About 7 Steps Ahead

Described by clients as a "guru in his field," and a "sure-fire experience," Stephen R. Balzac, "The Business Sensei," is a consultant and professional speaker. He is the president of 7 Steps Ahead, LLC, a consulting firm helping businesses get unstuck and transform problems into opportunities.

Steve has over twenty years of experience in the high tech industry and is the former Director of Operations for Silicon Genetics, in Redwood City, CA, where he was responsible for shipping their flagship product. Steve also led the development of numerous serious roleplaying simulations, including a Pandemic Flu simulation for the US National Capitol Region. He is a popular speaker on topics ranging from leadership, motivation, team building, interviewing skills, and sport performance to computer game design. He was a guest lecturer at MIT and WPI. His articles have appeared in a number of journals, including The Journal of Interactive Drama, The IBM Systems Journal, Mass High Tech, Lab Manager, Corp! Magazine, Performance & Profts(a publication of the American Management Association), Enterprise Management Quarterly, Talent Management Magazine, The CEO Refresher, The Journal of Corporate Recruiting Leadership, Analog SF/F, Black Belt Magazine, American Fencing and the Worcester Business Journal.

Steve is a contributing author to Ethics and Game Design: Teaching Values Through Play and the author of The 36-Hour Course in Organizational Development listed by Amazon.com as one of the top 100 books on organizational behavior. He is a frequent guest on radio shows including Motivational Minds and Leadership Radio, and is quoted in a variety of publications including the Boston Business Journal, Philadelphia Inquirer, and IndustryWeek.

Steve serves on the board of the Society of Professional Consultants (SPC), and is a former board member of the New England Society for Applied Psychology. No stranger to the challenges of achieving peak performance under competitive and stressful conditions, he is a fifth degree black belt in jujitsu and is a former nationally ranked competitive fencer. He has published numerous articles on the application of sport psychology techniques to business.

Building effective development organizations, improving team morale, focus, and enthusiasm, developing effective communications between team members, reducing employee turnover, helping businesses identify and attain strategic targets, and applying sport psychology techniques to business have been some of his most successful projects.

Steve has bachelor's and master's degrees in computer science and engineering from MIT, and a master's degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, with a focus on motivation, performance, and group dynamics, from Capella University. He is an adjunct professor of Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Management.