“I’m going to do what I do: to leverage leadership, but with a wellness bent. Because I want to teach everybody what I did wrong, how to change it, and how to do it. So, I formed this company called Wellness Leadership.” –Don Grier, USMA ‘85

Don Grier is a seasoned technology executive with over 30 years of experience delivering innovative and impactful solutions for diverse clients and industries. As the Founder and Managing Partner of Wellness Leadership LLC, Don helps organizations achieve excellence while caring for their people. Before founding Wellness Leadership, Don was a Managing Director and Product Development Lead at Accenture, where he led a global professional services organization of 2,100+ professionals implementing software solutions for over 2,000 clients worldwide. During his 31-year tenure, he drove $840M in revenue growth and served as an Elite Quality Assurance Director for mission-critical programs. A former U.S. Army Captain who served as Deputy Division Operations Lead for the 9th Infantry Division, Don is a graduate of West Point with a BS in Political Science and he holds an MPA from The University of Texas at Austin. He now focuses on wellness coaching, organizational assessment, and project management consulting while staying active in volunteer work, such as supporting veterans’ initiatives as President of the West Point Society of Central Texas.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Don’s career evolved from West Point graduate and Army Captain to Managing Director at Accenture to eventually creating his company Wellness Leadership LLC

• His dramatic personal transformation story of losing 170 pounds in one year while maintaining a demanding executive travel schedule, sparked by a 3 AM fall outside his office.

• How he grew a new Accenture venture from zero to 1,000 people, building a delivery center and implementing critical eligibility determination software.

• His innovative approach to global project management, incorporating cultural awareness and wellness principles into traditional methodologies, including the development of his “Well-Led Project Framework.”

• The importance of his “relationship map” methodology for project success, matching team members’ strengths with stakeholder relationships to optimize communication and outcomes.

• His systematic approach to personal wellness transformation, built on five key pillars: tracking metrics, progressive fitness goals, maintaining a strong “why,” prioritizing sleep, and having a consistent prayer and meditation practice.

• His commitment to building and nurturing community and accountability, demonstrated through his ongoing participation in his Weight Watchers community, doing volunteer work, and developing corporate wellness programs.

Connect with Don:

• LinkedIn

• Wellness Leadership LLC

• Podcast: Change Well by Wellness Leadership LLC

Book and App Recommendations:

• The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg

• Streaks – habit tracking app

• Halo – mindfulness and meditation app

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Special thanks to Don Grier for joining me this week. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA ’01