TAILORED EXECUTIVE COACHING
for corporate VPs
who are seeking deeper leadership impact,
increased confidence
and more balance throughout their lives.
…and ELEVATE to a new
strategic perspective.
Escape the gravitational pull of the day-to-day tasks and fires…
Escape the gravitational pull
of the day-to-day tasks and fires…
…and ELEVATE to a new
strategic perspective.
VP IS WHERE THE PAIN LIVES
THE CRACKS BEGIN TO EMERGE:
“Is this what success looks like?”
“Why do I feel like I’m drowning all of the time?”
“Is there something more?”
“How can I be more effective?”
“Can I even do this job?“
WHY?
Because the thing that got you here not only won’t get you there (hat tip to Marshall Goldsmith), it will become the thing that limits your ability to rise to the perspective required of a successful VP.
YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE LEADER WHO WAS…
The most conscientious
The most driven
The most direct
The most giving
The most knowledgeable
The most aware
The most harmonious
The most fun-loving
We become reliant on the things that have worked in the past – even if they don’t work as well now. Whatever your leadership superpower was before, you must transcend it when you achieve “VP scale” which comes with “VP ambiguity”. It is essential for promoted leaders to evolve in order to meet their expanding responsibilities, and that requirement is most pronounced following a promotion to VP.
Vice President is the place where executives are expected to rise above the “down-and-in” and elevate to the “up-and-out.” When VPs struggle, they double-down on the things that used to work, and get pulled further out of balance, feel more overwhelmed and wonder why they worked so hard for this promotion in the first place.
THE VP WHISPERER
Great VPs don’t focus on getting stuff done, they focus on getting the right stuff done.
I help corporate VPs first illuminate the habits and the beliefs that are getting in their way. Next, I support VPs in incrementally creating new approaches to work that bring elevated perspectives, confidence and balance, until they create a new way that feels natural and sustainable.
THE VP WHISPERER
Great VPs don’t focus on getting stuff done, they focus on getting the right stuff done.
I help corporate VPs first illuminate the habits and the beliefs that are getting in their way. Next, I support VPs in incrementally creating new approaches to work that bring elevated perspectives, confidence and balance, until they create a new way that feels natural and sustainable.
HOW I HELP
One-On-One Executive Coaching
In-person or remote: Six-to-twelve month programs focused on the outcomes that matter most to you, your team and your business.
Team Coaching
I’m honored to be a member of an impactive collective of team coaches that can help take your team to the next level. What becomes possible when your team is greater than the sum of its parts?
Coaching for Twenty-Somethings
(with a discount)
When I co-founded a coaching program for students at the University of Colorado, Boulder, I soon learned how well young leaders respond to coaching. Why the discount? Because providing access to coaching and supporting developing leaders matters!
Ask me about workshops and retreats
How can I support you in creating a powerful workshop or retreat that builds connection and elevates your team? I’ve facilitated over 100 events and would love to create something that meets your group right where they are.
ABOUT ME
Hi, I’m Walt.
I’m deeply driven to understand people at their core so that I can help them achieve the things that are truly important to them.
For over thirty years, I have responded to the call to practice and study leadership.
I’ve been a full-time independent executive coach for the past seven years.
Before that, I was an in-house leadership faculty and coach for a Fortune 200 healthcare company.
Before that, I was a professor teaching leadership and management at the University of Colorado.
And before that I was a leader and helicopter pilot in the United States Navy for 23 years.
I live in Boulder, Colorado with my amazing wife and our two children who are mostly a joy to be around. Something that I love is backcountry fly fishing.
MY PROMISES TO MY CLIENTS
I care deeply about you and the things that are important to you.
I will ask you the questions that nobody else asks you.
I will coach from compassion and kindness.
I will challenge you to see and understand yourself and your situation in new ways.
I will work as your partner in creating something new and important.
We will laugh together and celebrate your successes as they unfold.
SUPPORTING LEADERS AT:
WHAT VPS, EXECUTIVES AND TWENTY-SOMETHINGS
SAY ABOUT WORKING WITH ME
Working with Walt has been instrumental in helping me to achieve my professional and personal goals. After my engagement with Walt, I can focus more on core strategic questions and deliver compelling, meaningful analysis that resonates with Executive leaders. As a result, I have more opportunities to engage in higher-level work, which brings me positive exposure across my organization. In addition, I am effectively and efficiently balancing my energy and attention across my direct reports, peers, organizational stakeholders, and Executive leaders.
