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Our Team

Preparing everyone for a brighter future

Our mission is to create a better world through business. NextMappingTM is our way.

We are a team united by our commitment to guide people, teams and organizations towards a future that adds massive value to employees, clients and business outcomes. We do that by applying our unique NextMappingTM process to help organizations predict change and see the future now. We provide the tools, resources, insights and training to help our clients achieve a competitive advantage and breakthrough success.

Meet the Team

cheryl-cran-headshot

Cheryl Cran is the founder of NextMapping™/NextMapping.com and the CEO of parent company Synthesis at Work Inc.

Recognized as the #1 Future of Work influencer by Onalytica, and author of 9 books including the second edition of “NextMapping™ – Aniticape, Navigate and Create the Future of Work” with companion workbook. Other book titles include “The Art of Change Leadership – Driving Transformation In a Fast Paced-World” (Wiley 2015), “101 Ways to Make Generations X, Y and Zoomers Happy at Work” (2010) and 4 other books on the ultimate leadership skills needed to be future of work ready.

Cheryl’s future of work thought leadership has been featured in publications such as Huff Post, Forbes, IABC Magazine, Law Magazine, Metro New York, Entrepreneur Magazine, Readers Digest, CBS Online, NBC Online, Fox Online and more. For over two decades Cheryl has built a reputation for delivering extraordinary value to clients that include AT&T, Bell Mobility, Omnitel, Gartner, British Telcomm, Manulife, as well as mid-sized companies and entrepreneurs in industries that include technology, health, agriculture, finance, insurance and more.

NextMapping™ was developed as a proprietary business solution brand that encompasses all of Cheryl’s work and research on the future of work and the leadership needed to navigate change in the workplace. It’s time to not just hear about the future but to use NextMapping™ to get there! Technology in the workplace must be used to prepare for the future with a focus on how technology can enhance outcomes for people.

The common theme of all of Cheryl’s life’s work is a ‘people first’ and digital second approach to create a more human future, helping companies to build the leadership capacity needed to ‘change the world through business.’

 

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Crystal Metz is a highly successful entrepreneur and team leader. We are pleased to have Crystal as our entrepreneur focused NextMapping™ coach.

As a NextMapping™ coach, Crystal brings drive, enthusiasm and a proven track record to help her clients create more success, breakthrough barriers to success and create new strategies to create what’s next.

She is the owner of Crystal Metz Insurance, a #1 insurance company. Since inception Crystal Metz insurance has outpaced its competitors and under Crystal’s leadership continues to grow despite being in a rapidly changing industry year over year. Crystal attributes her success as an entrepreneur to being born and raised in a farming family. At a young age, she learned the management skills, hard work and perseverance plus a passion for business.

An entrepreneur from a young age, in her early 20’s she opened her own real estate firm, CENTURY 21 Medellis Realty. This leap forced Crystal to learn very quickly, adapting to leading a team while understanding the important aspects of business. In the 5 years that she ran and operated her real estate franchise, her growth and knowledge of what to and what not to do were lessons learned and never forgot. Crystal shifted her entrepreneurial focus to insurance and opened Crystal Metz insurance. She credits her success to her team – she has built her business by finding the right people and sharing leadership. Her team loyalty and engagement is one of her proudest accomplishments as an entrepreneur. Crystal’s leadership style is to hold high expectations and standards while coaching and leading her team in a shared leadership culture.

As a NextMapping™ coach Crystal’s drive for success along with her focus on people are her greatest gifts. She challenges people to explore what makes them happy as an entrepreneur and as a person and then gives inspiration and strategies to help you to go for it.

Her passion is to help people build and strengthen their abilities, gain confidence, help them grow and to achieve the impossible.

Crystal helps entrepreneurs with market research, business, team solutions and strategic planning. As a NextMapping™ coach Crystal will help your business grow to a level you may never imagined. She brings huge value as an entrepreneur coach who walks the walk and has a proven success record.

To find out more about Entrepreneur Coaching with Crystal go here: https://nextmapping.wpengine.com/nextmapping-coaches/entrepreneur-coaching/

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NextMapping Coach Reg Cran

As a NextMapping™ leadership coach Reg has an extensive background as a senior leader in business for over 25 years.

