About Coaching Leaders:
An interview with Ken Kesslin

I'm a strong advocate for leadership coaching. I believe it to be the most reliable and cost-effective way to produce outstanding leaders. Developing leadership behaviors—especially those that need to function under pressure—requires time, practice, skilled feedback and encouragement. These things don’t happen as the result of a single training program or corporate retreat. They develop most rapidly with sustained and competent coaching.

"What experiences have you had that make you a strong leadership coach?"

In addition to the specific leadership development work I’ve been doing for many years, I have a broad personal and professional background to share with my clients.  Back in 1979, during my junior year at Stanford University, I began teaching Peer Counseling skills to students there and at Palo Alto High School.  That began an ongoing quest to master the gift of listening—listening deeply to people in order to help them develop to their fullest potential.  In one form or another, I’ve been learning and teaching the skills of interpersonal leadership ever since.

In the early “Wall Street” phase of my career, I spent 10 years trying to find admirable leadership in the business world.  For me that meant leadership that demonstrated as much success in life and interpersonal relationships as it did in business profitability and personal income.  I didn’t find it at that time.  So I followed my heart, left the “business world,” and became a clinical social worker.  That experience taught me much about having the courage to follow your own path in life—both the joys and the challenges of breaking your own mold. 

My definition of leadership is rather broad, but it always includes a healthy portion of courage.  I’m pretty sure that if something doesn’t require courage, then it probably doesn’t require much leadership either.  I’ve been through a number of courageous changes in my own life, both professional and personal, and it helps me to understand and support my clients as they take on new behaviors in order to grow into outstanding leaders.

Having lived in New York City for the past twenty years, I’ve met lots of people who think they’re great leaders…and a few of them actually are.  I’ve gotten to know who’s for real, and who’s not; who’s full of great ideas and leadership potential and who’s just full of themselves.  True leaders value hearing the truth, even when it’s about them and the things they need to change. 

"What is your philosophy in working with managers and leaders?"

I know that leadership skills can be learned.  It helps if you come with a great foundation and some unusual talents, but it’s not a requirement for becoming an outstanding business or community leader.  I know that anyone I work with has the potential for greatness.  What they don’t always have is the motivation or determination to get there, but they have the potential.  Part of my job as coach is to uncover that personal motivation and support my clients through the challenges of their own development.

I assume my clients are responsible for their thoughts, their behaviors and the business and personal life they’ve created for themselves.  In essence, I treat my clients as adults.  Sometimes I need to let clients know when they’re not acting like adults.  I’ve joked that my clinical work with teenagers was the best preparation I had for working with some executives… and we all know a few.  What I’ve observed about most of us is that when we’re under stress—having a difficult time at work or in personal situations—many of us find comfort in self-protective, habitual ways of responding.  Often these habitual responses are the same ones we’ve been using since we were children or teenagers.  It's not that this is unusual -- it's true for most of us -- but it’s not terribly effective, especially for leaders trying to produce results. I find that helping leaders recognize old, inflexible, habitual behaviors, allows them to develop greater self-awareness and find more appropriate responses to new and challenging situations. 

We all know that circumstances affect everyone; leaders are the people who take their circumstances and use them to create the results they want.  My goal is always to help leaders discover what they're capable of accomplishing, and then develop new behaviors that allow them to maximize their effectiveness.

"What are the special gifts you bring as a coach?"

Deep listening and keen observational skills form the basis for my coaching. I listen deeply to what is said and I pay close attention to what actually happens with my clients.

Honesty and authenticity are part of all my interactions, both as a coaching tool and as a model for effective communication.

I love to laugh and bring a sense of humor to my coaching.  Humor is one of the gifts that make taking courageous risks a bit easier.

A love of learning, exploration and self-discovery. 

Deep respect for people and their challenges.

Finally, I know nothing more satisfying than helping people to know their own greatness, and then decide to live and lead from that place.
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More information about Ken Kesslin.