Get Ahead!
Improve skills, produce better results & advance your career
Virun Rampersad & Associates
Executive Coaching & Revenue Growth Solutions
Financial Services, Technology & Corporations
we've worked with individuals and teams in a variety of ways
Here's some of the ways we've helped our clients
Helped Leaders Drive Team Alignment
Coached a senior technology leader on strategy to improve alignment and collaboration across seven different business lines.
Helped New Hires Get Traction and Deliver Results Faster
Coached newly hired sales leader to stand up a new team and exceed first year goals by 20%
Improved Sales Performance
Helped deal teams drive double digit growth through better customer vision and collaboration.
Supported Leadership Advancement
Coached new to management and experienced leaders to accelerate and smooth the learning curve.
Drive Change
Coached business leader on how to effectively drive change across teams that didn't report to him
Improved Leadership Skills
Helped technology executives communicate more effectively, become stronger leaders and deliver results.
Helped With Overwhelm
Coached leader on managing pandemic related challenges to improve execution.
Career Management
Coached professionals at all levels on how to be more strategic and effective in managing their careers.
Strategic Planning
Helped leader of Not for Profit develop a new strategic plan to better engage donors and beneficiaries
our clients work at some of the world's leading firms
Testimonials
shanene muldrow Product owner equitable
Matthew Greiner Internal Advisor Mainstay Investments
Matthew Greiner Internal Advisor Mainstay Investments
I received executive coaching from Virun for about six months. During this time, we held deep conversations on career progression, leadership skills and ways to team build. His insight was instrumental in helping me advance my career, as I received a promotion during our coaching time. In addition, he aided in my development of plans for the next 30-60-90 days. I have grown as a leader with his coaching and strongly recommend his services.
Matthew Greiner Internal Advisor Mainstay Investments
Matthew Greiner Internal Advisor Mainstay Investments
Matthew Greiner Internal Advisor Mainstay Investments
Virun is one of the smartest people I’ve ever worked with. His ability to see both the big picture and the fine details simultaneously is truly impressive. I worked with Virun during a career transition and the value he provided was unmatched. Getting to the bottom of what was working and what was not working as well as it should brought results in a very short period of time. The process in which he used to identify issues and come up with solutions that accounted for several variables drove immediate results. His coaching is clear, concise and effective. I highly recommend Virun for anyone looking for coaching or guidance in navigating their business and career.
Helene Ellison, CEO Media Empathy Foundation
Matthew Greiner Internal Advisor Mainstay Investments
Clara Luo, senior manager & market strategist, deloitte
Working with Virun has been an amazing experience. He has helped me retool our strategic plan and develop a concrete set of action steps that has enabled us to take huge strides forward in a short space of time. Sessions with him are energizing and motivating. I can’t recommend him highly enough.
Clara Luo, senior manager & market strategist, deloitte
Lucille Mayer, Head of Client Experience, Apex Clearing Corp. & board Member Anita Borg institute
Clara Luo, senior manager & market strategist, deloitte
Virun excels at helping me understand, dissect, break down and articulate my vision. Virun brings years of experience in sales, relationship building, and is able to ask thoughtful questions - Virun is on a different level. His coaching style is very people centric, often helping you think and understand different points of views, how to position a story based on different stakeholder views. He has a unique combination of deep understanding of business, excellent people instincts and the ability to get you to think clearly so you can make decisions you feel good about. Working with him I was able to really think through situations and come to realizations that I wouldn’t have otherwise. He is someone I strongly recommend to better understand how to navigate business & personal growth transformations.
Alex Chafetz, Finance Associate, AXLe
Lucille Mayer, Head of Client Experience, Apex Clearing Corp. & board Member Anita Borg institute
Lucille Mayer, Head of Client Experience, Apex Clearing Corp. & board Member Anita Borg institute
Virun is a great coach. I worked with him when I was resetting my career after it was disrupted by the pandemic. It was an extremely valuable and impactful exercise. Virun is skilled at asking thought-provoking questions that make you dig deep, and sort out complex, and sometimes conflicting situations. Most importantly, he makes you feel very safe and comfortable, which allows you to speak openly, and not feel judged whatsoever. His coaching helped me define my goals and articulate my value clearly, which made all the difference. He is a great person that I highly recommend.