His background includes an esteemed career in the banking industry, developing e-commerce strategies for two of Canada’s major retail brands (Best Buy and Future Shop) and as an entrepreneur and co-owner of three successful companies.

Reg has extensive business and consulting experience including organizational design and development, conflict analysis and management, leadership and team development and successful e-commerce strategies and implementation.

Reg’s education includes a Master of Arts Degree in Conflict Analysis & Management from Royal Roads University.

He is committed to helping to revolutionize the development and growth of businesses and employees at all levels by providing innovative, creative solutions that not only inspire and enable high performance and growth but also allows companies to discover, unlock and unleash the potential of each of their employees.

Reg’s passion is to help leaders increase team engagement as well as helping mid-level leaders ascend to executive positions.

The leaders and team members that Reg has coached consistently state that he provides invaluable context, insights and tools to help them succeed in the workplace.

Reg’s style as a NextMapping™ coach is direct, analytical and strategic with a focus on helping people to succeed.

 

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Ashley Farren is a certified NextMapping™ coach and consultant. We are pleased to have Ashley on the NextMapping™ team.

Ashley is deeply insightful, strategic and collaborative. She has a vast history of success in strategic initiatives for global companies.

Her career history includes 12 years in Singapore in strategic HR Business Partner roles working for Multinational companies across various industries including Hi Tech, FMCG, Mining.

For  6 years, Ashley worked for Autodesk, strategically leading the HR function for the Global Engineering function including two large offshore sites in Singapore and Shanghai (1200 employees) and teams in the US & Europe.

Prior to this, she spent 12 years at Unilever working across Asia, Africa, the Middle East supporting multiple business functions (including IT (Infrastructure and Business Systems)/ Customer/ Sales, Marketing and as a Learning and Development Managers.

During this time she supported the Infrastructure Organization at a regional level establishing a global shared service function, and managing the implementation across Africa and the Middle East, additionally managing large outsourcing initiatives.

During her 22 year corporate career, Ashley has facilitated and program-managed large organizational changes including multiple reorganizations/ restructures. She has lead change management initiatives and programs, established talent and performance management processes, implemented diversity and inclusion initiatives coached senior leaders and managers, driven employee engagement programs, facilitated the establishment of HR processes.

 

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Helene-Hamilton-Headshot

Hélène Hamilton is an ICF certified coach and brings diverse experiences and many client success strategies to the NextMapping™ team.

Her background includes over 30 years of leadership experience including 15 years as a senior executive. Hélène brings expertise in organizational development and Human Resources. Her clients appreciate her ability to help them with creative solutions in an increasingly complex world.

She it the author of “The Best Kept Secret to Engaging Staff” (2017) and is certified in Nova™ Profile and other leadership tools.

The industries she works with includes healthcare, public sector, education and small businesses.

Hélène’s workshop and coach clients appreciate her ability to gain context quickly, her strategic thinking and for her adaptable approach to helping leaders and team members build on their strengths to be future ready now.

 

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Ready to connect with us and to work with our NextMapping™ Coaches and Consultants?

We’ve got you covered – reach out, we would love to connect with you.

Did you know?

88% of Workers Believe AI Will Improve Their Lives

29% of Workers Say Their Managers Are Good at Human Leadership

34% of Workers Are Engaged in the Hybrid Workplace

2030 Workplace Will Require Emotionally Intelligent & Culturally Astute Leaders

Testimonials

Practical, inspirational and tactical - Cheryl delivers!

Empathetic yet able to hold people accountable in an inspirational way - Cheryl is fantastic.

Cheryl’s predictions on human behavior and the future workplace have been spot on!

Leadership Retreats

Are you a CEO, senior leader, a newly promoted senior leader or an entrepreneur?

Gain the ‘human’ advantage attend a Super.Crucial. Leader retreat where you will:

  • Breakthrough any biases, perspectives and limiting beliefs to radically transform your leadership success
  • Learn tactics and hacks to increase your energy, your bandwidth and your outputs
  • Reinvent your leadership ‘brand’ by getting crystal clear on your unique leadership ‘gifts’

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