“All coaching is, is taking a player where he can’t take himself.”
- Bill McCartney
"Coaching isn't therapy; it's product development, with you as the product."
- Fast Company Magazine
Contents:
Nick As A Coach
I’ve always enjoyed helping others solve complex problems in their lives.
Over time I learned that often what people needed isn’t just rational guidance, but deeper self-understanding, a catalyst for action, a shot of confidence or to stay accountable to someone other than themselves. This is why I became a certified professional coach.
My life experience honed a no-nonsense, logical, aggressive problem-solving approach to life and achievement. Self-development, meditation, therapy and mentoring helped temper that approach with more human understanding and balance.
I believe in the power of hard logic, tough love, thorough planning and deep self-awareness. My personal success has come from using these in my life. As a coach, I work as a catalyst for my clients to implement these in their own lives.
My coaching style is very specific. Take a look and see if you think it could be a fit for you.
Nick’s Coaching Style
Action oriented, goal oriented, solution oriented
Stop “admiring the problem” – commit to taking action
Start with the specific end goal in mind, work backwards to identify the actions to get there
Never “anything at all costs” (that’s dumb and counterproductive)
Directness
Tough love; acknowledge difficult truths
Get straight to the point – there’s nothing to be gained by dancing around it
Self-awareness
Get to the answers that work for you; one size does not fit all
Go beyond figuring out what you think, always examine why you think it – to the deepest extent possible
Cold, hard logic
You can’t just feel and vent your way to the answer of a complex problem
Analytical, rigorous, thorough – leave no stone unturned
Follow-through
Honor starting, but don’t celebrate until you finish
Stay accountable until the very end
What I don’t do…
Support unrealistic or impractical aspirations. I get you focused first on what’s attainable. Aim big, but reachable.
Delve deep into your past to uncover or get you over past trauma (that’s for a professional therapist, not a coach).
Serve solely as a motivator for a chronically unmotivated person. Motivating someone is like jumpstarting a car battery; you can do it in an emergency, but you should probably address the deeper issue that’s keeping your car from starting in the first place.
Give oblique hints so that you can reach some type of epiphany on your own. In a session we speak directly, openly and truthfully. I’m a coach, not a Zen Master indirectly nudging you toward eternal truths.
Give you “the answer.” You don’t come to me for answers. You come to me to:
a) get my opinion on something in your life (mentoring),
b) use my help to figure out a complex problem or decision (consulting),
c) help you map out a plan for you to tackle something and to hold you accountable to executing on that plan (coaching).
I’m helping you reach your own truths and commit to your own strategies – not mine.
Quotes & Concepts
Some quotes and concepts that show how I approach life and coaching:
You can have excuses or results. Not both.
If the house is on fire, don't focus on what's for dinner.
Be the most extreme version of yourself that is still positive.
Let’s worry about what will show up on your eulogy and not just what goes on your resume.
Desire is the great intangible in performance.
Stop standing around admiring the problem.
A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week. - George Patton
Knowing others is wisdom; knowing the self is enlightenment. – Lao Tzu
You should give a fuck. You really should. But only about what sets your soul on fire. Save your fucks for magical shit.
If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.
Clear thoughts produce clear results.
Throughout history, disciplined armies easily routed disorganized hordes. - Yuval Harari
The longer you wait for the future, the shorter it will be. - Loesje
Whining isn't a scalable solution. - Seth Godin
100% of the shots that you don’t take don’t go in. – Wayne Gretsky
The best way to predict the future is to create it. - Peter Drucker
Today’s obsessions = Tomorrow’s realities
Good things come to those who wait go out and earn it.
Certifications
Coaching Process
“‘Coaching’ is partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.”
- International Coaching Federation
The key principle of coaching is that the client has the answers, not the coach. The coach is merely a guide for the client, not a guru with all the solutions.
Sometimes clients may need me to jump in and get in the weeds of a question with them. This is called consulting. Also, at times a client may need concrete, specific advice on a topic that I know a lot about – this is mentoring. Both approaches can be used concurrently with coaching.