Lucille Mayer, Head of Client Experience, Apex Clearing Corp. & board Member Anita Borg institute
Lucille Mayer, Head of Client Experience, Apex Clearing Corp. & board Member Anita Borg institute
Lucille Mayer, Head of Client Experience, Apex Clearing Corp. & board Member Anita Borg institute
During my tenure as the shared-services Divisional CIO at BNY Mellon, Virun was an outspoken champion of re-imagining the client experience and bringing the entire power of the firm’s product set to all clients. We, together, broke down silos of legacy product approaches and compelled partners to think in terms of the entire enterprise. Virun is highly skilled at helping technology and business executives articulate their vision and value, solve problems and become more effective leaders. His breadth of expertise, integrity and communication skills enable him to build strong, trusting, and motivating relationships with diverse groups of people globally.
vinod jain, global product manager, paypal
Jean Wynn, Managing Director & Head of Corporate Banking, BNY Mellon (retired)
Thaddeus Duchnowski, Managing Director, Senior Client Executive, BNY Mellon
Virun is a highly successful leader who is focused on helping people succeed. I met Virun at BNY Mellon where he was a founding member and co-chair of IMPACT, the multicultural employee resource group. In the following weeks and months, he helped me understand how I could be a more effective and successful leader. Virun quickly assesses where people can improve and helps them come to that understanding in a supportive, caring manner. He goes beyond skills and insights, also helping people navigate through complex corporate culture and develop effective plans. Based on my personal experience, he is someone I strongly recommend.
Thaddeus Duchnowski, Managing Director, Senior Client Executive, BNY Mellon
Jean Wynn, Managing Director & Head of Corporate Banking, BNY Mellon (retired)
Thaddeus Duchnowski, Managing Director, Senior Client Executive, BNY Mellon
Virun excels at helping leaders and teams solve problems and develop effective strategies. He engages people extremely well and always asks insightful questions. At BNY Mellon he was the go-to person for help on important deals. His coaching was a real difference maker. Teams came out of sessions energized and confident, with a clear plan on how to articulate our value and positively differentiate ourselves from the competition. His insights were invaluable and positioned us best for success. He can be real asset to any executive or team looking to grow their business.
Jean Wynn, Managing Director & Head of Corporate Banking, BNY Mellon (retired)
Jean Wynn, Managing Director & Head of Corporate Banking, BNY Mellon (retired)
Jean Wynn, Managing Director & Head of Corporate Banking, BNY Mellon (retired)
Virun is a first-rate executive and coach who people love to work with. At BNY Mellon we frequently turned to him to solve complex problems and lead change initiatives. His intelligence, coupled with an optimistic engaging style, enabled him to bring diverse groups of people along and deliver exceptional results. He is an excellent developer of talent with the ability to help people from the C-suite to the associate level see things clearly and make good decisions. Working with Virun is both productive and fun. He is someone I strongly recommend.
Jim Walker. Senior Technology Leader, Citigroup
Jim Walker. Senior Technology Leader, Citigroup
Jean Wynn, Managing Director & Head of Corporate Banking, BNY Mellon (retired)
I worked with Virun when I was a senior technology leader at BNY Mellon. I consider him a mentor, and I give him great credit for guiding me in how to navigate the labyrinth of personalities, agendas, and needs of senior leaders across both the business and technology, to push complex initiatives at an enterprise level. He has an incredible ability to help you put yourself in other people shoes to gain perspective and understanding what's important to them. I regard him as something of a wise sage. Since then, I have frequently sought his advice in career decisions, as I deeply trust his perspective like few others. Virun is truly a pleasure to work with and I look forward to our continued relationship.
about virun
"A major driver of my success in banking was the ability to help people see situations clearly and think through steps to achieve their goals. It was also the most rewarding part of the job. For me Executive Coaching was a logical and compelling next step in my career journey." - Virun Rampersad
professional background
The most important thing to know about Virun is he is passionate about helping people and teams succeed. It was core to his success as a Senior Business Executive and underpins his work as a Certified Executive & Team Coach and Strategic Advisor. Virun acts as a thought partner to his clients, helping them solve problems and achieve their goals.
