The 2021 Top 25 Consultants: Dr. Douglas B. Reeves

Dr. Douglas Reeves influences educational strategy around the world. With a special emphasis on serving students in high-poverty areas, he is the author of the "equity and excellence" studies, highlighting schools where 90% of the students are in poverty and 90% also meet educational standards. He has shared his research on every continent and he continues to have a profound impact on education from the urban centers of global capitals to the most remote rural areas.

Dr. Reeves is the author of more than 40 books and more than 100 articles on leadership and education. He has twice been named to the Harvard University Distinguished Authors Series and was named the Brock International Laureate for his contributions to education. His career of work in professional learning led to the Contribution to the Field Award from the National Staff Development Council, now Learning Forward.

Doug has worked in 50 states and more than 40 countries. His volunteer activities include FinishTheDissertation.org, providing free and non-commercial support for doctoral students, and The SNAFU Review, publishing the essays, poetry, stories, and artwork of disabled veterans.

Doug is an active contributor to research-based, quality public education. He is a role model and mentor to 1,000s of educational leaders and teachers, nationally and internally. In addition, his entrepreneurial successes paved the way for 100s of colleagues to support educators and millions of K-12 students and their communities.

What do you consider your greatest personal or professional achievement?

"Developing a team of world-class consultants who have served clients in fifty states and more than 40 countries. They make a difference for leaders and the organizations served by those leaders, with a focus on educational equity and academic excellence. Our work is supported by an exceptional body of research published in more than 40 books and 100 articles on effective leadership."

What advice would you give to a professional just beginning a career in consulting?

"First, it's all about the clients. It's not about how smart you are, your degrees, or what you have accomplished. It's all about the clients – their needs, their fears, their greatest challenges, and most of all, their greatest successes on which you can build the next series of successes. The successes belong to the client, not to the consultant. Second, better free than cheap. Never – ever – discount your work. We provide 10% of our most important resource – our time – for free to clients in high-poverty areas in the US and internationally."

"Whenever someone asks for a discount, we explain that this is our commitment, and if they are impoverished, we will provide services for free. Otherwise, we charge our regular rates. I learned this lesson early when I discovered that the discounts I provided were not allowing the client to donate those funds to the poor, but rather than they used those funds to pay my competitors who did not provide a discount. We are generous – providing free time and resources to those in need – but we do not discount."

What have you loved most about your consulting career?

"Making a difference – getting stopped in the airport or on the street by someone who says, "You don't know me, but your work helped to super-charge my career, help my children, or improve my community."

What's the best advice—personal or professional—you've ever received?

"Own it. I've been in leadership positions in the military, nonprofit, business, and education sectors. It's easy to find that every calamity is the fault of a predecessor, a subordinate, a competitor, or any of the usual suspects. But when one of my early leaders said that the only response to a challenge was to "own it," it's a lesson I've applied to every leadership position ever since."

What does being honored as a Top 25 Consultant mean to you?

"It is recognition of my team, not of me."