For people who want regular personal or professional development advice from a qualified executive coach.
"Hiring you was one of the best decisions we made last year."
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I struggle with gathering and using client feedback. Even though I know that it is one of the most effective ways of giving people confidence to work with someone like me. The main reason for this is that, for me the sanctity (I choose that word carefully) of the coaching relationship is my priority. I want my clients to know and to feel that, once they have bought my services, I am literally at their service. I am there to serve them, using my skills, time, attention and presence. If I was to break that spell and ask for a testimonial, I change the dynamic. And I don't want to. I want people to know that I don't expect anything of them other than what we agree will be to their benefit. And so, I rarely even tell people who my clients are. I might name the company or organisation, but I don't name the individual. Maybe I take this too far, but I think it should be confidential even that they work with me. There are exceptions. I have some clients who work as influencers in some way. Or who are expert in sales. They readily volunteer to put their name to quotes and videos. It's part of the game they play. They tell me I should do more to get people on camera talking about the benefits of working with me. But I don't. And I probably won't, because I think in the long run, the kinds of people I want to work with really value the private space we create together. And so, I can tell you that an executive who commissioned me to do work for their whole senior team wrote to me recently (after a structured review of the first 6 months) that hiring me was "...one of the best decisions we made last year." I won't give you any clues as to who that client is, but I know they'd speak privately to people about me if I asked. What I will say is that, if you have an executive and senior team, that needs help to improve right now, hiring me could be one of the best decisions you make in 2026. And I can introduce you to someone who can prove it. See what I did there? 😉 Stephen PS I'd love to know what you think about my approach to testimonials? -- If you’re curious whether coaching could help you find more clarity or direction, book a free 15-minute Clarity Call and we’ll explore it together. For anything else, hit reply. I answer every email personally. |
HeRO Chronicles
For people who want regular personal or professional development advice from a qualified executive coach.
The most common frustration I hear from highly capable leaders is expressed in a variety of ways, but it can be summarised as: I can't seem to get anything done anymore! The frustration might be with themselves, for not being able to do the things they need to do. Or it might be frustration with their team, for not finishing things or getting them done right. When this frustration shows up, it is rarely about skill, confidence or motivation. More likely it is because people are being...
When things start to get harder for leaders, it isn't usually because of a lack of skill or effort. It is usually because the system around them has changed. Now systems are always changing and often they balance out, but, at some point they get out of balance and we don't know why. Decisions get harder. Deadlines get missed. Meetings lose their purpose. And the instinct is to wonder, "who is to blame?" But if leaders can take a step back and look at what's changing in the circumstances they...
The word retreat has been on my mind a lot over the last few days, and for two different reasons. There’s retreat in the sense of withdrawing from the day-to-day. Stepping back to reset, recharge or escape circumstances we don’t like. This is the kind of retreat you hear about a lot in the personal development world. Creating calm spaces for people who are tired, stretched or overwhelmed. I have a lot of respect for that work. But it isn’t really how I’m wired. My default response to...