What We Stand For
The ClearSpace approach is whole person, whole organization. We take an approach that encompasses all aspects of the individual, team and organizational experience that must be integrated for productive and sustained growth. Our programs are designed to support the mindsets, beliefs and relationships that make up the foundation of your business.
Our coaching and consulting work creates and sustains new ways of thinking and working together that allow organizations and individuals to perform at both higher levels of achievement and greater levels of transparency, authenticity and fulfillment. The power and momentum an organization can achieve is tremendous when their employees, leaders, teams and strategies are aligned.
We stay focused on what we’re most passionate about: helping people, teams and organizations grow, evolve and make a positive difference in the world.
What Guides Us
Our values drive everything we do.
CHOICE
Whether we can see it or not, in every moment we each have the power to choose.
WIN-WIN
We resist the trap of “win-lose”, instead creating solutions that have us all win together.
GROWTH
We love to grow! That includes ourselves, our clients and winning the game of business results.
Leadership Team
Thea Durfee Polancic
Managing Partner
Lee Capps
Partner
Whitney Capps
Principal
Principal
Whitney Capps
Whitney can be counted on to challenge and support the leaders she works with. She knows her clients are fully equipped to take on the challenges ahead; it’s her role to provide the space to allow it to happen. Her naturally curious, open style creates quick connections with both individuals and teams. Whitney strives to create opportunities to build awareness and action.
Whitney has been a coach and facilitator for over a decade, mostly with senior level leaders. She is a certified integral coach through New Ventures West and she is also certified in a variety of other adult development frameworks. Whitney has experience with a variety of leaders and specializes in emerging leaders, law and government, tech leaders, entrepreneurs, and non-profit leaders and activists.
Whitney’s other superpowers include: comedy, writing, gardening, craftiness & cooking.
Managing Partner
Lee Capps
Lee Capps is a Managing Partner of ClearSpace. Lee “grew up” in information technology and systems work with a process orientation. Blessed with a fairly balanced brain, he discovered that his true calling seemed to be on the human side of things – not just making technology work, but helping people work (and work together) more effectively. Going through organizational change as a leader prepared him for consulting in the human development arena – supporting organizations to shift self-limiting behaviors and outmoded mindsets to achieve results.
Lee’s clients rely on him to be open and approachable – to meet them where they are with an empathetic understanding of their needs. Lee doesn’t just partner with clients. He works with them to co-create the moment for movement into the “future state.”
When not on the job, Lee chooses running as a time for reflection and focused thinking. He also loves to spend time with his grandchildren. He compares both activities to coaching, which likewise requires him to be fully present and open to what’s possible for his client.
Managing Partner
Thea Durfee Polancic
Thea Polancic is a passionate advocate for the power of business as a force for good in the world. She is also the Founder of the Chicago Chapter of Conscious Capitalism, a movement dedicated to elevating humanity through business, while producing exceptional results.
Thea began her career as an “intrapreneur” within Caterpillar, opening new businesses in the emerging Russian economy in the 1990’s. That experience opened her eyes to what it takes to create sustainable results: purpose-driven, servant leaders; a caring culture of accountability; and creating value for all stakeholders. In founding ClearSpace in 2002, she focused on equipping teams to turn goals into reality through the combination of internal transformation and down-to-earth execution skills.
Since then, she has coached CEOs and senior leadership teams around the world. Her clients lead very successful growth-stage and mature organizations across many industries in business, non-profits, and the performing and fine arts. Her clients rely on her intelligence, energy and perspective as they seek to grow as human beings, expand their impact, and scale their organizations. Thea also shares her insights as a LinkedIn Author, and guest lecturer at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, the University of Chicago and Columbia College of Chicago.
Thea feels blessed to live with her husband and son in Chicago, and soaks up all the pop culture, great food and wine, and new adventures she can.