A SPECIAL READ TO HONOUR THE TOP EXECUTIVE COACHES IN EMPOWERING LEADERS AND ORGANIZATIONS FOR A DYNAMIC FUTURE
The business world has experienced a significant transformation in recent years. Leadership today is more dynamic, inclusive, and people-centered, with a new definition that resonates with everyone. Our latest edition focuses on understanding this evolution and shares the stories of executive coaches who have contributed to shaping modern leadership paradigms. The goal of this publication is to highlight the untold stories of exceptional mentors and business coaches, their roller-coaster journeys, achievements, and valuable guidance for both aspiring and seasoned leaders. Their experiences underscore the importance of the right guidance for a company’s growth.
The “Top Executive Coaches to Watch in 2024" features profiles that will inspire emerging entrepreneurs and business leaders to every level. The executive coaches highlighted here play a pivotal role in the corporate world, ensuring that business owners and key executives stay on the right path. After reading these profiles, you will gain valuable growth strategies and business insights shared by top executives and coaches.
This time on the cover page, we feature the story of a renowned leadership coach and organizational consultant, Harry Hutson. Harry is dedicated to empowering individuals to overcome obstacles—many of which are self-imposed—and ultimately accomplish their personal and professional goals. With over two decades of experience as a coach along with extensive experience as a for-profit executive and nonprofit board member, he is known for offering empathy and understanding as well as advice and counsel to a wide range of clients. Be sure to check out the whole story and we welcome your valuable thoughts on it.
Before we conclude, I would like to express my gratitude to our global readership for all your support and recognition. We are committed to returning with another engaging and insightful edition of this exclusive series. We hope this edition will allow you to recognize opportunities for growth, innovation, and change while also providing practical solutions to complex business problems. Stay tuned for more exciting business stories in the coming months!
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Cover Story
HARRY HUTSON
Executive Coach and Consultant | Nevins Consulting, Inc.
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FOSTERING GROWTH AND BELONGING: INSIGHTS FROM HARRY HUTSON’S JOURNEY AS AN EXECUTIVE COACH
AND CONSULTANT
Harry Hutson is a leadership coach and organizational consultant dedicated to helping individuals overcome obstacles—many of which are self-imposed—to achieve their personal and professional goals. With over two decades of experience as a coach, and two decades as a for-profit executive and nonprofit board member, Harry offers empathy and understanding as well as advice and counsel to a wide range of clients.
Resilience and Self-awareness in Leaders
Harry believes that resilience is crucial, and it requires self-awareness. In his coaching practice, Harry encourages leaders to appreciate their strengths, mitigate their weaknesses, and become more adaptable to change. The most important factor in his coaching is trust, rooted in confidentiality and care. Harry says, “For me, the ultimate benchmark is when clients have achieved what they want, and we have become friends.”
Significant Leadership Challenges
In his book co-authored with Martha Johnson, "Navigating an Organizational Crisis: When Leadership Matters Most," Harry analyzes the role of leadership during sudden emergencies and challenging periods. For example, divisiveness, loneliness, and disconnection are widespread. When individuals do not feel they belong, they are likely to underperform, become disruptive, or leave the organization. Leaders play crucial roles in fostering a sense of belonging through their interactions with individuals, within teams, and in the broader organizational culture.
Everyday Methods for Creating Belonging
Harry’s client organizations are approaching office work in different ways. Some have returned to the office after the pandemic, others have stayed remote, and some have adopted a hybrid model. Regardless of where a team is located, members benefit from being appreciated by their colleagues. Harry believes anyone can help others feel they belong, and that permission is not required. Here are three simple techniques: 1) intentionally repeated actions such as beginning each meeting with a virtual handshake or greeting can become rituals of team identity; 2) sharing individual purposes to create a statement of collective purpose can help everyone feel on board; 3) telling personal stories in team meetings can build understanding and empathy.
