positive way. I look at drumming as a tool that helps people shed the exterior veneers that get in the way of connecting with each other on an emotional level. Instead of constantly striving or comparing accomplishments (how much money you make, what kind of car you drive, if you own a vacation home, and so on), we are all the same in the context of a drum circle. We all become drummers.
In the years since, I’ve found the best, most effective organizations work a lot like drum circles.
Here’s why:
A drum circle involves complex, dynamic relationships. Although a facilitator (read CEO) initiates the beat, more players can begin to fit in and express their own rhythms. It is important to leave space for others to introduce ideas, showcase their talents, and to engage in conversations. There is a crucial need to listen just as much as you play, support changes in tempo and volume, and show mutual respect for all players. When the drummers fit into the groove of the collective, it creates a powerful yet intimate experience of unity and community.
In essence, this is what my work strives for each and every day.
Mutual respect, collaborative conversations, and collective trust, all leading to better performance and organizational achievement.
You need an expert with a proven track-record to guide your company to achieve its ultimate mission. I’m your guy.
There’s no room for discontent. Gather ‘round and let’s beat this drum together.
My fancy schmancy, professional bio:
Louis Carter is a trailblazer in the field of organizational development with his groundbreaking research in the area of emotional connection as a means to create positive, values-based movements inside of organizations to drive peak performance- where people bring their whole self to work. His organizational culture programs have impacted millions of employees worldwide for most of the Fortune 500 and more such as Corning, Pfizer, Volvo, FRBNY, Kimberly Clark, Bank of America, KeyBank, NYSE, GSK, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Boston Scientific, Merck, J&J, BMS, Aramco, Equinor, Madison Square Garden, Springfield Healthcare Clinic, the United Nations and many others.
Founder and CEO of the Best Practice Institute and CEO Executive coach, Carter is the author of 11 books in leadership and management and the recipient of numerous accolades, including the top 10 Global Guru award in Organizational Culture, top products award by HRTech, top leadership executive by Leadership Excellence Magazine, ELearning! Magazine’s Trailblazer Award, and was chosen out of 16,000 applicants as one of 100 executive coaches to be in the Marshall Goldsmith MG100 group.
He created the Emotional Connectedness Index (ECI) and Emotionally Connected Leader 360 (ECL360) and has conducted extensive research on what makes a Most Loved Workplace. He is also the creator of skillrater, a next-generation SaaS anytime 360-degree tool using social collaboration, a top HR Product of the Year by Human Resources Executive Magazine, and a performance tracking tool, spapper.
Widely sought after as an expert in the field, Lou has taught at the Tsinghua School of Business and People’s University in Beijing, Jackson State University, Seton Hall University and Universal Network Intelligence (UNI) in Asia. He has been quoted and profiled by CNBC, Forbes, Fast Company, Investor’s Business Daily, Business Watch Magazine, Pando Daily, CEO World Magazine, and CIO Magazine and more; and his research and teaching has been translated all over the world. He received his BA cum laude in Economics and Government from Connecticut College and Brown University. And, Louis achieved his MA in Social/Organizational Psychology from Columbia University with honors from Kappa Delta Pi.