Virun has over three decades of corporate experience across all major functions including senior leadership, sales, client management, technology, strategy, and finance. The bulk of this time was at BNY Mellon, where he held several executive positions including Chief Operating Officer for the Global Client Management group, Global Head of Innovation, Head of Client Engagement Strategies and Senior Client Executive.
Virun has successfully led global business transformations, built a book of business exceeding $500 million as a salesperson, and coached executives and teams on sales strategies, organizational change and navigating complex business challenges. He has operated both as a business leader and "intrapreneur".
He has worked directly with CEOs and other C-suite executives at BNY Mellon, as well as a number of the world’s other leading organizations, including Bank of America BB&T/Truist, Capital One and Wachovia/Wells Fargo.
Virun was featured on the cover of American Banker Magazine in November 2015 and was awarded BNY Mellon’s Chairman Circle Award for outstanding sales performance. He is a strong supporter of DEI and was a founding member and former co-chair of IMPACT, BNY Mellon's Multi-Cultural Employee Resource Group. As he says "Innovation and diversity are different sides of the same coin."
Virun has been a keynote speaker at numerous conferences, written articles on sales and change management, and is a guest lecturer at various universities, including Columbia Business School, University of Pittsburgh, and Rutgers Graduate School of Business.
Virun received his undergraduate degree from The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and his master’s from Columbia University in the City of New York. He has also completed professional leadership development programs at The Wharton School of Business and Harvard Business School. He received his coaching certifications from the Center for Executive Coaching and the International Coach Federation (ICF ACC)
Executive Coaching & Revenue Growth
As a senior leader at BNY Mellon Virun recognized that while many leaders had great ideas they were passionate about, they needed help dealing with the broader leadership issues related to running a business, including:
· Defining an executable scope and focus, and understanding how this fits into the broader business ecosystem
· Building the right management team
· Having the right set of key financial metrics
· Developing effective communications
· Navigating the legal and regulatory environment
· Having a rigorous risk management discipline
· Having a clear and executable marketing, customer acquisition, onboarding and servicing plan
·
With his experience as a senior business leader in financial services, including hands-on experience in digital transformation and innovation issues, as well as coaching leaders and teams, Virun recognized he was uniquely positioned to help financial services and Fintech leaders succeed. Virun formerly trained and is certified as an Executive Coach as he recognized that with the wrong approach, you can do more harm than good.
Virun believes to be successful, the coach and the client must define the issues they want to address and be committed to working on them. It is critical they develop a trusted and effective strategic working partnership as candor and transparency are key success drivers. And they must periodically review progress and reassess goals and strategies including deciding whether to end a relationship and/or introduce other parties who may be better positioned to help. For that reason, Virun has developed a network of strategic relationships with providers of complementary services so transitions can be smooth.
When it comes to growing revenue, Virun believes you won't get a different outcome with the same old solutions. Also, you'll have more success by bringing out the best in people. These beliefs led him to create an innovative approach to revenue generation, blending coaching, design thinking, storytelling and consultative practices into an engaging and enjoyable process that harnesses the teams' insights and expertise, and drives alignment. Most importantly, the process is fun, easy and clearly value-added.
executive coaching
we help executives at critical junctures in their careers & in challenging times
Whether you're C-level, C-1, C-2, or C-3, a manager of people, a player-coach or an individual contributor, we recognize your job is hard, especially in times of change. We specialize in supporting executives who are:
- Newly Hired - flatten the learning curve, accelerate the ramp up so get off on the right foot
- High Potential - solve problems, improve skills, manage overwhelm, deliver results
- Newly Promoted - step up to new roles, enhance leadership skills, drive change
- Seeking Advancement – develop skills needed to take you to the next level
- Senior Leaders - strategic planning, decision making support, improved communications
We help:
- Build stronger teams
- Improve alignment & execution
- Drive change
- Increase employee engagement
- Enhance client focus
- Grow revenue & deliver better results
- Achieve your goals
People are the biggest source of competitive advantage and we help bring out the best in them.