The coaching approach works by identifying what’s actually stopping you (layers underneath the excuses or external blocks you think are what’s stopping you); addressing it directly through both emotional and rational work; then mapping out a plan and holding you accountable to executing on that plan. It uses the client’s own truths and insights, not platitudes or general, formulaic exercises from self-help books. It’s a bulldozer for obstacles.
Sessions
For each session, the client brings a specific issue they are struggling with. By asking questions, the coach shines a light on different angles to the issue while simultaneously moving the client toward creating their own solution to it.
Sessions typically last 60 minutes. They can be done in person, over video or on the phone. Sessions are typically held 1 to 3 weeks apart, depending on the client.
Classic Issues
Classic issues that coaching can help people break through:
Refusing to take action, “just standing around admiring the problem”
Underdelivering on their potential because of old habits that no longer serve them
Not seeing that these old habits no longer serve them
Avoiding a tough or complex decision because they don’t know how to possibly approach it
Postponing projects because they don’t know where to start
Postponing projects because, even though they know where to start, they lack the spark to dive in
Chronically “trying” to do something (trying is not the same as committing to succeed)
Using flawed logic to talk themselves out of the hard work of personal growth
Testimonials
“I came to Nick because I had an idea for a potential product, but I couldn’t figure out how to actually turn it into a business. Through coaching he helped me identify my true, deeper intentions for this project (which I hadn’t even fully realized) and then to chart a clear path forward. Given his business experience, Nick then easily walked me through numerous possibilities for my idea, considering both digital and offline approaches. Nick’s approach to coaching and consulting is both considerate and pragmatic. Expect results.”
“Nicholas is a high powered executive who has the heart of an artist. He is the first person I go to when I need a sounding board for how to move forward in my career. He has given me strategic advice based on his rich corporate experience. He has reframed my problems to help me see them in a new light. Most importantly, he has created the space for me to untangle my mental knots and grapple with feelings that can be hard to admit and accept. I leave our conversations feeling empowered and clarified.”
“Over 10 years I have often turned to Nick to help me think through problems whenever they become too complex and unwieldy to handle on my own. He is one of the absolute best at quickly cutting through all of the ambiguity and getting to the core of the issue, and then breaking down different solutions with pros and cons for each, then finally developing a clear path to move forward and execute on each. I don’t call Nick in for the easy problems. I call him in when I’m stuck in that narrow band where it seems there are no clear, good options when facing big, complicated problems.”
“Nick has been a long standing coach and mentor of mine; he is the only person I trust to advise me on my career and has repeatedly been an incredible sounding board for important personal and business-related decisions. I attribute a significant portion of my professional success to his invaluable guidance. Nick is quick to understand and add useful insight to different situations and his foresight has helped me to avoid many a bad decision.”
“Nick is an extremely talented and natural coach. Through his pragmatic approach, he asked me the right questions that led me to identify what I want to achieve in the next step of my career and practical ways to do it. He goes beyond just helping you find general aspirations in life but how to make them a reality. I am a mid-career finance executive who is trying to figure out her next step, and Nick has been extremely helpful by not letting me use excuses to escape the uncomfortable situations that help me advance my personal life and career. I have a plan now and realistic ways of achieving it. Nick has a results-driven personality that is contagious and I cannot thank him enough for pushing me to be the best version of myself I can be.”
“Over the past 9 years Nick has been an invaluable coach and advisor. Whether it’s related to growing my businesses, developing myself professionally, or facing a personal challenge, Nick has demonstrated that there are no aspects of life for which he can’t provide valuable insights and guidance - nothing is off limits. He has exceptional emotional intelligence and is the best listener I know. Most importantly, he always knows the right questions to ask. You rarely leave a discussion with Nick without having learned something about yourself. He is the first person I reach out to when I’m “stuck,” and he has an uncanny ability to help me break through it. I consider myself lucky to have had the pleasure of knowing and working with him. Nick is highly intelligent, patient, and just an all-around great guy. I strongly recommend him to anyone looking to improve themselves in any category of life; he’ll prove to be an indispensable resource.”