Mo | Startup Executive

WHY DID YOU PARTNER WITH RODNEY?

I was at a very exciting and somewhat stressful point in my life. I’d just walked away from a successful career as a Microsoft executive to launch a start-up and I had a new son. While I was confident in myself and my choice to launch my new business, I thought I could use some extra support with two things:

♦ Making the mental leap from corporate executive to startup founder.

♦ Actualizing my full potential and power as a business leader by scaling myself and my company, Karat, as quickly and effectively as possible.

WHAT DID YOU GET FROM COACHING?

The three most important things I got from working with Rodney are:

1. Time doesn’t equal quality. I work super effectively, diligently and in a way that balances my family life.  It’s not that I did not work smart before Rodney.  It’s just now I’m on ultra-octane, making sure that the time I spend is extremely high ROI.

2. Always bring key decisions back to my personal mission and the “Why.”  As a founder, you face lots of tough choices and distractions–some strategic, some day-to-day.  Rodney has helped me remember to bring it back to the reason why Karat exists and to lead from that place of connection and vision.

3. I’ve built a strong and healthy relationship with my co-founder.  The best companies are grounded in successful partnerships.  I’ve learned how to build one with my co-founder through my work with Rodney.  The returns on that are 10x.

WHAT RESULTS DID YOU CREATE?

The results have been phenomenal. Within the first year, we crossed seven figures of revenue, raised capital from top Silicon Valley funds and we are fulfilling on our mission to transform how the world’s leading companies hire.

Not only am I producing great results in my company, but I’m doing it without compromising my commitment to health, to being a loving husband and a great father. In fact, Rodney’s biggest supporter is probably my wife! I now have two kids and I know I can be there for them, as well as be the successful CEO I aspired to when I first started my work with Rodney.

Lance | Commercial Pilot

WHY DID YOU PARTNER WITH RODNEY?

When I hired Rodney my life looked perfect from the outside. I had been married for three years and my beautiful son, Jack, was two months old. I had recently been promoted to Branch Chief at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and I had an excellent salary with incredible benefits, a flexible schedule and great professional relationships with my team and my superiors.

But it didn’t feel like a natural environment. Every day I had to say to myself ‘today is going to be a good day’. I had to work hard on having a positive attitude because something was missing from my life.

WHAT DID YOU GET FROM COACHING?

When we met we started talking about my love of flying, which is what I did before the NGA. You said to me: you can make money doing anything you want. You told me a bit about yourself and how you’d walked away from everything to pursue your dreams. I thought to myself: this guy is smart as hell – he’s making a living doing what he loves!

The stories you told me, and the passion with which you pursued your own career, gave me a model for my return to flying.

WHAT RESULTS DID YOU CREATE?

By the beginning of last year I’d started flying again with a regional airline and by the end I had a job offer with jetBlue Airways, an airline I had dreamed of working for since the start of my aviation career. Had I worked with any other coach I know beyond doubt I’d still be working at the NGA. Instead I’m a pilot again, back to my love of safely flying people around the world. What’s more I’m on track to make an even greater salary and I have genuine job satisfaction.

On one of my first trips as a pilot with jetBlue Airways I was flying over the mountains to Vegas, the sun was setting and the captain said to me: ‘That’s a pretty big smile, what’s going on?’ And I just said: ‘I’m back.’ He said: ‘What do you mean?’ I said: ‘It’s a long story, but the simple answer is I’m back flying and I couldn’t be any happier’.

I feel both grateful and proud to have worked with you. I always look forward to a conversation with you and I always walk away feeling as though I can take on the world.

Linal | Corporate Executive

WHY DID YOU PARTNER WITH RODNEY?

In 2012 I had just been promoted to Senior Director and Chief Diversity Officer. It was a major shift from what I was doing before so although things were going really well professionally, I wanted to work with someone on my leadership skills. I was also thinking about my personal life. I didn’t have any problems meeting women (!), but I wasn’t meeting the kind of person I wanted to settle down with, and at 36 I was ready to be in a committed relationship. I was interested by the fact that you work holistically and look at both life and work issues.

WHAT DID YOU GET FROM COACHING?

I came to coaching thinking about leadership, but instead you got me to focus on personal integrity. About two to three months into our work together I had this realization that my actions, words and intentions, weren’t aligned, particularly in relationships with women. I have to say, it rocked me to my core

Together, we created a project around relationships with the goal of being engaged to a woman that I love by the end of the year. It was something I wanted, but at the time I thought it was crazy! I had been looking for the right woman for twenty years so I really didn’t see how declaring my goal would make a difference.

WHAT RESULTS DID YOU CREATE?

First of all, I met Pam – the woman of my dreams! And if it weren’t for coaching I know I would have trashed my relationship with her. I would have played it cool because I would have been too scared to show how I really felt. Instead I found the courage to be really clear about my commitment: by the end of the year I had proposed and within two years we were married.

We have a really happy marriage and that’s because coaching has helped me be a better husband too. I never expected this kind of result and I’m so happy because I’m not only married to a wonderful woman, but I have the tools to make sure our relationship lasts.