— ASSOCIATE CHIEF COUNSEL

“My experience working with Neal was very positive and he provided me with a lot of practical information and insights that have already helped in my development.

One area where Neal was particularly helpful was in empowering me to take matters into my own hand and addressing them without delay because it is the right thing to do for both me and my team. I was more tentative in situations like that until Neal provided some great guidance. He also had useful suggestions on how I could strengthen my team through better team meetings.

Above all, Neal was effective in encouraging me to see my own strengths and learn how to have the confidence to use them.”

— Vice President of Operations

“My coaching engagement with Neal has been the most productive one I’ve experienced. I won’t say it was always the most pleasant because during our meetings, I had to face some hard truths about myself. And not only did I have to face those truths, but I also had to make some decisions about what I wanted to do about them. I say with affection that Neal’s “relentless challenging” helped make me a better leader and improve my executive presence. Neal helped motivate me to be able to achieve some key objectives, which I’ve listed below:  

Determine what’s important and focus – For too long, I had been reacting to things around me because it was easier than trying to drive change or make tough decisions. By reviewing how I was spending my time and digging into my motivations, I was able to reveal that truth. Simultaneously, I have now been able to identify what is truly important and focus on that while either delegating other activities or realizing they didn’t add value and respectfully retiring them.

Motivate myself – Previously, I was lacking self-motivation and was focused on accomplishing tasks because checking those off my list made me feel like I was achieving something, when I really wasn’t. Through our discussions and exercises, as mentioned above, I was able to uncover what is important to me and that has helped me find my purpose again. By understanding that purpose, I am now able to motivate myself because I’m doing things I truly believe are meaningful.

Remove barriers – I had built up a fairly comprehensive catalog of reasons why I couldn’t achieve some of my goals. Some of those excuses were based on organizational structure, some on the behaviors of co-workers and for a very few I assumed full responsibility. Many of those were based on irrational fear. By challenging me and making me examine the barriers that I had effectively constructed, we were able to dismantle them and that has made me fearless, but not in a reckless manner. I’ve simply stopped buying into my own BS and begun looking at things through a new lens where those barriers no longer exist.

Find my voice….and own it – The culmination of these accomplishments is that I’ve been able to find a clear voice of who I am as an executive and what my purpose is in the organization. This goes far beyond job titles and responsibilities and has given me more peace of mind than I have had in a long time. As long as I’m true to who I believe I am, I can be a courageous leader.”

— Executive VICE PRESIDENT  AND Administrative Officer

“Like so many people, I began my coaching engagement at a pivotal career moment. Neal’s engagement was palpable from the start. He reflexively understood my pressure points, saw the opportunities, and had the pattern recognition to help me prioritize efforts.

 Neal has many amazing qualities. One stands particularly tall: his ability to empathize without compromising. By that, I mean he has a deep connection to the challenges that his “learners” face, and is willing to be with them in a difficult place to fully feel their concerns. But he holds them accountable to their commitments, the stories (true or not) they have bought into, and the ways in which they may be undermining their own success.

Neal and I worked together for almost two years. In that time, I experienced tremendous progress in the areas that were critical to my long-term career success. This manifests in greater job satisfaction and more consistent delivery of results for the business. Several people commented on the positive changes to my leadership acumen, and I attribute much of that to Neal’s counsel.

 Neal embodies the word “coach” in its truest sense.”