I graduated from college wanting to do good in the world. While I had considered working for an economic development NGO, I came to believe that the best way to make lasting sustainable change in today’s society was through business. I decided to get a solid generalist training and went to work for Bain & Company. I slowly lost track of my vision to have a positive impact on the world and, a few years later, I headed off to business school at the Kellogg School of Management.

In my first class, the professor asked us to share a dream we had for our career. I didn’t have one. Things were going well for me; I’d had an interesting and successful first job, but I realized that I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. After thinking about this for a few days, I realized that I didn’t know how to know what I wanted to do with my life.

I spent my time at business school fascinated by this question, deeply researching positive psychology, and later performance and developmental psychology. I came to see that the most important leverage points for performance were psychological. All companies have access to spreadsheets and smart people. What separated the Great from the merely Good was the psychology of the leaders and the culture of the team.  Furthermore, something unique could be unlocked when a leader sought fulfillment in addition to success. They became more integrated, whole, and able to leverage their deepest strengths.

I’ve spent the years since working with CEOs and senior leadership teams (mostly as a coach and advisor, but also as a startup COO), helping them to get into optimal mindsets, the right relationships, and, from that place, to chart the essentialist strategy required to achieve their goals.  

I live in Mill Valley, California with my wife, two sons, and dog. When I am not supporting leaders you’ll find me out on the trails, running, cycling, or hiking with friends and family.