Even when the strategy is clear and people are capable, the work doesn’t always come together.

Teams move in parallel. Decisions slow down as they cross functions. Effort gets duplicated or pulled in different directions.

Karen McDaniel helps leaders understand why—and what to do about it.

Her work focuses on how organizations actually operate: how people lead, how teams work together, and how systems either support or get in the way. She helps leaders connect people, process, and technology so the business can move as one.

Before joining Strategy Muse, Karen spent more than 15 years working inside complex organizations in the Silicon Valley. At Intuit, she helped rethink how leaders lead and how employees learn, bringing a strong focus on customer empathy into the way work gets done. At Varian, she led efforts to evolve culture and diversify the workforce, helping the organization become more inclusive and engaged.

At Strategy Muse, Karen led a multi-year effort to strengthen organizational effectiveness at Dairy Management Inc., working with HR to define how leaders lead, how teams collaborate, and how work gets done across the organization. As part of this work, she helped embed those expectations into learning, leadership development, and performance management—building alignment not just around the strategy, but around how the organization operates day to day.

Karen is known for helping organizations close the gap between work effort and real progress.

When she is not working, you will find her on the golf course because it keeps her in learning mode – her happy place where challenges are accepted and continuous improvement is the goal.

Education

• San Jose State University, BS, Business Administration – Marketing

Certifications

• Brain Based Coaching, NeuroLeadership Institute

• Everything DiSC, Wiley Workplace Learning

• The Five Behaviors, Wiley Workplace Learning