Leadership Development Programs that Work
Harry understands what does not work well: approaches that overlook how adults learn or that adopt a one-size-fits-all approach. What does work? Programs that are based on real-world interactions between colleagues and that build skills while achieving meaningful results. “Infotainment” is out, as is “mandatory” fun. Instead, designs should include action-reflection-learning, feedback and practice, mentoring and coaching, simulation, role-play, and teaching by leaders.
Differences in Leadership Challenges: Start-ups vs. MNCs
On his first day at a dot-com start-up as head of human resources, Harry took on administrative tasks such as
writing offer letters. In his first six months as the head of learning and development at an established multinational corporation, Harry was involved in an extensive onboarding process.
Now, as a coach, he sees start-up leaders as “pirates,” opportunistic, hands-on voyageurs searching for treasure. In contrast, Harry views MNC leaders as “admirals” navigating with experienced colleagues, sailing with cultural momentum. He recommends start-ups and MNCs learn from each other. Entrepreneurial firms can gain valuable insights from tried-and-true practices found elsewhere, while established companies can benefit from the innovations and risk-taking of new players.
positively, in concert with others, to achieve beneficial outcomes. (Refer to Hutson and Perry’s Putting Hope to Work: Five Principles to Activate Your Organization’s Most Powerful Resource.)
What’s Next for Leaders and Leadership
There is a notable gap between the potential value of AI and what is currently being achieved. As information technologies and their related skills continue to evolve, leaders must incorporate organizational readiness to merge AI into their strategic plans. A key cultural dimension is continuous learning championed by leaders who are good learners themselves. These leaders should be curious, humble, socially astute, and quick to try promising new ideas.
Effective feedback, or, as Harry prefers to call it, feedforward, requires more than survey forms and statistical comparisons. Stakeholder interviews performed by coaches who may also be able to observe leadership behavior provide context for digital tools to be effective; video platforms can be enablers.
Critical Leadership Skills for Addressing Complex Global Challenges
Harry believes that engaging stakeholders in meaningful dialogue fosters curiosity and respect, dignity and psychological safety—necessary elements in organizational life everywhere. Hope has emerged as a dynamic force. Hope demands being truthful about reality while working
Leadership is inherently personal, and it requires self-awareness and authenticity. Leaders need to understand their origins—inheritances from the past and the impacts of their own lived experience. But leaders must stay grounded in the here-and-now, even while thinking ahead. Consider that the average person has about four thousand weeks to live. That awareness alone can engender both immediacy and perspective. In Harry's opinion, new skills, techniques, or forms of intelligence, though necessary, are insufficient. A deeply reflective and balanced viewpoint that includes self-compassion, which is an outcome of good coaching, is the ideal: Know yourself.
Leadership Qualities Driven by AI and Automation
Digital Tools Fostering Trust and Transparency
JANET POLACH
Executive Coach | In the Lead, Inc.
EMPOWERING BUSINESS LEADERS: THE INSPIRATIONAL
JOURNEY OF JANET POLACH, TRANSFORMATION & EXECUTIVE COACH
anet Polach is a top global executive coach, known for her transformative impact on business leaders and senior executives from diverse cultural backgrounds. With over two decades of experience in executive coaching, leadership development, change management, and team effectiveness, Janet is an inspirational figure in the corporate world.
Early Beginnings: Dedicated to Empowering
Janet developed her leadership skills during her stint as a U.S. Marine Corps officer, where she affirmed that leadership can be cultivated. Along the way, Janet earned her Ph.D. in organizational leadership development and has coached leaders in the U.S., China, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Ireland, and France.
As an expert in cultivating leaders, Janet specializes in coaching individuals at every level—from new managers to executives—through one-on-one coaching, group sessions, and leadership development programs.
In the Lead: A Quick Glance
In the Lead is Janet’s initiative to cultivate leadership capabilities and boost confidence in individuals navigating today’s chaotic world. Recognizing that leaders come from varied backgrounds and face diverse challenges, In the Lead focuses on helping these leaders clear their thinking and discover their unique leadership voice. Janet’s approach empowers individuals to lead authentically by finding strength and direction from within, fostering resilience, self-awareness, and the ability to adapt to an ever-evolving environment.
