Leadership · Coaching · Consulting

AI runs the
what.
We develop the
who.

As AI transforms how technical teams operate, the premium shifts to what machines cannot do: lead with clarity, communicate with precision, and build the trust that drives execution. That is the work.

30+
Years of Experience Coaching and consulting leaders across Fortune 100 companies, startups, and government organizations.
3
Skills AI Cannot Replace Leadership, Critical Thinking, and Innovation — the human edge in the age of AI.
PCC
ICF Certified Coach Professional Certified Coach with advanced credentials in ORSC, Leadership Circle, and Positive Intelligence.
30%
Typical Change Initiative Success Rate We help organizations dramatically outperform this benchmark — where the problem is rarely strategy, and almost always people.

Your team just got AI tools.
Now what?

AI handles analysis, drafting, and execution. But it cannot navigate conflict, build alignment, or lead people through uncertainty. The gap between a team that has AI and a team that thrives with AI is entirely human.

01
Leadership
AI cannot build trust, inspire commitment, or hold a team together under pressure. Human leadership — calm, clear, and courageous — is the multiplier that determines whether AI tools accelerate or fragment a team.
02
Critical Thinking
AI generates. Humans discern. The ability to evaluate, question, reframe, and make high-stakes decisions under ambiguity is now the most valuable technical skill — and the one least taught in traditional leadership development.
03
Innovation
Real innovation requires psychological safety, productive conflict, and the ability to sit with uncertainty. These are team conditions, not individual traits — and they must be deliberately built, not hoped for.
"The leaders who will thrive with AI are the ones who invest now in becoming more human: clearer communicators, stronger decision-makers, and teams that operate with trust."
Richard Marks
Executive Coach · PCC

The skills that cannot
be automated

Each engagement is tailored to the leader, team, or organization. We work inside real decisions and real dynamics — not simulations divorced from your actual business.

Executive & Leadership Coaching
One-to-one coaching for senior leaders navigating complexity, change, and high-stakes decisions. We work on the inner game — the patterns, assumptions, and habits that quietly shape how you lead — and translate that into sharper execution.
Critical Thinking · Resilience · Decision-Making
Team & Group Coaching
High-performing teams are built, not assembled. We work with leadership teams to surface the dynamics that slow execution, build genuine alignment, and develop the communication patterns that let a team move fast with trust.
Leadership · Alignment · Innovation
Culture & Organizational Design
Culture is not a values statement — it is how decisions actually get made under pressure. We help organizations design for psychological safety, clear accountability, and the kind of productive conflict that drives innovation instead of avoiding it.
Innovation · Psychological Safety · Change
Workshops & Strategic Facilitation
Critical offsites, difficult conversations, and pivotal moments in an organization's life require skilled neutral facilitation. We design and lead sessions where what actually needs to be said gets said — and something real shifts.
Critical Thinking · Communication · Strategy
AI-Era Leadership Development
Specifically designed for technical leaders and teams integrating AI into their work. We build the human capabilities — judgment, communication, adaptability, and creative problem-solving — that determine whether AI adoption accelerates or fractures a team.
AI Readiness · Leadership · Innovation
Transition Coaching for Technical Leaders
You have earned the technical credibility. Now comes the harder part. We work specifically with engineers, data scientists, and technical specialists moving into leadership roles — building the communication, influence, and self-management skills that execution at the top actually requires.
Technical Leaders · Executive Transition · AI Leadership
Advisory & Thought Partnership
Sometimes you need a trusted, experienced mind to think alongside — not a framework or a program. We provide senior leaders with ongoing advisory support: a clear-eyed, confidential thinking partner for the decisions that matter most.
Strategy · Decision-Making · Clarity

30 years
navigating complexity
with leaders.

Professional Certified Coach (PCC) · ICF
Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC)
Organization & Relationship Systems Coaching (ORSC)
Leadership Circle Profile 360 Assessment
Positive Intelligence Mental Fitness
Change Leaders Roadmap (Being First)

In almost every engagement I've had with very smart, well-intentioned leaders, the obstacle to performance is rarely a strategy problem. It is almost always a people problem — how the team communicates, how decisions get made under pressure, and what quietly goes unsaid.

Over 30 years I have consulted and coached leaders and teams at Fortune 100 organizations including Cisco Systems and HP, as well as startups, utilities, pharma, nonprofits, and government agencies. In that time I developed an integrated model that addresses both the outer game of leadership — skills, process, and strategy — and the inner game: the mindset, patterns, and mental fitness that determine how a leader actually performs when it counts.

Today I work specifically with leaders navigating the challenges of the AI era: rapid change, team disruption, integration of new tools, and the pressure to do more with less — while somehow keeping a team aligned, motivated, and effective.

Organizations Served
Cisco Systems · Hewlett-Packard · National nonprofits · Pharma & Healthcare · Utilities · Government · Startups & Scale-ups

What clients say

Richard is an exceptional executive coach who has been instrumental in my journey toward becoming an executive leader in Applied AI. His expertise in the Positive Intelligence framework transformed how I approach leadership challenges — helping me reframe obstacles as opportunities for growth, enabling me to plan and act with greater confidence and clarity.
Executive Leader · Applied AI
I found Richard's direct yet compassionate approach to be one of the most effective at getting results. He is masterful at getting to the core of an issue and clarifying my thought process, saving me months, if not years, of time. By focusing on real-world, practical solutions, he facilitates taking action steps that work.
Director of Finance · National Nonprofit
For anyone navigating the transition into an executive role, particularly in technical fields, Richard's coaching is invaluable. His impact extends far beyond professional skills — it fundamentally changes how you perceive challenges and approach leadership.
Executive Leader · Technical Fields
Richard's unique approach to coaching and deep understanding of leadership dynamics made a profound impact on my personal and professional growth. His use of the Positive Intelligence framework offered a transformative way to understand myself and others — I now have a stronger ability to read the room, connect with people, and navigate challenging situations.
Executive · Technology Sector

Let's find out if
we're a fit.

A right-fit conversation is 30 minutes. No pitch, no pressure. We talk about what you're navigating, whether this work makes sense, and what it might look like together.

Schedule a Conversation →