There is an old Chinese proverb that best describes self-mastery: “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, but teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.”

Self-mastery is the key to stronger, more permanent results. LEADERSHIP & EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT is proud of our clients’ growth and mastery of leadership.

(To keep within our integrity of coaching, which is a confidential process, we have omitted names and companies.)

“The biggest change for me was my relationship with my direct reports. I felt a huge internal shift – 360 degrees – and they noticed. My leadership is not about insistence or an “in your face” style anymore. I am more flexible and open to new ideas. My people no longer do what needs to be done for me; they do it for themselves and get leadership from me. That makes my leadership AND theirs much more valuable to the organization.”

“How thankful and excited I am to have been a participant of Leadership & Executive Development’s coaching program. The sense of accomplishment and growth through this experience can only be compared to winning an award. What I learned from the executive coaching program is a major factor today in attaining our goals. What I learned will be a major factor in the future to assure it keeps happening. For example, I have two managers who were at best marginal before my coaching began. Now they are on their way to delivering BIG this year – and happy in doing it.  Our newly unified team is committed to execute for success every day. It’s a great place to be!”

“I have found a spirit that has always been alive in me, but dormant. It’s a power source, a burning enthusiasm, and it’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I have a stronger connection to my leadership – more than I have ever felt. My ability to manage clearly with daily pressures and stressful events has been enhanced a hundred fold by this coaching program – at work and at home. To top that, my quality of life has done a complete turn-around. I never thought I could feel this way on a consistent basis – I am in balance and empowered.”

“Instead of just meeting goals, I blew away goals this year while in the executive coaching program, with very little extra work…just refocused efforts.”

“Retention has always been a critical issue for our company. It was one we could never get on top of – until now. I entered into Leadership & Executive Development’s program with the intention of impacting our retention issues. Retention drives our revenue growth and affects our service delivery. And with the high costs of recruiting and hiring due to turnover, our profits were also impacted.

While my time is limited, I usually hold discussions with employees to get from them what I need to know – such as facts about a transaction, their pipeline, their goals, or customer issues. But what I learned in coaching is critical. This did not give them time to talk about other issues – such as their understanding of our vision from a larger picture. I now do more listening. I allow time for my direct reports to have a conversation that is their agenda and not just mine. We’re still focused on results and I am still getting what I need, but we’re more aligned and having more engaging conversations.”

“I have a new outlook – a new excitement – for accomplishing my goals and developing my team. While I love the company I lead, sometimes the things you know how to do just don’t work anymore and you lose your way and your passion. This program has given me back that passion. My improved style of leadership has created stronger, more loyal employees. This means energy and pride are at a new high – we're driven to be the best.  Settling for mediocrity is no longer an option.”

“When I began the coaching program, I took on two immense areas of development: communication and building leaders. Although I have ten managers who report to me, I no longer have ten separate projects going on at the same time. I’m stretching their thought processes and skill sets – setting higher standards for performance and holding them to it. I’m no longer the doer and fixer type of leader…telling them what, when & how to do it. I’m now in the seat of the co-pilot guiding them along the path of success and bringing them back when they’re off course. This frees me up to communicate our vision and to spend more quality time with them, which in turn is generating greater results.”

“I went into the Leadership & Executive Development program thinking it was just another coaching course. Boy was I wrong. I felt a connection with Nanci Raphael immediately; she knew me and understood what I needed.  She was relentless, yet understanding and could see more potential in me than I probably saw in myself.   I came to understand that so many of the things I thought I couldn’t change, I could. But before anything could change, I had to rethink my own leadership. That process has been invaluable in leading my company forward.”

“Before coaching, I would have monthly conversations with one of my managers about his performance. His responses were always predictable: “I know. I’ll fix it”. Then the following month’s update would be the same – no change. My frustration level with him was at an all time high. Through the Leadership & Executive Development coaching program I clearly saw that I was not holding him accountable (although I thought I was) – not at the level to effect change. When I realized this, my conversations with him took on a different tone. My manager began to understand that the ball was in his court and his next moves counted. Because of my new reality to this situation, my manager’s lackluster efforts began to transform, which in the past I would never have thought possible. Today his division is a winning one.”

“A new peer came into my company with guns drawn, ready to prove her abilities. I took her actions as a challenge. My impatience led me to take what I thought then was the easy way out – I avoided her. But each time I saw her, I felt defiance arise in my competitive nature. When I entered into the executive development program, I realized avoiding her was not the easy way out.

I began to open up to my colleague’s unique style, to understand her viewpoints and not take them as a challenge. That’s when things clicked. I became more accepting and patient with her. She became more flexible, less angry and more honest. We began to tap into each other’s strengths and then miraculously my former opponent became my best supporter. Working through this situation with her gave me distinct tools to work with difficult people in the future.”

“The Leadership & Executive Development coaching program has first and foremost helped me to keep my focus on the goals no matter what distractions impact me.”