Invest in your teams. Invest in yourself
how executive coaching works
executive coaching in practice
The first thing to note is coaching is not training where the focus is teaching you something you don't know. Coaching is not consulting where someone tells you what to do.
Coaching is about professional development, helping you to see things clearly, connect dots and execute better. Coaching works because it leverages knowledge you already have and enables you to decide on the course of action for yourself.
Simply put, coaching helps take your game to the next level.
We help you do this by engaging you in thoughtful dialogue so you look at things from all angles.
And yes, we will talk about the elephant in the room.
We work with you to first determine what are the most important issues to address and then design an engagement accordingly.
And to be clear -- All sessions are completely confidential.
We work normal business hours and sessions are delivered via video, teleconference or in-person.
There are times when we are not the best match for our client. For that reason we have assembled a team of affiliate providers who we have worked with and trust that we will refer.
Our goal is to help you achieve your goals and our partners are valuable and important part of how we work.
What's We Offer
We specialize in helping Business, Sales and Technology Leaders and their teams, particularly in the financial services/Fintech space.
We also help leaders of small to mid size businesses and Not For Profit organizations
Leveraging years of successful experience and proven coaching techniques we offer help in:
Problem Solving
Effective Communications
Leadership Skills
Overwhelm/Time Management
Strategic Planning & Execution
Leading Change
Career Development
Sales Practices
Presentation Skills
Team Alignment
Talent Management
Succession Planning
Why work with us
Nothing is more important than your success. It's how you secure your family's future. It's how you achieve your dreams.
But it's not easy and it's getting harder every day. And when you are stuck or not going where you want to go, changing course is doubly hard. We can help.
As a Business Leader, talent is a major source of competitive advantage, but it must be invested in to capture its full potential. Continuous learning is a critical part of professional success.
But the simple truth is training alone will not be effective. We believe adult professional growth is best achieved through thoughtful dialogue with a trained professional about something that is important, relevant and timely to the client. And the best solutions are the ones a client comes up with themselves. For us that's what coaching is all about - helping people succeed as they define success and in ways that work for them.
revenue growth solutions
"Our ability to remain relevant relies on being bold, agile and inventive" - gerald hassell former chairman & ceo, BNY mellon
Gerald's words apply in all aspects of business, including and especially how we engage with clients. To be successful, client facing teams must bring something of value to each engagement and be genuine and credible when doing so. This won't happen unless client teams are structured and equipped appropriately. That's where we can help.
We believe:
- There is no single model that is right for everyone, i.e., there is no "one size fits all"
- Consultants and other experts can provide valuable insights into proven practices, but no one knows an organization and its clients better than its own management
- Successfully implementing a new client coverage or sales model depends on management at the strategic and operating levels being fully bought in and actively engaged in the process
Having a successful model requires management to actively own and operate the design and implementation process.
Advisors can help, but management must own
We help:·
Client Management Advisory Services -- Helping leaders think through the appropriate structure and practices for growing and managing client relationships·
Effective Sales Practices -- Helping teams acquire “customer vision” so they understand their clients better and can deliver solutions that they want to buy
Our practice is based is different to traditional consultants or trainers. We employ an efficient, cost-effective approach based on hands-on operating experience.
client management advisory services
we help leaders design and implement structures and practices that meet their organization's situation and needs
We partner with leaders to craft a model that best suits their organization's needs. We tap into your team's institutional and client knowledge and couple them with over 20 years of successful experience to help you implement a structure that best meets your situation.
Our process:
· Engage you in thoughtful individual and team discussions to help you build consensus around your key goals, opportunities, and challenges
· Help you design a structure that aligns best with your clients and the rest of your organization
· Enable you to execute a well-controlled implementation plan
· Share insights into proven practices so you can determine what works best for your organization
· Develop a set of Key Performance Indicators so you can identify necessary adjustments to the model
Our experience:
Helped a Top 20 US Bank design an enterprise client management solution to build stronger relationships and drive revenue growth based on their product and market mix.
