Hire Me

What I Do

I coach individuals and teams, as well as work with groups and complete organizations, to perform better.

• One session career trouble shooting work.
• 2-4 session career  coaching “tune-up” engagements.
• 3-6 month classic executive coaching consulting.
• New role / new hire coaching to increase the likelihood of new job success.
• New team “quick start” projects.
• Leadership team  coaching / performance “team building” engagements.

Consulting work is in person (I work with individual coaching clients throughout North America and team coaching clients worldwide) as well as over the phone or web video.

Typically my work involves attaining with clients performance that is either more effective (doing the right thing), efficient (doing something well), or as is usually the case, doing both. Sometimes it also means steering people or folks from the job or pursuits they currently have to something that’s a better fit and opportunity for them.

Most of my work is coaching individuals (executive coaching) and coaching leadership and start-up teams (team start-up and transition, team building). I am also an MBTI® Certified Practitioner. I also work in the area of off-site design and facilitation, as well as organizational consulting. Here’s more detail:

Executive Coaching:

I work with people who are doing well in their jobs who are looking to get even better as well as folks doing OK who are keen to improve. I have a particular expertise in new hire / new role coaching given the unique background I bring as someone with both extensive coaching and executive recruiting experience. I also work with an occasional “save” – someone who is struggling and looking for some help to get back to even keel rather than be fired.

Clients get a fast start to the work of succeeding because I bring both an effective, proven method and over three decades of background in business and coaching.

There are two types of executive coaching situations in which clients hire me.

One way is “spot” coaching: short term work with a client over a particular issue or challenge for short period of time where I  leverage the experience of over 30 years working in business with my coaching skills to help a client through a short term obstacle or opportunity.

This spot coaching could be something as simple as a one session conversation.

I also do career “tune-up” work: 2-4 sessions in person, phone, or web video to get people focused and started down the right path with their career.

A second way of consulting is working with senior new hires to a new firm or a new role; my background noted above in both coaching and executive recruitment gives me a unique insight to the challenges executives face in a new job / new role.

Third, I provide more traditional executive coaching, where work with a client is over a period of 3-6 months and is broader in nature than “spot” coaching. I have preferences in that type of work in that I generally collect 360 degree feedback and shadow clients as part of the process: those two methods get quick, specific information about what you’re doing that works well, and the areas that offer the greatest opportunity of improvement. Such a quick-start methodology means that clients get a fast start to the coaching work. These type of typical coaching engagements usually have coaching sessions – in person or over the phone – every one to two weeks. My work with individuals in these traditional coaching engagements is marked by unusually fast starts (the data that’s used is specific to that client alone) and results that last.

Team Coaching:

I work with start-up teams and leadership teams: the former is primarily to help get focus and the teams up and running quickly, and the latter work is either to strengthen the team or to help bring some added crispness to their work. I have a process I’ve developed called “Road Map” that is based on the research behind high-performing teams that I utilize. I also work with the teams of execs who are new to their role or firm; getting a senior team aligned quickly not only provides a foundation of strength for a new exec, it reduces one less “hot spot” that has to be dealt with early.

In all three cases the results of the team coaching are durable: they stick with the team to promote greater performance. Rather than a “Kumbaya” approach to teaming that process is action and results focused, and participants walk away with a clear sense of deliverables and goals. It’s also relaxing: knowing you won’t have to act like your favorite animal takes the stress away for many people.

Group Facilitation & Offsite Design:

I help groups figure out how to structure their group meeting or off-site so they optimize that experience. Starting with outcomes (“What is it that you hope participants walk away with?”), I work with clients to structure the flow of activities – and even how the activities are done – to make sure those outcomes get released. And to keep my hands dirty, I facilitate those sessions, meaning that I truly understand how to take something from design to execution.

Pick my brain consulting / learn from my experience:

I have been actively working with individuals, teams, groups, and organizations for almost thirty years, and have a trunk full of experience to show for it. Some of the things people pick my brain about include assessment and selection systems, employee recruiting and employer brand, organizational structure, job design, organizational change, and performance alignment.

Engagements are typically ½ day or full day – and in the case of one client, multiple weeks of full and part-time days.

Interested? What’s next?

Send me a note at “info (at) backwest dot com” or give me a phone call at +1 415 843-1242. If we don’t connect immediately I’ll get back to you and we can talk about ways of working together.

And if I don’t think I’m a good fit, I’ll tell you. And I’ll also help you to find someone who might be a good fit.