Your quest for true success begins here.

Your Path to Strategic, Human-Centered Leadership Begins Here

Elevating Project Leaders from ‘Viable’ to ‘Valuable’ through Human-Centered, Iterative Leadership Development.

At Human-Centered Success, we help PMO leaders and high-impact project professionals break through leadership roadblocks, navigate complex workplace dynamics, and amplify their strategic influence. Our leadership coaching and executive training go beyond theory—we focus on building leadership like a product: iterative, scalable, and designed for real-world impact.

Through our human-centered, experiment-driven approach, we help you:

🧪 Test and refine your leadership style to drive measurable results.

🙌 Build and sustain engaged, high-performing teams.

🔄 Influence at every level—up, down, and sideways.

🤝 Lead with empathy while achieving business-critical outcomes.

Are you ready to enhance your leadership impact? Let’s make it happen.

  • "I have been working with Erik over the last year and through his coaching I have been able to believe in myself and be more confident in my decisions. I have been able to see new challenges as opportunities instead of blockers. In addition, I have been able to help those around me by being more focused and intentional in my actions."

    Matt D.

  • "Erik is empathetic and inclusive in his coaching style. His curiosity and human-centered design approach guides his clients to dig deep within themselves to make new discoveries and then translate that into tangible actions."

    Hallie T.

  • "I was fortunate to take a workshop on human-centered design led by Erik. I was so impressed and intrigued I decided to sign up for his coaching services. His dedication, empathy, relatability, and warmth perfectly combine for a successful coaching experience. Anyone would benefit from working with him."

    Robin L.

  • "Mr. Rueter is an excellent instructor, with strong, relevant material that is presented in a clear, straight-forward manner. Thank you for such an inclusive and timely program!"

    David D.

  • "Erik's presentation illustrated in a clear, dynamic, unique, and fun way the need of the integration of diversity equity and inclusion into the vision and business strategy to sustain and growth the organization. If you need to articulate your DEIB with the company strategy I recommend you contact Erik."

    Marta B.

  • "Excellent training. I will be putting this into practice in my current role. Very solid, concise, helpful and practical content. One of the most important PMI training sessions I have ever attended. Seriously. Thank you!"

    Corin D.

Our Services

  • 8-bit style images depicting a life coaching session between a bald man with a beard and a man of color, both in business casual clothes, set in a modern environment.

    Coaching

    Human-Centered Coaching is designed to help leaders uncover confirmation bias, refine their leadership approach, and develop strategies that drive real-world impact. Using a blend of Co-Active Coaching, Positive Intelligence, and applied leadership design, we help you navigate leadership challenges, strengthen influence, and maximize team engagement.

  • a bald man with a beard and a flat cap talking to a multi-ethnic group of employees in a modern office setting, in front of a whiteboard covered in colorful post-it notes.

    Consulting

    Human-Centered Consulting helps organizations develop practical leadership strategies that enhance execution, influence, and team alignment.

    Through design thinking, Wicked Problem Solving, and structured project management methodologies, we help teams increase efficiency, drive engagement, and implement leadership solutions that work at scale.

  • a bald man with a dark beard and a flat cap presenting to a group from a stage, dressed in business casual attire.

    Training and Speaking

    Our Human-Centered Training & Speaking sessions are designed to be interactive and actionable, equipping leaders with the skills they need to drive engagement, inclusion, and execution.

    Topics include:

    ✅ Human-Centered Design

    ✅ Strategic Influence & Leadership Prototyping

    ✅ Engagement & Inclusion

    ✅ Project Management Mastery

    ✅ Mental Fitness & Positive Intelligence

Let's Talk

Listen up.

Ever feel like project leadership is just putting out fires? In this episode of Project Management Happy Hour, I break down how human-centered design/design thinking helps leaders go beyond surface-level problem-solving to create smarter, more strategic solutions.

What you’ll take away:
✔️ What design thinking really is—and why it’s a game-changer for leadership.
✔️ Five practical ways to understand your team and stakeholders beyond the obvious.
✔️ How better questions lead to better outcomes (and fewer headaches).