Inside a Leader’s Developmental Edge
Witness the key moments where feedback and advice no longer work, in the Chief Financial Officer’s own voice.
What This Session Is
This is a leadership case study, with a rare and powerful twist: the case is told largely in the client’s own voice, through curated video moments and guided reflection.
The leader is a highly accomplished Chief Financial Officer — intelligent, respected, well-intended — who receives clear feedback and genuinely wants to grow. And yet, he can’t.
The challenge he’s facing isn’t technical. It’s developmental.
Why a Case Study
1. Because identity-level coaching is better witnessed than explained
The case unfolds in sequence—allowing you to follow the work the way a coach would:
Where the challenge was initially framed as technical
Why behavior change and insight alone failed
What signaled this was adaptive work, not resistance or lack of skill
How identity, mindset, and neurobiology became the real terrain
This is not merely a “success story.”
It’s a developmental map, visible through one leader’s lived experience.
2. Because it shows what needs to happen when feedback and advice isn’t enough
The case makes one thing unmistakably clear:
the difference wasn’t better feedback—it was how the work was held.
You’ll see:
How a coach helped surface the beliefs driving the leader’s reactivity
What enabled pause, perspective, and choice to return under pressure
How inner work translated into composure, empathy, and scaled leadership impact
For coaches who work with senior leaders, this case clarifies:
what kind of coaching is required when the challenge is identity-level—and what kind is not.
What Makes This Session Different
This session doesn’t rely on a model or a promise; it relies on evidence — the work as it unfolded, told in the client’s own voice.
This session relies on evidence — the real work as it unfolded, told in the client’s own voice – rather than a model or a theory.
The learning is not delivered as conclusions — it emerges through recognition, the moment a coach thinks, “I’ve sat across from this leader before.”
The focus is not on fixing behavior, but on understanding what makes change possible after behavior change stops working.
You will not be asked to adopt a new philosophy.
You will be invited to see something more clearly.
Who This Session Is For
This session is designed for coaches who already know:
senior leaders often stall at places that cannot be coached through advice
senior leaders remain stuck even when intelligence, motivation, and feedback are present
If you work with senior leaders and have encountered moments where progress stalled for reasons that felt hard to name — this case will feel familiar.
Format
Case-based presentation with curated client video segments
Guided interpretation through a coaching lens
Designed for experienced practitioners
It is an examination of real work, at depth.
FREE MASTERCLASS
September 22, 2025
9AM Los Angeles | 12PM New York | 6PM Paris
90 Minutes
Can’t attend live? Register and we’ll send you the recording!
In a field crowded with concepts and theories, this session offers something rarer:
the chance to recognize the real work — in the voice of the leader who lived it.
Real Leaders
You’ll Hear From
Catherine Allen
EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP COACH
Very Brief Bio Here.
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
James Thompson
Very Brief Bio Here.