I coach senior leaders who are facing a challenge or would like to be more effective or fulfilled in their roles. Most of my clients are technology company CEOs, but I've worked with leaders in fields from investing to the law. I work primarily in one-on-one coaching sessions with individual clients, but I also conduct pair coaching engagements with co-founders or senior colleagues.
Your Answers
Coaching isn't consulting, mentoring, or therapy, although it's related to all of those disciplines. One difference is that in those relationships you're often seeking answers from an expert. My expertise is in building meaningful coaching relationships, but I'm not an expert on you or your aspirations as a leader, and I won't have ready-made answers for you. I will have questions, and my goal with each client is to earn the right to ask the uniquely challenging questions that you must answer to be successful. I do have a perspective on topics such as what great leaders do and how to continue growing as a leader that derives from my experience coaching full-time since 2006, but rather than prescribe a generic regimen I work with each client as an individual to help you discover the solutions that are right for you.
Your Agenda
Issues I often address with clients include managing relationships with key employees and others, improving team dynamics, transitioning from technical expert to leader, evolving company culture, and better self-care. But it’s up to you to determine what you want to work on in our coaching engagement, and you’ll decide what issues we address over the course of our work together and in every coaching session. I can help you track topics over time and prioritize topics in a given conversation, and I may highlight an issue if I sense that it's being overlooked, but the agenda is ultimately your responsibility.
My Style
I strive to offer the right balance of challenge and support, which is different for every client and may change from one conversation to the next. When I’m providing a challenge, I want you to know that I’m doing so with your best interests at heart, and when I’m providing support, I want you to know that I’ll always be candid and direct. My communication style can range from fast-paced to relaxed, depending on the needs of the relationship and the conversation. It's important that we find the style that's most effective for us as a team, and it's essential that you always feel heard and respected, and yet politeness should never get in the way of real communication.
Building a Culture
I work primarily with senior leaders, but your job title won’t determine whether I'm a good fit for your needs as a coach. I look for clients who are responsible for building a culture within a team, a business function, or an entire company, and who view coaching as a means to help them accomplish that task more effectively. This usually involves exploring how you as a leader are contributing to (or detracting from) the culture you’re hoping to establish.
Holistic Approach
While my practice is focused on professional effectiveness, I look for clients who are interested in a holistic approach to their development as a leader. This often involves addressing topics such as mindfulness, exercise and fitness, sleep, and stress. I don't provide generic solutions in these areas, but work with each client to determine what routines and practices will best support their personal performance.
Emotion Regulation
One of the most important aspects of effective leadership is emotion regulation, and I discuss emotions consistently with all of my clients. My goal isn't to promote a "touchy feely" leadership style (despite my association with the class at Stanford), but, rather, to acknowledge the power of emotions in our professional lives and to learn how to deal with them as directly and effectively as possible.
Related Information
