Coaching Example

Dear Mr. S,

It has been a pleasure of my practice to have provided you with 7 hours of Executive and Life-Coaching Services.

During our consultations you have worked diligently in every dimension of your life, and you have attained that status I enjoy calling The Optimized Executive.

Balance, high mindedness, authenticity, rigor, health, wealth, and ongoing generatively are yours. Well done!

Also, congratulations regarding your advancement to the Chief Executive Officer of your firm. Your hard work, your drive, your intelligence, your sacrifices, and your suffering are vindicated. You have succeeded in your goals and, in my clinical opinion, even greater success awaits you and your family.

As per your request, I have summarized the essential intellectual work products of our Executive and Life consultations. They are yours for easy reference and reflection.  As we discussed, you will:

Pitch to the investors that you have the expectation of growth—and that your budgetary strength to hire experienced people is directly relevant to revenue.  Consider asking for salaries to attract talent that is ready to go for the organization. At this stage of your firm’s development, hiring cost-effective “little kids” will simply undermine organizational performance. You need people who can produce. Now. Understaffed organizations of under-competent personnel operate in states of constant emergency. Have a staff in place to manage the increased volume of deliverables necessary for consumer satisfaction that is expected under your leadership.

Employ self discipline to move to a delegating style of leadership. Because you are Type A, you will need to improve your management style to allow your reports to save face and reward success while they execute your clearly delineated targets. Be on guard again micro-management while you stay abreast of the progress of your people.

Spirituality is a deep, admirable, and important personality trait. This gift has sovereignty over you and ennobles you. Consider putting it to use with integrity. Church attendance and meditation are part of your family’s and your individual spiritual practice. Consider inspiriting your firm by building charity and philanthropy into the business model. Several years ago, Peter Drucker observed that ethical, high-minded businesses tend to have more impressive bottom lines over the long term. Obtaining investor and employee “buy in” to this fiduciary model of entrepreneurial capitalism is likely essential to moving your outstanding vision forward.

Consider deputizing your most trusted subordinate to offer you weekly feedback as to how you are doing. A trusted lieutenant as chief advisor will help you to limit managerial liabilities that stem from blind spots and potential defensive-aggressiveness that are emergent from your family-of-origin issues.

Optimize yourself as in terms of your professional personae and presentation. This involves physical presentation of you as the leader. Presentation includes maintaining physical appearance. Consider improving the professionalism of the office culture by taking a leadership role in dressing the part. Tailored suits, power ties, and sartorial elegance as a rule distinguish you as the professional in charge. Get to a real tailor. Consider very high dress code standards as part of enhancing the professional culture and setting a style of elegance and excellence that signifies you and your staff as competent, classic professionals. Looking elite improves morale and plays a significant role in enhancing the perception of credibility.  Often it correlates with productivity. Gaining insight that you need to psychically present yourself as someone to be taken seriously has been an important “take away.”

Stay in shape regardless of the hassle. Your physical health and the appearance of health enhance your credibility and create the lasting impression of an attractive, disciplined person to staff and buyers and will  improve productivity and confidence. An ongoing exercise regime will also reduce anxiety and sadness, which are emotions that need to be factored out of your performance. Exercise also has important implications regarding your domestic experience. Exercise will scientifically improve your confidence in work and relational arenas.

Have long talks with your wife about your business vision. You and she should collaborate and support each other in moving toward this accomplishment, which will strengthen the marriage of two remarkable partners and role models—something unique for children needful to experience their parents’ best selves. Pursing the highest success with the deepest humanity is part of your professional and family legacy.

I believe that this represents some of the fruit of our labor. Your verbal gifts, your sense of humor, and your sometimes breathtaking insight will be items that I shall miss at the conclusion of our weekly meetings.

Please know that you and your wife—as well as your continued astonishing career success—will remain in my thoughts and prayers.

It was my privilege to assist you and I remain at your service.

Very truly yours,

Charles Zeiders, Psy. D.