Helped a division head at a major global banking organization design and implement an organizational and operating structure to increase market penetration and grow revenue.
Helped a sales manager at newly established Learning & Development organization improve sales practices resulting in a 200% year over year revenue increase
Our background:
Restructured the go-to-market practices resulting multiple years of double-digit sales growth and major industry wins
Revamped the sales planning process to increase efficiency and drive better alignment across product teams
Successfully integrated two large two relationship teams that used different operating practices following a merger
· Harnessed eight different product teams to create effective cross-business solutions
Built a book of business that exceeded $500 million over 11 years covering more than 12 products
Who We Are and Who We Help
Welcome to Virun Rampersad & Associates!
If you are business executive who has been recently promoted or seeking to take that next step, or a leader who is looking to get better results from your team, we should talk.
effective sales practices
we help teams acquire customer vision so they win more business and build stronger client relationships
Traditional sales training tends to focus on technique or process. While these are important, this type of training often fails to produce sustainable improvement because leaders do not reinforce it with coaching.
- Research by Huthwaite and others shows that up to 80% of sales training can evaporate in the first month.
The reality is that many sales leaders do not have the bandwidth or expertise to coach their teams effectively. Also, the "gravitational pull" of old habits is intense. In light of these facts it is not surprising that many teams slip back to their old ways.
WE TAKE A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO ENHANCING SALES PERFORMANCE
We don't try to teach technique or process.
We help teams acquire Customer Vision.
Using an innovative blend of coaching, design thinking, storytelling, and consultative sales practices
we enable teams to look at situations through the client's eyes and develop effective strategies they are confident and comfortable executing.
OUR PROCESS IS SIMPLE, EFFECTIVE AND EASILY ADOPTED
- We work on real situations, not hypothetical ones, so there is immediate impact
- It is fast, easy, enjoyable and clearly value-added. Most sessions are completed in two hours.
- It enables team members to bring their insights and expertise to the table in a constructive and collaborative manner
- Teams emerge fully aligned with a clear, client-centric view of the situation and how it should be approached, which leads to better execution and outcomes.
Simply put, it enables teams to bring out the best in themselves.
We work with diverse groups including:
- Business and Product Sales and Relationship Management
- Client and Industry Focused Executives
- Product, Technology, Customer Service and Operations
- Marketing and Sales Support
And we cover a broad suite of activities, including:
- New business generation
- Business retention
- Client relationship enhancement
- Product launches
- Sales campaigns
- Multi-product deals
- Sales Offsite Sessions
We put a client focused lens on each situation and through a facilitated discussion help the team develop the strategy and messaging. Our process enables teams bring their full selves to the discussion and develop creative, credible and executable solutions.
And that way, they win.
how our solutions work
our approach
Our innovative revenue growth solutions are based on three principles:
1. All parts need to connect:
- How you relate to your client
- How your solution relates to their need
- How you position versus the competition
Put simply, your total message needs to fit together seamlessly.
2. Value is in the eye of the beholder
- Your message must focus on what the client thinks is important and valuable
- Your message must resonate with their leadership; put another way, you need to create desire for your solution
- Your client must be able to confidently explain your value proposition to his bosses and articulate why it is the best choice
In other words, it's all about the client
3. It has to be easy, fun and clearly value-added.
- It's quick and engaging, and often reduces the overall preparation time
- It's encouraged everyone to bring their perspectives to the table and everyone has a voice so you get an outcome that everyone buys into
- It produces a clear outcome with defined next steps, which gives the team momentum and confidence
Our Process:
We work with the team or deal leads to understand your situation and goals, and guide them through the prep process of identifying and briefing the participants and other logistical issues. Our sessions are facilitated dialogues that enable the help teams to focus on and connect the dots across the critical components of any deal or relationship:
- The Client
- The Solution
- The Competition
- The Message.
