George Klavens has brought empathy, insight, and business savvy into our coaching sessions. He can listen to descriptions of a wide range of business situations and immediately pick up on the idiosyncrasies of the participants and the realities of the business context. His comments and recommendations are at once pragmatic, actionable, and confidence-building. I have benefited greatly from his coaching, both personally and professionally.
Executive Coaching Experience
I work as a manager in Information Technology in a corporate environment. IT is one of those functions that is pushed and pulled for a variety of reasons: cost cutting, offshoring/outsourcing, and plain old political maneuvering by other business functions believing that influence over IT is an indispensable source of power. IT is also an easy target for blame when other business functions are underperforming, so managing this function is not for the faint of heart.
George Klavens has helped me grasp situations I have confronted in this capacity many times over. We dissect situations to figure out what’s behind the behavior of individuals and organizations. He challenges me to think more deeply about what’s motivating individuals I work with, rather than just responding to their words and actions. Without his coaching, my temptation was to slip into very defensive mode. Yet with his help, I am able to come up with simple, pragmatic actions for communicating with difficult people and resolving difficult situations.
Through my work with George I now have a better understanding of my own communication style and I more effectively manage relationships with difficult co-workers. I have become more self-aware in a positive way, and I’m able to approach my leadership responsibilities with a greater confidence. He reminds me that self-development and improving one’s leadership persona is a process, that organization change takes time and, as a result, I see my challenges as journeys rather than one-time transactions.
In summary, I used to get knocked off track on a regular basis; these days I am more resilient. I had been able to use my analytical skills and intellect successfully on technical matters, but now with George’s help, I feel empowered and capable of navigating not just technology, but also the much greater challenge of interpersonal and organizational behavior in my work.
— T.S., VP IT, publicly traded Financial Institution