Kathleen Gounaris

Neil's work with individuals, teams and our organization has had and continues to add tremendous value and real impact. He listens and understands, has a keen and nuanced sense of people, issues and solutions. Like the warm and caring person he is, he is able and willing to adapt himself to the diverse needs of clients, drawing on a deep reservoir of techniques, with practical and actionable steps that raise the quality of outcomes. His time with us has consistently provided essential support to each of us individually and collectively to help move us forward together toward becoming a fitter, healthier and higher functioning team. Having experienced many such engagements, his comparative and absolute value is beyond compare. Worth every dime and minute of investment, I will and have recommended him to others without reservation.

Neil has been an amazing partner. In every project - from facilitating teams to designing a framework for creative talent to executive assessment - he has brought deep expertise and a collaborative way of working that engages the team. It's coaching at the core and he does it masterfully, enabling us to create work that is more widely adopted and tailored to our organizational needs.

Neil changed my life. He guided me to ways to grow I didn’t think were possible. I’ve worked with Neil in individual and group settings and my time spent with him is always incredibly valuable. He helped me expand outside of my comfort zone, but also come to my own conclusions on how to grow. He asked the tough questions, but always with an underlying sense of understanding and care. I’ve been to countless leadership and team building seminars, but the work I did with Neil is far more valuable. He gives deep, tailored, actionable insights. As a direct response to my work with Neil I feel more authentic as a leader, my work has more meaning, my team is more engaged, and I am happier.

I have worked with Neil on several highly visible and high stakes projects in the leadership development and executive team effectiveness areas. Neil has a complete focus on the client. He listens incredibly well and provides candid and direct feedback but does so with empathy and a solution focus. Neil is also amazingly insightful, whether it is assessing an individual’s leadership potential, diagnosing the root causes of ineffective team behaviors, or helping a coaching client reframe an issue for productive action. With other leadership development consultants it is not uncommon to have predictable or tried and true solutions played back to you. With Neil I have experienced unique insight and novel ideas that are suited to the organization’s context. Most of all Neil is a pleasure to work with. He is a dedicated professional who models the leadership behaviors that he seeks to help others develop and a valued asset who works seamlessly with our team.

Neil and I have worked together on a number of organizational and talent-related projects, including coaching, leadership development strategy, executive assessment for culture ‘fit’, and team engagement facilitation. Neil is a fantastic thought partner, coach and facilitator who brings business acumen, a razor-sharp intellect, a keen curiosity, and a high degree of integrity to all of his engagements – this coupled with his rich global experience. A wonderful listener, he always takes the time to get below the surface and tune in to what’s really important. He is never afraid to challenge and is skilled in helping clients see things from different perspectives and think creatively about the optimal solution. It’s always a privilege to partner with Neil, and I would not hesitate to recommend him for consultancy work in the Talent, Leadership and Organizational Development / Organizational Strategy space.

The breadth and depth of Neil's executive coaching capabilities far exceeded my expectations of our engagement. Throughout, Neil was practiced and effective at adapting to changing professional situations. Neil's approach was highly focused, highly personalized, and architected to drive both learning and unlearning of skills and behaviors that shaped my leadership style and career path. He provided valuable, relevant frameworks to employ in today's dynamic workplace, as well as trends and insights on modern leadership that were fresh, innovative, and incredibly relevant. Neil's warm and genuine manner was ever present and his guidance was incredibly bespoke and thus easy to apply. Working with Neil was a journey and lesson in shaping and building my leadership brand as much as it was about real, personal growth. It was my privilege to work with Neil and I welcome doing so again in the future.