Meet Your Team

Our Story

In Amharic, Ethiopia’s primary language, “Mela” means “finding the right solutions.” The name, The Mela Way, blends a solutions-driven approach with the essence of leadership, which I view as a way of being. My aunt, a remarkable leader in Boston, MA, embodied this through her non-profit organization and newsletter, “Mela,” which uplifted communities through health, leadership and economic empowerment. As a natural coach and advisor, she shared her wisdom and the name “Mela” with me, inspiring me to launch, The Mela Way. Coming from a communal culture, I am very fascinated by people and culture dynamics. I have experienced moments in my childhood and at work where I was excluded, misunderstood and treated poorly by toxic people. Those experiences fueled my passion for fostering healthy, positive, supportive and collaborative environments. Through The Mela Way, we honor my family’s unwavering support for my passion, including my aunt’s legacy by building workplaces and communities where people thrive and driving solutions for global impact.

  • My first corporate role was a harsh awakening. As a quiet and reserved newcomer, I was often misjudged, with colleagues making unfair assumptions about my abilities. When I mustered the courage to address a colleague’s mistreatment of me and others, she was stunned, admitting she’d never received constructive feedback and had been shaped by her supervisor’s harsh approach. I also witnessed colleagues claiming credit for my work and a competitive culture where promotions seemed tied to social cliques, like those who golfed together, rather than merit. The stark contrast between poor internal treatment and polished client-facing behavior revealed a fractured workplace. These challenges ignited my resolve to create The Mela Way, a mission to foster inclusive, collaborative environments where every voice is valued and solutions uplift all.

    I deeply valued the emphasis on delivering high-quality products and services to clients. Through my experiences, I gained critical insights into the power of effective feedback, cultivating a strong leadership presence, mastering communication, building meaningful relationships, navigating office politics, and thriving as a consultant in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

    While the culture had some strengths, like a passion for learning, it often felt deeply toxic. This environment drove me and several colleagues to leave the team, seeking better opportunities within other teams at the firm or at entirely new organizations. Remarkably, many of us flourished in these new settings, finding spaces where our contributions were valued and supported.

    My experience highlighted how deeply culture shapes engagement and retention. Despite our team’s high performance, the toxic culture limited our potential. It echoes the saying, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” This underscores that an organization’s culture—its shared values and beliefs—holds more power than its formal strategy. A culture can either fuel or undermine a strategy’s success and execution.

  • Corporate Learnings & Promotion
    I carried the lessons from my early corporate challenges into my next role, determined to position myself for success. Within eight months, I earned a promotion from individual contributor to manager, leveraging the “power of disclosure.” I honed my ability to communicate my contributions and impact to key stakeholders effectively. By recognizing and embracing my strengths, I enhanced my leadership and performance. Most crucially, I learned that nurturing a strong relationship with my supervisor was pivotal to my success within the organization.

    Transformation & Culture Shift
    Initially, our team operated in silos, but I championed a shift toward collaboration, moving from a “scarcity mindset” to an “abundance mindset”—where everyone’s success uplifted the whole. This collaborative spirit boosted our well-being and elevated the quality of our products and services for clients. By intentionally fostering a positive, supportive, and results-driven culture, we saw remarkable improvements in team performance. Our authentic commitment to “walking the talk” enabled us to deliver exceptional client services. The team’s engagement soared, making work a source of excitement. Yet, I witnessed how quickly this progress unraveled when a toxic leader introduced a divisive direction, prompting team members to leave for other teams or organizations. This experience underscored the profound influence a single leader can have on a workplace culture—both disheartening and deeply motivating.

    Commitment to The Mela Way
    Driven by these experiences, I am passionately committed to cultivating healthy, successful cultures for leaders, teams, and organizations. I founded The Mela Way to extend this vision globally, creating environments where collaboration, empathy, and excellence thrive, transforming workplaces for the better.

Meet Beza - Our Founder

As a strategic Organizational Development (OD) Consultant and ICF-certified Executive Coach with 16+ years of experience, I specialize in transforming organizations by strengthening leadership, enhancing team effectiveness, and aligning strategic vision with operational excellence.

My passion is supporting leaders, teams, organizations and communities to leverage strengths, explore new possibilities, navigate complex challenges and implement sustainable change through targeted interventions, strategic coaching, insightful facilitation and practical training. I have successfully led organizational development initiatives across government, military, and private-sector environments - consistently driving measurable improvements in engagement, productivity, and performance.

Beza E. Ayalew, MPH, MSOD, ACC

Career Highlights:

Directed 25+ high-impact OD projects at EnCompass, LLC, delivering customized solutions resulting in significant client retention and repeat engagements.

Led strategic planning and Action Research initiatives at LMI, empowering client teams to implement data-driven solutions based on robust qualitative and quantitative analyses.

Spearheaded critical leadership initiatives for U.S. Marine Corps, facilitating OD and coaching programs for 60+ senior military leaders, enhancing strategic alignment and decision-making effectiveness. Expanded OD team visibility and services by 75%

Implemented structured training and coaching programs, increasing workforce engagement, productivity, and leadership effectiveness by up to 35% at EnCompass, LLC.