The Evolving Leadership in Digital Transformation
Janet emphasizes the importance of leaders focusing on building strong relationships with their teams, especially in the context of remote work. She acknowledges that while remote work presents challenges to maintaining these connections, it also makes them more crucial. Janet advises leaders to go beyond routine task updates and take the time to engage in deeper conversations with their team members. This includes discussing their learning experiences and ensuring they are finding fulfillment and joy in their work. By doing so, leaders can foster a more supportive and connected team environment.
The Key Executive Leadership Mindsets
Janet has just finished her second book, The Mindset of the Strategic Leader. In it, she argues that executives must shift their thinking to a broader perspective, both inside and outside the organization; they must listen more than talk and gain the confidence to act courageously.
Janet's Take on Different Global Leadership Perspectives
With years of experience working with global leaders, Janet emphasizes the importance of appreciating the culture of the country in which one is working. This involves immersing oneself in the local culture by eating local cuisine, watching local movies that have subtitles, and building friendships in the work
community. By doing so, leaders can gain the support of their colleagues and develop the understanding needed to make informed decisions within the local context.
The Notable Gaps in Leadership
Janet's first book is about this challenge, The Seven Mistakes New Managers Make. Most managers are promoted because they are great individual contributors, but as a manager, you have to shift your mindset to working through others, delegating, teaching, and letting go of “how” the work is done.
Ensuring for Long-term, Sustainable Leadership Growth
Janet often follows two-step processes. First, `she helps the leader set goals for herself and then supports them in creating a very specific development plan to achieve their goals. She helps the leader identify strategies that will keep these goals and behaviors top of mind. Second, Janet and her team have three check-in meetings with the leader’s boss. Together they establish expectations, review the development plan midway through, and then have a final meeting to ensure their development remains a priority for both the leader and their boss.
Impact of AI and technology on leadership decision-making
Janet recently used AI to help her write her book; she considers it a valuable research tool. She believes leaders can use AI to gather relevant data and even perspectives. However, Janet emphasizes the importance of verifying this information, as AI can sometimes be wrong. She encourages leaders to allow AI to contribute to their decision-making process, but not be the sole source of input. Janet also notes that AI is not just a shortcut to get things done.
The Biggest Challenges of Future Leaders
According to Janet, it's thinking and acting strategically. She believes that strategic thinking is not widely taught except in major programs like Warton and elsewhere. That is why Janet wrote her new book, which focuses on the various mindsets that strategic leaders need to embrace. She also
coaches leaders on this and also has a development program for strategic thinking.
The Significance of Emotional Intelligence and Mental Health in Leadership
This was brought to the forefront during COVID-19 but continues to be a need today. Executive leadership involves connecting with your team in a personal way, understanding their families, asking how they are doing, and genuinely caring about how them. Taking time on these issues helps build confidence in team members and makes them feel valued and included.
The Key Lessons from Military Leadership
Leadership in the Marine Corps generally involves giving orders rather than gathering people around and asking for input. That’s because Marines often find themselves in life-and-death situations and need to react quickly on behalf of their Marines. In the business world, it's almost the opposite. While leaders need to be decisive, they usually reach decisions by including and involving others. The most significant lesson Janet learned from the Marines is that leadership can be taught and developed. She also learned that women’s positions in highly male populations can evolve and advance, but they have to prove their worth, and possibly in multiple ways.
The Face of Change for Women, A Transformational Business Coach leading the Automotive Industry
Rachael Evans is a visionary, business pioneer, speaker, author, and advisor, who is making waves across the globe. She is the CEO and Founder of The Workshop Whisperer and The Brave Media Network.
Her Path-Breaking Journey
Rachael is a 45-year-old entrepreneur and leader, mother of three biological and three stepchildren, wife to her darling husband Dean, and a proud Australian.
She started her first business when he was 18, selling party plan cosmetics. Ever since there has been no looking back and she has gone on to own and operate another five businesses.
