Norm Smallwood

Smallwood is co-founder of The RBL Group. The RBL Group is a global professional services firm committed to creating value through the effective management of people and organizations. They work with their clients to implement cutting-edge leadership practices and to advance the transformation of strategic human resource management. For several years, Leadership Excellence has ranked The RBL Group as one of the top leadership development firms in the world.

Smallwood is a recognized authority in developing businesses and their leaders to deliver results and increase value. His current work relates to increasing business value by building organization, strategic human resources and leadership capabilities that measurably impact market value.

Smallwood is a co-author of six books and has published more than 150 articles in leading journals and newspapers as well as contributing chapters to multiple books. He was selected as one of the top 100 Voices in Leadership by Executive Excellence magazine in February 2005, 2006 and 2007. He is also a board member for HELP International and is an honorary colonel for the West Valley City Police Department.


Published books and HBR articles:

  • Real-Time Strategy: Improvising Team-Based Planning for a Fast Changing World, Wiley & Sons, 1993 (part of the portable MBA series) with Lee Perry and Randy Stott.
  • Results-Based Leadership: How Leaders Build the Business and Improve the Bottom Line, Harvard Business School Press, 1999, (named book of the year by SHRM) with Dave Ulrich and Jack Zenger.
  • Why The Bottom Line Isn’t: How to Build Value through People and Organizations, Wiley 2003-re-released in soft cover as How Leaders Build Value, May 2006, with Dave Ulrich.
  • The Change Champion's Field Guide: Strategies and Tools for Leading Change in your Organization, Best Practice Publications, 2003.
  • Leadership Brand: Developing Customer-Focused Leaders to Drive Performance and Build Lasting Value, Harvard Business School Press, 2007, with Dave Ulrich.
  • The Leadership Code: 5 Rules to Lead By, Harvard Business School Press, 2008, with Dave Ulrich and Kate Sweetman.
  • Harvard Business Review articles:
    • “Capitalize Your Capabilities,” June 2004, with Dave Ulrich.
    • “Building a Leadership Brand,” July 2007, with Dave Ulrich.