  • Organizational Development & Change Management Executive

    Leadership & Team Coaching (ACC, ICF-certified)

    Strategic Planning & Execution Facilitation

    Training & Talent Development

    Action Research & Data-Driven Interventions

    Program & Project Management Certified

    Stakeholder Engagement Communication

    Certified in Leadership Circle 360 Assessment

  • Master of Science, Organization Development and Knowledge Management (MSOD), George Mason University

    Certificate, Leadership Coaching for Organizational Well-Being (LCWOB), George Mason University

    Associate Certified Coach (ACC), International Coaching Federation

    Certificate, Leadership Circle Profile (360 assessment), Leadership Circle

    Master of Public Health, Maternal and Child Health and emphasis in Epidemiology, Boston University

    Bachelor of Arts in Sociology/Anthropology, Denison University

  • J. William Fulbright Scholar, Global Health

    Ronald E. McNair Scholar, Public Health

    Posse Scholar, Leadership

    Quality Service Award, History Division, Marine Corps University

    Quality Service Recognition, The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps

    Quality Step Increase Nomination for Stellar Performance at the United States Marine Corps

    Track record for repeat clients and referrals

  • People-Centric Focus
    I am deeply committed to the health, well-being, and success of leaders, teams, and organizations. My passion lies in cultivating cultures that prioritize psychological safety, enabling everyone to thrive authentically and contribute meaningfully to shared goals.

    Value of Relationships
    I believe strong relationships are the foundation of success. Inspired by Peter Block’s principle of “connection before content,” I prioritize building trust and genuine connections to foster collaboration and drive impactful outcomes.

    Holistic Approach
    Echoing Stephen Covey’s “one life” philosophy, I see our personal and professional lives as deeply intertwined. By nurturing leadership growth, I help individuals unlock their potential, creating positive ripple effects across all facets of their lives.

    Safe Spaces & Authenticity
    I am dedicated to creating safe spaces where people can express their authentic selves and contribute fully. Drawing inspiration from Brené Brown’s work on vulnerability and Priya Parker’s facilitation expertise, I foster environments that encourage openness and meaningful engagement.

    Empowering Others
    Too often, people unknowingly give away their power. Inspired by The Conscious Leadership Group’s “Four Ways of Leading,” I empower individuals to embrace their unique strengths and step confidently into their greatness, unlocking transformative potential.

    Visionary & Practical
    As a visionary thinker with a research background, I excel at translating complex concepts into practical solutions. By engaging employees through discussions, interviews, focus groups, and surveys, I ensure their voices shape impactful, actionable strategies.

    Lifelong Learning
    A lifelong learner, I continuously seek out new research to deepen my leadership expertise and enhance the value I bring to clients. This commitment to growth ensures innovative, high-quality solutions tailored to their needs.

    Growth & Collaboration
    I believe everyone can evolve to surpass their goals. Through co-creation, I spark creativity and innovation, partnering with others to build solutions that drive success and inspire meaningful change.

    Strength-Based Approach
    Using strength-based approaches like Appreciative Intelligence, Appreciative Inquiry, and Human-Centered Design, I leverage individual and collective strengths to explore possibilities, driving effectiveness, efficiency, and lasting impact.

  • CliftonStrengths Assessment Results

    1. Strategic

    You create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, you can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.

    Strategic Thinking Theme

    2. Maximizer

    You focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. You seek to transform something strong into something superb.

    Influencing Theme

    3. Positivity

    You have contagious enthusiasm. You are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do.

    Relationship Building Theme

    4. Individualization

    You are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. You have a gift for figuring out how different people can work together productively.

    Relationship Building Theme

    5. Achiever

    You work hard and possess a great deal of stamina. You take immense satisfaction in being busy and productive.

    Executing Theme

    My top 5 strengths are uniquely fully represented in the 4 Themes. Overall, based on the 34 strengths, I lead with Influencing themes.

    Executing - Themes help you make things happen.

    Influencing - Themes help you take charge, speak up and make sure others are heard.

    Relationship Building - Themes help you build strong relationships that hold a team together.

    Strategic Thinking - Themes help you absorb and analyze information that informs better decisions.

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Our Specialties

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Our Specialties

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* Our Specialties * * Our Specialties *

Developing effective and impactful leaders

Strengthening relationships and team dynamics

Improving communication skills and leadership presence

Navigating rapid and constant changes and transitions

Improving processes and approaches for maximum impact

Fostering safe and healthy work environments/cultures 

Creating spaces for open communication and strategic dialogue

Leveraging the right solutions to solve challenges and drive innovation

Our Values

People & Culture Centric

We prioritize the well-being, growth, and empowerment of our people, fostering an inclusive, collaborative, and innovative culture that celebrates diversity, encourages authenticity, and drives meaningful impact.

Appreciative & Strengths Focused

We cultivate a culture of appreciation, recognizing and amplifying individual strengths to inspire collaboration, innovation, and collective success.

Innovation & Results Driven

We champion bold innovation and relentless pursuit of impactful results, fostering a dynamic environment where creativity and accountability drive transformative outcomes.

Our Vision

At The Mela Way, we envision a world where leaders, teams, organizations, and communities thrive by embracing their unique strengths and boldly innovating for transformative impact. Guided by our people-centric, appreciative, and results-driven approach, we partner to unlock potential, foster collaborative cultures, and deliver sustainable solutions that elevate greatness to extraordinary heights.