Now, she is a proud owner of The Workshop Whisperer, a business coaching specific to the auto repair industry. Additionally, she also works with seven and eight-figure female entrepreneurs to find more harmony in their lives through her advisory Brave Media Network.
A learner and an avid reader, Rachael expresses her love for books. Bitten by the learning and reading bug, she has a trail of books all through her house open at various pages waiting for her to stop by and read another one.
"I love going on adventures with my husband to explore new places, and I also love my quiet time as I’m an introvert at heart," adds Rachael.
Building Power-Packed Businesses
Founded in 2014, The Workshop Whisperer is the #1 business coach for auto-repair shop owners
in Australia, and New Zealand. She offers a range of different online programs and intensives for all stages/scales of auto shop businesses.
Founded in 2021, The Brave Media Network is a newer entity offering women a way to be seen, felt, heard, and mentored by Rachael to have the greatest impact possible.
Laying Robust Foundations
The purpose of The Workshop Whisperer is to help auto repair shop owners to achieve business and lifestyle success.
From Rachael's desk- "So for us, it’s very much about how many businesses we get to help transform, and how many lives we get to help change for the better. When you focus on helping others in this way, wealth will naturally find its way to you to do better with. We make sure we contribute a portion of the fees our clients invest in us to make an even more positive impact in the world through B1G1.com."
The Brave Media Network includes a podcast and an advisory for women looking for personal and professional fulfillment.
Rachael wanted to redefine bravery in male-dominated global industries, carving out pathways and opening doors for scores of women to walk through and stand beside her.
In March of 2021, she was appalled when she noticed that among the Governor General Australian Bravery award recipients, 80 of 86 were presented to men for acts of physical valor or service. While these acts are indeed brave, she
believed bravery means so much more than this, and by including other definitions of bravery away from just the physical, one can be more inclusive of the brave acts of women.
The key attributes of Brave Media Network explore and work on this concept. Opening up a discussion about the other forms of bravery like moral, emotional, and spiritual bravery is what the company is aiming for.
Vision and Mission
Both of Rachael's companies exist to serve others. She is not just a businesswoman but a purpose-driven leader, a humanitarian, and a passionate being about bringing change to the community.
In service of others, by helping them to achieve their version of success, she achieves her version of success, which isn’t always measured by dollar signs.
A Take on Working with Male Contemporaries
Rachael is a women entrepreneur with decades of extensive experience. In her long-standing career, she has worked, managed, and led her male counterparts. When asked if she faced any resistance and how she handles working with men, Rachael responded, "I’ve been quite fortunate in that most of the men I’ve encountered during my time as a coach and mentor have been quite open to receiving help and being led by me."
Of course, there have been the occasional exceptions, where male egos and their self-sabotage got in the way of a great result, however, on the whole, she always had a positive experience.
Also, Rachael has always stood her ground and had strong boundaries and let the boys know, she is the best in the world at what she does and they should take notice. She has done that from the start and she believes that’s earned her respect in the industry, and has driven many to seek out her help.
how she spends a fair amount of time daydreaming about what the future looks like, so it only becomes a matter of reverse engineering the steps of what she can see to achieve the big goals of both companies.
The Workshop Whisperer is on track to not only be the largest education provider of choice for the Automotive Industry but will also make its mark in helping auto repair shop owners to leave a greener footprint as they go through the course of their working day.
Auto Repair shops are the end users of some of the world's most polluting products like oil and rubber, and as a company, it helps educate its clients to seek out more environmentally friendly disposal options and contribute back to their communities through giving projects like B1G1.
On the contrary, Brave Media Network will reach a billion women by 2024 to help provide a new more empowering definition of what it means to be brave
through their social media platforms and The Very Brave Podcast.
A Piece of Incredible Advice
"Life is way too short NOT to stand in your power and put into action what you can see in your mind. No one else’s rules should get in the way of you becoming the best and most successful version of yourself. Be brave and do it your way."
