Masterful Coaching

Robert Hargrove in an interview on Leadership--Better Leaders, Better World.

Celebrating CEO Wyc Grousbeck: The MVP Behind the Boston Celtics' NBA Finals Success What impresses me most about the Boston Celtics is something that only a CEO can do—build an inspired, high-performing organization at every level. Grousbeck's deep-rooted passion for the Celtics is palpable in every decision and statement. "Owning this team has been more than a business venture—it’s been a passion project," he affirms, reflecting on the team's journey to NBA glory. As a lifelong Celtics fan, witnessing Wyc Grousbeck's evolution from passionate supporter to transformative owner has been moving. His leadership extends far beyond the court, setting a new standard that resonates with Fortune 500 CEOs worldwide. You can see it in the way Coach Brad Stevens reached out to Jeff Van Gundy when he was fired by ESPN as an announcer and offered him a job as a consultant. "We had no previous relationship," Van Gundy said. "He felt bad for me and thought I could contribute." Drawing from his experience on Princeton's rowing team, Grousbeck embodies teamwork and dedication. "Success is never about one person. It’s about the entire organization working together towards a common goal," he asserts, highlighting his philosophy of collective achievement. Even in the face of adversity, Grousbeck's grace and optimism prevail. Following the NBA Finals setback, he commended the Celtics' resilience and promised a stronger return. His leadership resonates throughout Boston: resilience, respect, and an unwavering pursuit of excellence. This week, as the Celtics clinched their 2024 NBA championship, Grousbeck made headlines again with the announcement of the team's sale. His visionary leadership turned a $350 million investment into a probable $4.5 billion legacy, marking an era-defining achievement in Boston sports history. For Bostonians like myself, Grousbeck's impact is profound. His legacy, etched in the annals of Celtics lore alongside legends like Bird and Russell, inspires generations and cements his status as a visionary leader in sports and beyond . hashtag #Leadership hashtag #BostonCeltics hashtag #WycGrousbeck hashtag #NBAChampions hashtag #Teamwork hashtag #Inspiration

Is Your Company at a Strategic Inflection Point? Create a New Future vs. Optimize the Past Nvidia: its market cap soared by over $1 trillion in the past 32 days of trading. Yes, you read that right! Nividea worth just $10,000 in 1999 is worth $3 trillion today It has surpassed Apple and Microsoft and the combined market cap of all the companies in Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway. Nvidia's increase in market cap is due to realizing they are at a strategic inflection point and seizing the moment. isn't just about building supercomputers that drive Ok Mea Culpa, this story is a good way to introduce you to what we do at Masterful Coaching. We coach CEOs and teams whose businesses are at a strategic inflection point and need to transform Transformation involves creating a new future, vs just optimizing the past We help you get ahead of the future by paying attention to disruptive trends, new competitors fresh from the niche, and by anticipating customer needs We then help you translate that into a bold vision and strategy, a radically differentiated brand, and the next great thing This can have a powerful and direct impact on driving sustainable sales growth, profit enhancement, and increased shareholder value. Join us and let’s make your future so irresistible it becomes inevitable. Book an appointment

Does Toyota Need to Reinvent Itself or Not? As Akio Toyoda exits, incoming CEO Koji Sato faces this critical dilemma - should Toyota reinvent itself or evolve its current strategy? Its a tough one because today Totota sells more cars than any other company in the world. Mr Toyoda, a Master Strategist The outgoing CEO Akio Toyoda proved to be a master strategist by creating a bridge between growing consumer interest in more sustainable vehicles and Toyota's hybrid technology. While criticized initially for not going all-in on electric vehicles (EVs), Toyoda correctly judged that mass-market EV adoption would be more gradual. The Hybrid Success Vindicated Toyota's focus on hybrids paid off as EV sales cooled and demand for its affordable, efficient hybrid models surged instead. This pragmatic approach aligned better with consumer realities, delivering record $32 billion profits when rivals like Tesla faltered. Toyoda's cautious EV strategy was vindicated. Toyota is At Strategic Inflection Point? Maybe However, the auto industry's shift towards EVs and mobility solutions is undeniable. Some argue Toyota needs a complete reinvention, including bold moves like eliminating traditional dealerships, to stay ahead of this disruptive change. Concerns remain around Toyota's perceived slow EV adoption under Toyoda's insular leadership stifling innovation. The Value of a Masterful Thinking Partner As the first CEO who wasn't a member of the Toyoda family, Sato runs the risk of being less of an iconoclast than a conformist. He would probably benefit from having a Masterful Coach who can help him become the leader the business needs Imagine how easy it would be for Mr. Sato to fall in line with Mr Toyoda’, his predecessor's strategy of hybrid vehicles, and get blindsided by change. A Masterful Thinking partner from the outside might help in gaining the strategic perspective to weigh whether the path forward is reinvention vs evolution. It could provide valuable insights