- The Action Steps
Our solutions can be applied at each stage of the sales process and have been particularly effective in:
- Supporting RFP responses and client presentations for complex deals
- Defending existing business
- Reigniting stalled client relationships or turning around relationships in stress
- Launching new product and sales campaig
How we work
Our solutions are delivered via facilitated sessions, virtually or in-person. We work with the business leaders to understand the need and tailor the session accordingly.
Sessions can be done as part of a live deal or client review exercise, but can also be a component of an Offsite
For large groups we may leverage one of our trusted affiliates to ensure your teams have the best experience possible.
Post session we provide email and phone/video support to ensure your team is best positioned to succeed.
For major deals we offer presentation coaching to ensure your team is ready to shine on the big day.
Why us
Our process was designed by sales practitioners, not consultants, and have been proven to be effective across a broad suite of products and services.
It complements technique-based training well, enabling teams to identify ways to apply those techniques prior to the client meeting.
It is an action oriented exercise and has the two most important qualities for successfully engaging sales teams -- it's fun and it's effective.
Our Clients Work at some of the world's leading companies
some of the people we help
Business Leaders
Sales Teams & Executives
Sales Teams & Executives
We help Business Leaders solve complex problems and improve their leadership and management skills
Sales Teams & Executives
Sales Teams & Executives
Sales Teams & Executives
We help Sales Leaders and Teams grow and protect revenues by introducing effective practices and techniques that can be easily adopted
Fintechs & Start Ups
Sales Teams & Executives
Technology Executives & Managers
We help Fintechs and Start Ups improve their leadership practices and become more skilled at selling to investors and buyers
Technology Executives & Managers
Technology Executives & Managers
Technology Executives & Managers
We help Technology Executives & Managers become better leaders so they can improve team performance and deliver important outcomes.
Leadership Teams
Technology Executives & Managers
Leadership Teams
We help Leadership Teams of small-mid sized organizations align more effectively to improve performance and results
Not For Profits
Technology Executives & Managers
Leadership Teams
We help Not For Profits hone their business plans, and management practices so they can operate efficiently and effectively
Bring Out The Best in You & Your Team
Bring Out The Best in You & Your Team
Bring Out The Best in You & Your Team
Invest in Your Success
A Conversation with Virun
Thoughts on Coaching and improving sales effectiveness
First of all does coaching really work?
There has been a fair amount of research done around that question. Here's what they've found:
- 70% of clients report a meaningful improvement in their abilities and attaining or exceeding their goals after coaching
- 80% report having increased self-confidence
- 86% a positive return on their investment of time and money
Other studies have shown coaching pays back between four and eight times the investment. Today about 50% of Fortune 500 companies use coaching and in the 2021 Chief Learning Officer survey 60.5% of respondents stated executive coaching was their preferred tool for helping executives deal with the challenges of a post-pandemic world.
How do you know if coaching has been successful?
Coaching engagements should have a goal, something the client wants to achieve, and success is measured by the attainment of that goal. For that reason, it is important at the outset to properly define how the goal will be measured.
How does coaching compare with training from a professional development perspective?
Both training and coaching are important and valuable professional development tools, but they are effective in different ways. Training is great for imparting technical or factual knowledge and techniques – teaching a person something they don’t know. It tends to focus more on the subject matter than the client and is often delivered at scale. However, without coaching and reinforcement, studies show training’s benefits evaporate very quickly.
Coaching on the other hand is client focused. Engagements are tailored to their needs and goals. It is very effective in helping executives and teams see things clearly, connect dots and make decisions more confidently. In other words, coaching taps into what clients already know and helps them harness that knowledge into practical solutions they are motivated to implement. For that reason, coaching can be a game changer in raising an executive's or team's skills and performance.
What is your approach to Improving Sales Effectiveness?
My approach is based on over a decade of experience of working with sales teams to improve performance. I realized you’ve got to work with nature versus against it. Sales and relationship leaders have very challenging jobs and they only have so much bandwidth. Changing habits is hard without infrastructure support. So I focus on the process that they follow when pursuing a sales opportunity or managing a relationship and interject a process that is fun, easy to follow and generates great insights and results. I crafted a unique solution that blends design thinking, coaching, storytelling and consultative sales techniques and mapped it against the customer buying cycle. It is delivered in the form of facilitated discussions so they solutions they come up with is their own, leveraging the team’s collective knowledge and ability to execute. I don’t try to change people, rather I help them be the best version of themselves.
