Are you a Canadian leader with ADHD looking for an executive coach?
You may be wondering how to distinguish between coaches, and whether a particular coach’s credentials, experience or approach makes them a better fit for you.
What makes one executive coach a better choice than another?
There isn’t a single “best” executive coach for every leader with ADHD. The right choice depends on what you need from coaching. How do you learn and grow? What kind of relationship do you want with your coach?
I believe that finding the right fit for you begins with two things: credentials and the influences that shape the depth of the coaching.
I’m a Master Certified Coach (MCC) with the International Coaching Federation (ICF), and my coaching has been deeply influenced by the work of coaches such as Carolyn Freyer-Jones and Steve Chandler. They’ve shaped how I think about communication, leadership, personal responsibility and the possibility of meaningful change.
Why Executive Coaching Credentials Matter
Credentials do matter. They tell you about a coach’s commitment to their own learning and the value they place on professional service.
Only 5% of ICF coaches have their Master Certified Coaching (MCC) credential. It’s a sign that your coach has engaged in deep personal learning, mastery of coaching skills and adherence to a rigorous Code of Ethics.
Credentials are important, but you also need to know what informs your coach’s approach. What is their knowledge base? The breadth of their experience?
From Law and Political Science to Executive Coaching
I’ve been profoundly influenced by writers (Masha Gessen, Solzhenitsyn, Ignatieff) and by world events (Revolutions in Vietnam, China and Russia). The themes that inform my coaching are about identity, agency and transformation.
While at McGill University studying constitutional law and international relations, I was captivated by the emotional turmoil underlying these stories and how leaders’ assumptions informed their communication and their actions. The desire for change and the threat of violence made me curious about what it takes for human beings to create something better. This turmoil has rumbled underneath all of my thinking.
- How do people thrive in difficult situations?
- What role does hope play in the choices people make?
- What is it about leadership that is so important to a transformative process?
Coaching seemed to offer me an answer to these questions. And it did!
My Approach to Executive Coaching
I hired top level coaches to mentor me. I learned that human-centered coaching is about being of service. Never about selling. Coaching is always about the intimacy of the work. Never about me. Always about the client.
Inside → Outside
I ask myself, “What is impacting this leader on the inside that is showing up on the outside?” I coach the whole person. Not a diagnosis. Empowerment inside and outside is key to sustainable results.
Coachability
I ask myself, “To what degree is this leader coachable? Are they ready, willing, and able to explore what’s getting in their own way? Can they tolerate and embrace this deeper awareness of themselves? How can I support them in expanding their curiosity of their experience? How can I meet them at the edge of their resistance?”
Motivation
I ask myself, “What makes this work meaningful to this leader? How important is it?
Are they here for themselves? Someone else?”
My 100% Commitment to You
I start every day with an intention to be fully in service of your learning, because you are unique. It’s never a matter of ‘rinse and repeat’. I am committed to sharing what I observe, neutrally and without judgment. I boldly challenge your assumptions, all in service of your highest learning.
My Belief in Growth and Transformation
When I was being coached for the first time, I was stunned by how much I changed. The patterns I shifted, the new perspectives I could adopt, and the courage I demonstrated changed how I saw myself.
Possibility in Coaching
What if leaders could create their own shifts, and then shift their teams? What if they could learn to lead with compassion, as well as strategic accountability?
When we learn how to connect with ourselves authentically, possibility fills the holes.
- We expand what we think we can do.
- We shift our perspective from fear-based thinking to something more empowering.
- We free ourselves from being overly focused on the problems in front of us, and more focused on what we want to create.
When executives connect with themselves at this level, they’re more effective in everything they do.
My Approach to Working with Executives Who Have ADHD
ADHD will impact everything you do at work and at home. But how it shows up in each leader will be unique.
My job is to get to you to know you. To understand how your version of ADHD shows up in your leadership. I coach you to take charge, inside and outside of yourself.
I have worked hard to understand executive functioning, the brain-based capacities impacted by ADHD. They matter.
Together, we identify which executive functions stop you from performing at your best.
We’ll also look at your relationship with your outcomes, your frustrations and challenges. When you judge them, feel ashamed of them, or avoid them altogether, you perpetuate a cycle of under performing, and you deserve to know that you are not ADHD. You are not a diagnosis. You are the solution. The one who sees what’s happening and who can learn to become strategic.
Learn more about ADHD coaching with me, including coaching for leaders in Kingston, Vaughan and Scarborough.
The Leadership Challenges My Executives with ADHD bring to Session
My clients bring a multitude of challenges. Here are a few of them:
- Reacting to urgency rather than importance
- Difficulty protecting thinking time
- Communicating clearly
- Managing overwhelm
- Staying out of the weeds
- Prioritizing when everything feels equally important
- Following-through in a timely way
- Self-judgment
- Managing teams strategically
My experience
I’ve coached executives and professionals with ADHD who worked on Wall Street, marketing agencies, international fashion, government, medicine, big law…
I’ve been enjoying this work as a coach for more than 17 years.
A professional client was in tears recently as she told me that the shifts she’s made had changed her life. Her career was once again something she could enjoy. Her gratitude was palpable.
I want that for you too.
Read more client testimonials.
Are you ready to explore what’s possible for you as a leader with ADHD?
If you’re a Canadian executive or professional with ADHD who wants to lead more strategically and manage overwhelm, I invite you to connect with me.
Let’s start a conversation about what you want to change.
Let’s see if we’re a fit.