My Interview with the Legendary Jack Welch, CEO of the Century: What is the Number 1 Quality of the Best CEOs? It was a crisp autumn day when I found myself sitting across from Jack Welch, the legendary former CEO of General Electric. As the author of Masterful Coaching, I had interviewed countless CEOs, but this was a particularly momentous occasion. Jack Welch's reputation as a tough-talking, high-performing, transformative, and no-nonsense leader preceded him, and I was eager to gain insights from the man himself. I told him I was amazed when I had a meeting with the head of the lighting division of Phillips Electronics, GE's number 1 competitor, and he had a picture of Welch right by his desk, which he had placed there in admiration. Welch smiled demurely. As we settled in, I jumped right into the burning question on my mind, "Jack, what is the number one quality of the best and brightest CEOs?" I anticipated he might say vision, a winning strategy, or the ability to hire a team of A-players. However, Welch's response caught me off guard. With a knowing chuckle, he leaned back and said, "It's none of those things. It's leadership maturity." Welch elaborated on what he meant by leadership maturity. It was the ability to show grace under pressure, to remain composed and level-headed even in the face of adversity or high-stress situations. He had just navigated GE through a significant crisis. Welch emphasized the importance of responding creatively to situations rather than reacting emotionally or "flying off the handle." He proudly gave an example when he pulled out a scorecard showing he had recently beaten Greg Norman at golf in a high-pressure game He said that leadership maturity is often a matter of character—doing the right thing on behalf of all the company's stakeholders over the long term rather than what is expedient at the moment. Leadership maturity, he added, is about following first principles in your head rather than just reacting impulsively. 1. Create a clear vision of where you are going so you and the org don't drift around in the sea like a ship without a rudder and hit a rock. 2. Face reality: "Face reality as it is, not as it was or as you wish it to be." 3. Put people first but don't forget the business is the numbers. In the years that followed, I found myself reflecting on Welch's words time and again, and using them in coaching other CEOs in high-pressure situations Welch's reputation as CEO has become controversial because GE ran into trouble partly because of his decisions All leaders are human and disappoint us---Presidents, CEOs, even parents Yet we need to take this as part of a total picture and take the good with the not-so-good In his time Welch was widely considered by most CEOs as the best CEO on the Planet and GE's performance reflected it

How Masterful Coaches Spot High Potential, High Performers, and High-Ticket Clients "A masterful coach can spot a person who is a CEO in the supermarket or Home Depot, or golf driving range." As a coach, the ability to identify individuals with exceptional potential, performance, and willingness to invest in their growth is a critical skill. Masterful coaches possess a keen eye for recognizing the traits that set these individuals apart. They excel at reading people, observing subtle cues, and understanding human behavior. The Art of Perceptive People-Watching " A masterful coach can spot a person with high potential in a leadership seminar, company cafeteria, or NY city subway." Masterful coaches are SUPER PERCEPTIVE and passionate people watchers. They have a heightened sense of awareness and the ability to pick up on the smallest details that others might overlook. They carefully observe facial expressions, body types, and communication styles, gaining valuable insights into an individual's mindset, motivations, and potential. Recognizing Traits of High Potentials "The biggest clue is people who look and act like a leader in almost any situation." High performers are individuals with strong character and strong leadership qualities such as enthusiasm, energy, and edge. This is usually matched with big personal and organizational ambitions. In most cases, people with high potential have already demonstrated exceptional results and consistently exceed expectations. Attracting and Recognizing High-Ticket Clients Be on the lookout for people who are already successful and who desperately want to realize their potential. Masterful coaches can identify these clients by where they sit in the organization. Are they a CEO, VP, or member of the top 100 group? The best way to attract them is to appeal to their personal and organizational ambitions. Ask them what these are and then observe their willingness to grow, learn, and be coached.

