Coaching. What it is (and isn’t).
Coaching. Building the internal capacity to navigate external change.
- Possibility thinking
- Discovering new perspectives
- Crafting strategies for success
- Identifying limiting factors that prevent progress
- Developing a plan to overcome obstacles
- Tailored to personal goals
- Focusing on moving forward
- A proven methodology
Coaching vs. Consulting
Coaching builds capacity. I do not sell you my solutions; we upgrade your internal operating system so you can generate your own solutions. Consulting solves the immediate issue; coaching solves the leader who solves the issue.
Consulting brings answers. You hire a consultant to fix a specific technical problem or provide a strategy they have used elsewhere.
Coaching vs. Mentoring
Coaching is about contextual discovery. What worked for me as a CTO or VP might not work for you in your unique culture. Instead of giving you my map, I help you navigate your own terrain.
Mentoring is about wisdom transfer. A mentor says, “I have walked this path before; here is what I did, and you should do the same.
Coaching vs. Therapy
Therapy often focuses on healing the past. It is archaeological, digging into history to resolve trauma or dysfunction.
Coaching focuses on designing the future. While we may touch on where your behaviors come from, we do so only to clear the path for where you are going next. We start from a baseline of “right here, right now” and move toward peak performance.
What to Expect
A Rigorous Blend of Strategy and Insight
Executive coaching is not a chat; it is a disciplined practice designed to upgrade your internal operating system. My approach is grounded in the Hudson Institute methodology, which views the leader as a whole person, integrating business strategy with human insight.
We will move beyond patching immediate problems to building the capacity you need to solve them yourself.
My Approach
The Content and the Process
In our engagement, I adhere to a core principle: I own the process; you own the content
You are the expert on your business: You bring the “content”—the specific challenges, the board dynamics, and the strategic trade-offs.
I am the expert on change: I bring the “process”: the frameworks, the timing, and the rigorous questioning required to navigate uncertainty.
I do not lead you to my answers. I stand behind you, providing a “clean mirror” so you can see blind spots, patterns, and potential with clarity.
Anatomy of a Session
A Move to Action
Every 50-minute session follows a structured arc designed to move you to committed action.
We never start without a destination. We begin by “contracting” for the session. I will ask you to define the specific, bite-sized challenge you want to tackle and the outcome you need to walk away with.
This is where “Head meets Heart”.
- The Head: We may dissect your operating cadence, review a decision framework, or prepare for a high-stakes board meeting.
- The Heart: We will examine the internal narratives and unlearning required to execute that strategy. We look at what is unspoken, the fears, the values, and the emotional triggers that may be sabotaging your intent.
- The Experience: It is a resonance chamber, a psychologically safe place to say the things you cannot say to your colleagues, your team or your board.
We end with accountability. We move from insight to action. You will leave with a clear, tactical plan that we will revisit in our next session.
- The Question: “What are you willing to commit to before we meet again?”
Between Sessions
Where Transformation Happens
Insight is ineffective without action. True change is a transformation, not a transaction.
Commitment to Process
Rewiring habits takes time. This is not a “one-and-done” consultation. We typically engage in 3 to 6-month retainers. This allows us to move through the full Cycle of Change: diagnosing the issue, testing behaviors, stabilizing for lasting change.
Your Life is your Lab
The most important work does not happen during our call; it happens between calls. Your environment is a “learning lab.” Every session ends with designed experiments, specific, low-risk actions you will take with yourself and your environment. In subsequent sessions we will review and refine.
Solving for the System
If you are struggling with a decision or action, we examine the internal system that made that difficult in the first place. By addressing the root cause (the pattern), we ensure you don’t have to keep coming back to the same issue twice.
Documents
These are the documents you will need to get started. Read the Introduction to Coaching Handout, then book a Consultation and Chemistry call.
If, after our conversation, you feel coaching is right for you, then fill out and return the Coaching Intake Form along with a signed Coaching Agreement that will have the details and payment terms we will have agreed upon in our call.