Kim Sawyer

PART 2: Three Coaching Success Stories

Last week we gave you a very brief overview of executive and business coaching as a business success tool. Today we offer the following three coaching success stories to help illustrate this. As we mentioned in last week’s article, the potential benefits and details of more specific applications are beyond the scope of this discussion. Feel free to contact us at info@thewealthsource.com, 832-298-0143, or visit our website www.thewealthsource.com for more information or for a complimentary coaching session to experience this powerful performance-building service first-hand.

1. Sr. VP in top 10 leader circle of Major Airline

With over a decade employed by the company, client was losing passion and motivation for job and career. Coached the client using the Birkman Method, personal and professional mission statement process and other discovery tools to engage the client in exploration of unexpressed interest and talents, sense of calling and primary purpose, and core authentic values and ambitions. Coached client to begin avocational and educational experimentation of possible new endeavors and activities. Meanwhile, coached, leveraged theWealthSource social capital to identify a one year opportunity with the State Department as Director of Transportation Infrastructure Reconstruction for recently war torn nation. Coach initiated conversation between client and airline President and CEO to negotiate win-win solution whereby airline offered client one year sabbatical to take the overseas position as a PR coup for the company and a leadership development opportunity for the client, a new top level position and all benefits were guaranteed secure by company upon client’s return. Currently coaching client through final months of Foreign Service role to capitalize on leadership and personal development opportunities and to co-create a new career Master Plan. Recent meeting with CEO (who has now become client’s mentor as a result of the coaching process) has established a new internal career track for client with airline presidency as the target in company’s succession plan for next change in leadership.

2. Sr. VP Major Global Bank

14 years with Bank; now in top-tier of HR leadership; highest paid in company at his level, client got wind of a potential merger with other global bank with very different culture and strategic directions, and proactively requested a coach. Coached client for a year prior to target date of prospective merger to explore and forecast nature of strategic and cultural impacts with respect to potential fit or mis-match with client’s values, approach, and career objectives. Determined high probability of serious mismatch, as well as other potential structural changes that might undermine security of client’s current role and primary career directions within the current organization. Coached client to begin conversation with supervisor and #1 HR leader regarding client’s prospective career track and options. Coached client to identify detailed job-profile for corporate career end-goal of COO-like position with P&L responsibility over business unit of large global concern or entirety of mid-sized company – not necessarily a bank. Coached client to inform company of this goal and coached client and employer to co-develop internal job search for a role that would move client notably in the desired career direction, give client latitude to conduct open simultaneous external search, and begin to negotiate details of possible severance package if needed. Ultimately, merger went even more severely in the direction of forecasted changes. After a year of active search, the external opportunity of choice appeared first. Coached client through strategic search, internally and externally, that generated powerful results while not impeding client’s ability to excel at current role with bank and even achieve notable results in a global integration of internal customer service call centers, using participative leadership tools. Coached client to garner 3 offers within one month period and successfully managed multiple negotiations to finally accept an extraordinary position at 50% higher compensation than currently receiving for a role that matched a surprisingly large percentage of his end-goal job profile criterion. Moreover, client took generous severance package, vested all options and benefits, and parted ways amicably with employer. Currently coaching client through successful acclimation, assimilation, and ramp-up to full productivity in new job.

3. Former entrepreneur now Sr. VP with National industry leader who acquired his company

Client founded and grew a very successful company in the regional market to provided technology solutions and aids to litigation attorneys and law firms. Growth attracted National industry leader in jury consulting to acquire the company, generating a life-changing liquidity event for the client, as well as transforming his role immediately and radically from that of entrepreneur/CEO of small privately-held regional business to Sr. VP of large national publicly traded corporation. Coached client through the necessary transition in leadership style and skills, development of previously inapplicable stakeholder/colleague relationship management and managing upward skills, and adaptation of new organizational and complex social dynamics frames of reference. Coached client to build new hard business knowledge and tools, build web of peer support and mentorship, and streamline a new higher-level set of time and energy and performance management competencies in order to successfully take on P & L responsibility of his previous now-enhanced and expanded operation – integrated further, to triple its previous size and scope, with the other related consulting services of the parent company already existing in the region. Coached client to create career master plan to account for new financial and professional situation and environments; meanwhile managing stress and personal wellness through unexpected divorce and other major mid life changes. Currently coaching client to create business plan for new for-profit venture in educational television/media industry, to launch upon fulfillment of 5-year contract with new employer; meanwhile actively pursuing promotion to national-level executive leadership position with company.

The potential benefits and details of more specific applications are beyond the scope of this discussion. Feel free to contact us at info@thewealthsource.com, 832-298-0143, or visit our website www.thewealthsource.com for more information or for a complimentary coaching session to experience this powerful performance-building service first-hand.