Become a Masterful Coach Who Inspires and Empowers Leaders to Realize an Impossible Future When I wrote the book Masterful Coaching many years ago, I had a Secret "magnificent" obsession that I never told anyone about until today: I wanted to change the world of traditional leadership training, business consulting, and coaching forever. From my extensive consulting experience in big companies, I saw firsthand that leadership training often had little or no impact, consultants' reports and recommendations were rarely implemented, and coaching was purely remedial .I envisioned creating a new profession: Certified Masterful Coach. This new profession was not designed to fix leadership training, consulting, and coaching but to disrupt and replace them with something original, different, better The goal was (and is) to develop a community of Masterful Coaches who would become a force for good in the world, 1. How to become the kind of extraordinary leader every business needs. 2. How to realize an impossible future that would solve some of the world's toughest problems. 3. How to help leaders come up with a playing-to-win strategy. 4. How to build teams and organizations as amazing as the people in them. 5. How to develop people in the process of producing extraordinary and tangible results (sustainable sales growth, profit growth, shareholder value). Further, it was all based on transformational conversations—the kind that change people's lives, not transactional conversations where you just give some grandmotherly advice. This gave me the opportunity to coach thousands of CEOs (enterprise leaders) all over the world, people who were at the forefront of their industries. Today, I am the CEO of Masterful Coaching, a very successful company. I have many stories to tell about my experiences that I think you will be able to identify with and learn from. In July, I am offering The Masterful Coaching Certification Program at Harvard House, my mini-conference center in Boston. It's about helping you become a masterful and prosperous coach. If you are interested, you might want to find out more on my website www.masterfulcoaching.com .If you have been a client before, you can do it at half price or what you can afford. Some scholarships will be available. Warm regards, Robert

Discover the secrets of becoming both a Masterful Coach and a Prosperous Coach. Is it possible? Yes, it is! Hello friends, I'm creating a community where passionate coaches can come to learn and grow together. I am going to share some of the secrets I learned about being a Masterful Coach and Prosperous Coach based on coaching Fortune 500 CEOs and Teams for decades. This community isn’t just about me or Masterful Coaching—it’s about helping coaches who are creators share valuable content that serves our community. I'll also be featuring insights from other experts to help our members become both Masterful and Prosperous Coaches. This isn’t about selling anything; it's about building a supportive, resourceful network. I am going to start using the Masterful Coaching LinkedIn page as a vehicle for most of this, so connect with us here. Join us on this journey to elevate our coaching skills and make a greater impact! I really hope this helps.

I’m starting a new Masterful Coaching mentoring program for coaches, consultants, and trainers who want to build a power practice and take their coaching to the next level.   I’m going to “open my kimono” and reveal all that I do when I work with leaders at the highest levels in both business and government. I will share with you the specific things I have done to help people master some of the trickiest business, leadership, and career challenges they ever faced.   In our work together, we will be focusing on both the “business” of coaching and the “practice” of coaching.   We will work together for 12 months, with 2 calls scheduled each month, and then unlimited “touch base” 5 to 15-minute calls as needed as you apply what you are learning.   We will focus on 4 goals throughout the year: 1. Increase your executive gravitas—be recognized by the CEO as a “senior guy” (regardless of gender) the first two minutes of any meeting 2. Win clients by not talking to CEO’s leadership BS (buzzwords) and start talking business: I can help you make your vision a reality. 3. Learn the Masterful Coaching method based on 12 classic coaching conversations 4. Learn how to have a transformative conversation with clients vs. merely an informative conversation   MY PROMISE: Within 6 to 12 months, your income will increase dramatically and you will find yourself building a power practice with CEOs and entrepreneurs of big companies who can pay the big bucks. Most importantly, you will feel like you are living a life of purpose and making the difference that you have always wanted to make.   DM me for more information. ~Robert Find out more about me and my work at www.masterfulcoaching.com    

New Masterclass coming soon. Stay tuned!