Ki, as a retired US Naval Officer, how did you come to be an executive and leadership coach? What attracted you to the profession?
Working with extremely resourceful, wildly innovative, immensely dedicated professionals was the most rewarding part of my job. While some circumstances required direct guidance, many efforts offered opportunities for individual and team development. I worked on guiding teams in how to assess options, think through approaches, and own the execution through to the delivery of outcomes. Later, while pursuing my Doctorate, I found my approach closely aligned with Executive and Leadership Coaching. Concepts like Ôshining a light on leaders' greatness' and Ôholding space for executives' extraordinary vision' resonated deeply with me. In my perfect utopia, I work with leaders who are changing the world. Now, I get to do that every day.
Does your former career influence and inform your approach to leadership coaching?
Absolutely, 'Yes'. I consider myself a 'Leadership in the Trenches' Coach. I attract executives that are looking to take a stand and, in some way, 'go to war' with extraordinarily complex, long-standing issues - both internal (i.e.- a culture of complacency, apathy, intolerance, indifference, bullying, toxic thinking) and external (volatile industrial/ political/ economic conditions) Ð that threaten the organization's ability to achieve its greatest aspirations. I coach leaders, executives, and teams as they assess what's going on, determine the best strategy, formulate plans, and manage execution.
Can you describe a moment in your coaching career that truly epitomized the power and impact of executive and leadership coaching?
I was part of one coaching engagement where I and a team of coaches made institution history and saved the government over $100M by delivering a project ahead of schedule!! This was the first instance of this occurring in that organization's 250-year history! In another organization, I worked with a 300+ member HR Technology Team, leveraging leadership coaching and agile coaching to support leaders in transforming their culture to increase transparency, team member engagement, and prioritized customer-partnering. These efforts helped teams heal, repair broken relationships, and restore trust. Today, they enjoy one of the most revered reputations in the agency. In both engagements, executives and leaders credited the coaching with helping them have the conversations and craft the communications they either were hesitant to develop or assumed were best avoided rather than risk making circumstances worse.
How do you tailor your coaching approach to cater to the diverse needs of different leaders, and how do you approach leaders with big egos?
Customization is essential. I see each leader as unique and curate an approach specific to their needs, personality, goals, strengths, and weaknesses. For teams, a similar approach is useful Ð except leaders must consider all factors as they apply to the team collective. This is extremely hard to do with ego. The more leaders focus on what their teams and organizations need, the less ego shows up. Instead, they focus on enhancing emotional intelligence (EQ), recognizing and regulating emotions during high-pressure situations, and providing regular, constructive feedback throughout the enterprise to address challenges and opportunities.
What common misconceptions or myths about executive and leadership coaching would you like to address?
Many assume Coaches can only help executives and leaders in developing 'soft skills' such as communication, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal skills. In truth, coaching can develop 'hard skills' by helping scientists, engineers, and technical experts bring greater vision, clarity, and innovation to their work. Coaches commit to the mastery of skills like Active Listening, Coaching Presence, Establishing Trust, Creating Awareness, and Designing Actions Ð skills that enable us to support leaders in a conversation they just can't get anywhere else.
With the rapidly changing business landscape, especially post-COVID, what are the new challenges executives face today? And how has executive coaching evolved to address them?
In the wake of George Floyd, The Social Justice movement, Violence against Asian and Pacific Islanders, and a highly charged political climate, I've done a lot of work with leaders, helping them understand the cultural context in which they operate. Cultural differences can significantly impact leadership styles and expectations. Executives must lead with greater integrity and address social and ethical issues impacting their organizations, focusing on ethics and corporate social responsibility. They will also need to be keenly aware of possible biases inherent in their leadership approach. Additionally, COVID highlighted the importance of employee health and well-being. The future workforce, Generation Z, is now demanding what previous generations were only requesting - that executives prioritize employee wellness and flexible work arrangements to transcend Ôwork-life balance' and usher in the age of Ôwhole-life harmony.'
Besides executive and leadership coaching, you also offer consulting services to the Federal Government. How does this role contrast with your coaching responsibilities, and how does it enhance your efforts in leadership coaching?
At Clear and Present Executive Coaching and Consulting Services, LLC, our consulting services allow us to bring ready expertise in Assessments, Agile Methods, Change Management, Communications and Team Building and Strategy Planning and Execution. Consultant Services can help leaders plan and execute changes, while Leadership Coaching supports leaders in navigating and leading through change effectively while helping teams develop the resilience and adaptability needed during times of transformation.
Leadership Coaching and Consulting services work together to provide a holistic approach to leadership development and organizational improvement within the federal government. Complementing these expertise and services can help executives identify and address systemic issues, develop leaders' capabilities, and drive positive change across government agencies.