Not only are my professional performance and presence at a personal best, but I have also optimized my work-life balance as well. The value of being able to elevate my professional experience, along with having such sustainable balance, has made a remarkable difference for me and all of those I interact with. It is so energizing to be able to give my best at work, while also still having my best energy remaining at the end of the day for my family, friends, and other personal commitments.
Emily S.
•••
From our very first session, Walt exhibited a remarkable ability to listen attentively and understood the core challenges I was facing. He provided me with a safe and non-judgmental space where I could openly discuss my goals, challenges, and aspirations.
Throughout or coaching journey, I found Walt to be a constant source of inspiration and motivation. He consistently pushed me outside my comfort zone, encouraging me to explore new perspectives and embrace growth opportunities. His unwavering support and belief in my potential instilled a newfound confidence within me, empowering me to overcome challenges and achieve positive results.
Todd G.
•••
Walt is very easy to talk to, thoughtful, and a good listener. He’s so welcoming that it's clear that he really cares. Walt is also both insightful and thought provoking and I have never felt judged or misunderstood. I leave each session feeling like I have made progress. As a result of his program, I felt much more positive about myself, my career journey, and my ultimate destination.
Meghan B.
•••
Having concluded the program, I can tell you that I am now a much more confident and effective leader. Grounded in my own wisdom and confidence, I have reached a fuller potential that allows me to serve my company and my team with enhanced focus and resolve. I highly recommend Walt to anyone who is ready to transform as a leader and reach their fullest potential.
Stephanie J.
•••
From the very first meeting, he was deeply invested in understanding my goals and challenges-- and then offered a manageable, incremental process to achieve measurable success. As someone heavily invested in personal development (yet often very skeptical of personal development coaches), I give Walt my full endorsement. My personal and professional lives have been greatly enhanced by his skill and dedication to helping individuals and teams flourish.
Ed R.
•••
Working with Walt has been a true turning point for me, personally and professionally. The process pushed me to work on myself in a meaningful way by challenging my limiting beliefs, strengthening my self-awareness, and building my confidence to lead with more intention. Instead of trying to become someone else, Walt helped me translate my strengths into a leadership strategy and gave me the confidence to take the next step.
Chrissy N.
•••
One of the things that struck me when I recently visited Walt's website was the promise he makes to every client:
"I care deeply about you and the things that are important to you. I will ask you the questions that nobody else asks you. I will coach from compassion and kindness. I will challenge you to see and understand yourself and your situation in new ways. I will work as your partner in creating something new and important. We will laugh together and celebrate your successes as they unfold."
I can honestly say that Walt delivered on every one of those promises.
Working with Walt was an incredibly impactful and deeply meaningful experience. He created a space that was compassionate, nonjudgmental, and supportive, while also challenging me to see myself and my circumstances in entirely new ways. His thoughtful questions led to insights that continue to influence my leadership and my life years later.
Beyond being an exceptional coach, Walt is simply an extraordinary human being. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have worked with him and recommend him without hesitation to anyone looking for a coach who combines wisdom, compassion, and the ability to bring out the very best in others.
Ali G.
(the high-performing executive,
not the fictional Sacha Baron Cohen character)
•••
I approached Walt after it became clear to me that my ways of leading were not generating the engagement nor results I wanted, despite doing the “right” things.
In contrast with some of the common HR-offered leader trait/behavior-sorting programs I’d taken, with Walt I unpacked what I believed (and why), its impact, and why it was holding me back. This deeply introspective process, together with Walt guiding the process and developing exercises to solidify new ways versus old, has made a profound difference on my impact as a leader. Highly recommend.
Trevor G.
•••
Walt’s gift is his ability to listen deeply, and then ask questions that will guide you to your heart-center. I walked away with direction, intention, and heart-connection within my career. I realized what elements of my work I can let go, and which are vital to hold onto and protect. I walked away changed, and although my coaching with Walt was over a year ago, I am still rooted in the lessons he seemingly so effortlessly directed me towards. It’s a sort of magic to sit with someone who is able to guide you so gently in this way - where you leave feeling like you were the one that landed on new insights - but it was only through Walt’s expert coaching, expert questioning, and empathic listening that led to change.
D’Ann B.
•••
It has been a year now, and I find myself still growing from my work with Walt. He helped me on my way to not just accomplishment, but a purpose-driven and thoughtful path from which both my clients and myself benefit.
As the head of a company, I found great importance in removing from the constant decision-making day-to-day in order to dream and calibrate. During our sessions, we formed the scaffolding to support this. I highly recommend Walt to anyone who wants to improve similarly.
Lisa K.