COMMON CHALLENGES OF EXECUTIVE FAMILIES, AND HOW OUR PRIVATE ADVISORY PRACTICE CAN HELP
Senior leaders and their families can live from a place of weakness while in pursuit of great careers, but there is a pathway to family strength for those who commit.
It can’t be overstated just how much a demanding job weighs on an executive and his/her spouse. Sometimes, the challenges double when both spouses are high achieving executives.
We all know these challenges to some degree…Late nights. Dinner alone or with clients. Canceled personal plans. Phone addiction. Parental short-fall. Children in crisis. The burden of logistics. Fights over finances. Mid-life crisis (yes it’s a real thing). Searching for God in the midst of darkness. Health issues. Substance abuse. Extended family dysfunction. Perception of others. Fear of coming home. Walking on eggshells. Harsh critique. Defensiveness. Contempt. Stonewalling. The D word. Hopelessness…
It is natural, even for accomplished executives and their high-functioning families, to reach inflection points where life’s purpose and direction need to be reexamined. We understand and have compassion for these moments, not just because we have studied them and helped other couples through them, but because we have navigated through such moments ourselves.
Out of this passion and deep expertise in human development—infant through late-adulthood—we offer a Private Advisory coaching pathway for executives and their spouses who want to create a family vision and take concrete action towards a full, flourishing life. Combining the fundamentals of executive coaching, family development, human stage theory, emotional and relational needs psychology, cognitive development, and spiritual teaching, we provide powerful opportunities for senior executives and their spouses to:
Interrupt unhealthy, unsustainable cycles of work that can lead to burn out, physical deterioration, relational breakdown, and more
Communicate effectively, especially while immersed in persistent disagreement and conflict
Clarify their hopes and dreams for the future, envisioning specific aspirations and life metrics for the decades ahead through a strategic, values-based Backwards Mapping exercise
Identify how they can leverage their unique strengths—some of which are being fully utilized and some of which remain dormant—to drive career and personal impact
Cultivate relational strength by meeting each others deep emotional and relational needs
Name the deeply rooted issues that pose the greatest barriers to living a flourishing life, commit to addressing them once and for all, and seek the specialized help needed to overcome those challenges
Establish the life infrastructure and advisors needed to support the vision
Take immediate action towards their new life together within an accountable coaching relationship
To be clear, Private Advisory is not a substitute for marriage therapy. While coaching is the appropriate mechanism for couples with an existing baseline of relational health, other marital issues may require specialist care. It’s not uncommon, actually, for specialized needs to emerge within our process—we will help you identify them and find the right specialist.
This is why we have embedded ourselves within a network of the world’s most regarded psychotherapists, family and child therapists, addiction treatment centers, financial counselors, medical professionals, and pastoral and spiritual leaders. All are trained and licensed at the highest levels, and operate their own practices within industry ethics and standards.
Private Advisory is not life coaching. It is personal coaching for executive families who have elevated complexity and demands because of their careers, and desire to approach their personal lives with the rigor and sophistication of executive coaching methodology. We help you quarterback and advance your long term vision, while also giving you access to world-class specialist support when needed.
If you are a spouse or a senior executive who identifies with any of what we’ve outlined above, we welcome a conversation to discuss how we can help.