My name is Shem Hatfield, founder of Process Elevation.
If you had told my younger self that I would one day dedicate my work to leadership development, I would have assumed you had the wrong person. Early on, leadership looked like titles, authority, and telling people what to do. None of that interested me.
Over time, mentors saw something in me that I didn’t yet see. They challenged my assumptions and helped me understand that leadership isn’t about power. It’s about influence. It’s about how we show up, how we treat people, and the impact our presence has on others.
That understanding deepened as I experienced servant leadership firsthand, not as a concept, but through leaders who lived it. They led with humility, clarity, and a genuine commitment to people. Leadership stopped feeling positional and started feeling personal. It became about responsibility, culture, and making hard decisions for the right reasons.
For more than a decade, I’ve worked in HR and Talent Development, coaching and supporting leaders at every level, from frontline supervisors to senior leaders. Along the way, I began to notice a consistent pattern. Many leaders labeled as “bad” were not malicious or incompetent. They were overwhelmed, unsupported, or operating under sustained distress. Their behavior wasn’t the result of character flaws, but capacity limits.
That realization is what led me to start Process Elevation.
My work is grounded in the belief that people are valuable, capable, and responsible, and that leadership effectiveness depends on the health of the person, not just their skillset. I hold a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership and am a certified provider in Process Communication and Compassionate Accountability, as well as an accredited coach through the International Association of Coaches, Mentors, and Therapists. My focus is helping leaders build self-awareness, manage pressure, navigate conflict, and lead with clarity, confidence, and compassion.
Outside of work, my wife and I are raising six children, where leadership shows up daily through patience, boundaries, accountability, and grace. I’ve also faced and overcome cancer, an experience that continues to shape how I think about time, energy, and what truly matters.
I’ve seen how strong leadership can transform teams, organizations, and lives. I’ve also seen the damage caused when leaders are unsupported or disconnected from themselves. That’s why I do this work. Teams and cultures will only ever be as strong as the people leading them.
If you’re ready to develop yourself, your team, or your organization in a way that is grounded, human, and sustainable, I’d be glad to connect.