Ellie Shefi has dedicated her life to creating impact through the empowerment of others. A multifaceted expert, Ellie is a uniquely qualified consultant and advisor to organizations, governments, NGOs, and individuals. A true leader and changemaker, let’s get to know Ellie and learn more about her work in the world.
Tell us more about what you do as a trusted advisor and strategist to organizations. What makes your services unique?
Through my consulting company, MTC Consulting, I help corporate HR departments and C-suite executives, as well as governments and NGOs, to optimize their operations, mitigate their risk, modernize their organizational culture, and strengthen their bottom line by truly developing their people to build world-class teams. I offer assessments, audits, and strategic plans, plus full implementation assistance that includes workshops and training for HR and executives, as well as ongoing quarterly assessments and refinements. My goal is to help organizations build an inclusive, aligned, and efficient company with optimized operations.
I am the complete contrast from the usual (and old-style) consultant types who look at the bottom line and maybe pay lip service to “employee contentedness.” While many of my competitors have been schooled in “best business practices,” I’ve lived them. I’m not a white horse who’ll come in and dictate how employees should feel from the top down. I believe in cultivating employees from the bottom up. You have to know—to deeply understand—the psychology, emotions, fears, and life challenges of your workforce. And I do. I’ve been there, and I’ve worked in all kinds of roles—from mall shop employee to restaurant server to receptionist to salesperson to manager to owner. I help those in charge create an organizational culture where diverse employee experiences and ideas are welcomed. Employees feel seen, heard, and celebrated, and the workforce knows and feels that the bottom line is a byproduct of their personal development.
It’s a holistic approach that only a person with significant advocacy, business, education, and legal backgrounds can offer. It’s the intersection of humanity and high performance.
So, what significant changes have you noticed in business, and how do they impact your work?
The pandemic and its weight on the workforce made it undeniably clear that organizations have to change. The way the majority of organizations were run left no room for people who had to completely upend and rearrange their lives. The en masse loss of the workforce revealed that, to their roots, traditional organizations were not built to value and celebrate their people. This turnover has finally hurt their bottom line. Now, we’re seeing organizations struggle to attract and retain employees, which results in organizational gaps that hamper production, innovation, and results and necessitates ongoing expenditure on recruitment and training.
Additionally, the rising workforce has a different mindset. Fundamentally, they demand from their employers to be seen and heard; to have an ascension path; and, most of all, to do work that aligns with their visions and values, like philanthropy, diversity, inclusivity, sustainability, social responsibility, and whole life wellness. Businesses seem somewhat aware of these demands, but few are yet adept or facile in building (or rebuilding as necessary) their company cultures to truly embody these values.
Because of the breadth and depth of my expertise and experience, I am uniquely qualified to advise organizations from a legal, HR, employment, business, resilience, and social perspective. I help them not only facilitate innovation and economic opportunity but foster the development of human potential as well.
As a consultant to individuals and entrepreneurs, what do you offer?
For entrepreneurs, authors, and speakers, I develop, deliver, and lead international courses, training, workshops, retreats, and masterminds. For those looking to leverage and scale their expertise, I offer Monetize Your ExpertiseTM, my proprietary system for building an aligned business, increasing impact and income, and becoming a globally-recognized brand. In my Best-Selling Book BootcampTM, I work directly with authors to write, publish, and monetize their best-selling book. For those wishing to become top-notch speakers and further amplify their message, I offer Monetize Your MessageTM, a program where I help speakers craft their signature talks, confidently connect with and captivate their audiences, and get booked on stages. And in Master the MediaTM, I guide individuals through a step-by-step strategy to get booked on media and get great results from their interviews and appearances so they can establish themselves as the go-to expert in their field. As an advisor and strategist, I help my clients, including six-, seven-, and eight-figure entrepreneurs, build aligned businesses and become global brands.
My full-service, independent publishing house, Made to Change the World™ Publishing, is the vehicle through which I help mission-driven individuals to use their voice, share their message with the world, and build their brand. My team and I help entrepreneurs, leaders, and experts publish best-selling books, which in turn, prompts their invitations to keynote speaking engagements, TV appearances, and podcast interviews. The best-selling books that we consistently produce are fundamental to successfully building their brand so they can scale their income and impact.
As founder and president, what are your responsibilities toward your businesses? How do you empower and lead your team members?
I treat my business culture as a living, breathing entity that provides a safe space where all are seen, heard, valued, and respected. I don’t micromanage; rather, I acknowledge my team members as the professionals and experts they are, and I expect them to treat each other likewise. I give space for each member to operate in their zone of genius, and, thus, each member shines!
I know my team—and their various priorities beyond the work that they do with me. I respect and champion their lives outside of the workplace. Consequently, when it’s time to deliver, they’re 100 percent engaged and work efficiently and smartly. We trust each other to complete top-notch products and deliver world-class services in a timely manner. This mutual trust also empowers us to ask each other for and offer each other advice and insight even if it’s outside of our usual forte since we’re all working toward the same goal. Because we all have a sound work-life balance, we stay motivated to deliver the best services—be it consulting, advising, strategizing, branding, marketing, or publishing.
What did you do prior to founding MTC Consulting and Made to Change the World™ Publishing?
For many years, I was happy being a force for good “behind the scenes” as a staff attorney in the judiciary, an advisor to universities, and an advocate for many human rights-related causes. But a 2019 cancer diagnosis spurred an even stronger desire to be a visible force for good.
I decided to come out from behind the scenes. I said to myself, “No more playing small. I am going to step out from the shadows, use my voice, and step into the full embodiment of who I am meant to be.” But how? I began writing books, speaking on stages, and being more of a media presence. I stepped up my individual advising and consulting. Wanting to further integrate my legal and advocacy roles, I began globally advising governments and NGOs on criminal justice reform, civil rights, and human rights issues.
Once I became a trusted advisor to NGOs and governments, I brought my expertise to HR departments and C-suite executives. My experience in education and entrepreneurship prior to and contemporaneously with my legal and advocacy career all aligned, and I realized that I am uniquely qualified to help businesses and individuals navigate and best position themselves in a new business era. Business is changing, but with that is a tremendous opportunity to build better company cultures and more diverse and inclusive environments. I recognize that there’s now a chance—and a responsibility—for business to do better, and I use my voice and my expertise to make sure leaders have the best training and tools to get it right.
What is your leadership philosophy, particularly as a woman leader? What qualities should today’s emerging women leaders possess?
We women leaders need to collaborate rather than compete. We need to extend our hand out to one another and help each other rise.
Women leaders in every industry share a duty to mentor the next generation and share a responsibility to create positions and create opportunities rather than wait for something to come along. It’s time for women to build their own tables rather than wait for an invitation to sit at one.
A successful woman leader should bring to her business compassion, integrity, and authenticity at an overarching level. From these guiding principles, she would ideally structure and manage the business with inclusivity, alignment, empathy, and an ability to lead by example. An impact-driven team-builder and cheerleader, she would create collaborative spaces where people are seen, valued, and celebrated for their individual gifts. Likewise, she would put people over profits, direct the business to be socially responsible, and mentor and cultivate other leaders within.
In other words: Be the leader you would want to follow!
How can people connect with you and learn more about your work?
Subscribe to my YouTube channel, connect with me on social media, or visit ellieshefi.com
Written by Steve Sanchez.