How Effective Has Your Approach To Improving Revenue Generation Been?
The results were transformational. I implemented this at BNY Mellon in 2016. Not only did we begin to win deals we thought we had a shot at, but we won or did very well at the longshots. Clients began to take notice that we were showing up differently, with greater insight and asking better questions. And when we did it with partner organizations their response was always the same “We love this process!"
Why do you think organizations have traditionally placed more emphasis on training versus coaching?
There are two main reasons in my opinion. First, training receives the larger share of the Learning & Development budget as it is used to address important, table stakes issues. In many cases, training is not optional; it's something firms have to do. Coaching on the other hand is optional and is not for everyone -- you need to be coachable for it to work.
Second, there is a much lower awareness and understanding of coaching as a professional development tool than training. Fewer people ask for it or suggest it to their teams, and when offered this lack of understanding results in reluctance to invest the time. These factors make demand is lower. The irony of course is that coaching often creates significant and visible performance improvement. As the statistics show the vast majority of coaching clients are very happy with the outcomes. Simply put, with coaching, leaders become better at what they do and deliver better results. These are things CEOs dream about. As awareness grows, we will see greater use of coaching as a developmental too.
Why should organizations invest in coaching?
Simply put, so they can win. Talent is a major source of competitive advantage and coaching is a highly effective way of improving executive performance. It will raise the game in ways that training alone cannot.
What is your coaching philosophy?
For the right executive, coaching can be a powerful tool to drive superior performance. Skilled coaching enables executives to leverage their knowledge and experience to gain insights, improve skills and deliver better results. It is best accomplished with a trained professional or subject matter expert. It should be focused on something that is important, and relevant to the client, and there should be the opportunity to put new ideas into practice quickly. My view is if you want to take people from good to great, coaching is a very impactful tool to employ.
How did you become an Executive Coach?
I began coaching my business partners when I was a Client Executive at BNY Mellon to ensure our message was aligned and consistent. It proved to be very effective. Shortly after, I began to coach minority managers as part of leading IMPACT, BNY Mellon’s multi-cultural employee resource group, and later I coached high potential leaders as part of our Leadership Development program. In 2016 I stood up a coaching function to support BNY Mellon’s major account client coverage teams, which was a huge success, virtually transforming our sales process. These experiences were personally rewarding and made coaching the compelling and logic next step in my career journey.
What's needed to make coaching effective?
The first and most necessary condition for coaching to be effective is the client must be coachable, i.e., willing, and open to changing for professional growth. This by the way is one of the reasons why not 100% of coaching engagements are successful. The second is the topic for coaching must be meaningful to the client. If they don't care, the impact will be diluted. Third, the coaching is best done by a trained professional who enables the client to feel safe and comfortable and has the skills to engage them in thoughtful dialogue that can help them see things clearly, connect dots and come away energized and focused on action. Not having a coach with the right skills is another reason why not all engagements are successful.
What is your process for coaching?
My process for coaching begins with understanding why the client wants coaching, the problem they’re looking to solve or skill they wish to develop and why that is important to them. A big part of coaching success is the openness of the client for change that enables growth. We then establish the terms of engagement and begin coaching. In some cases, we begin with an assessment to gain insights into the client’s traits or feedback from colleagues. The insights gained here help refine coaching goals and enables us to agree on specific measures of success. As we go through the coaching engagement we will periodically assess where we are versus those goals to ensure we’re on track and the coaching is being effective.
How do you measure the value coaching brings?
The value of coaching is best measured by the value placed on achieving of the goal of the engagement. This measure is often qualitative, rather than quantitative. For example, if an executive is successfully coached to become more strategic in their approach and they do so, the coaching has been a success. While being more strategic manifests in many ways, putting a dollar value on its impact is hard.
