I coach founders, CEOs, and owner-operators through high-stakes transitions: succession planning, exit preparation, executive team build-out, post-acquisition integration, or the shift from founder-led to leader-led execution.
After 20+ years as a coach, human capital operator at Menlo Ventures and The Home Depot, strategic advisor and business founder, I’ve learned a simple truth: most transitions don’t fail because the strategy is wrong. They fail because the human system can’t hold the next chapter: unclear seats, thin leadership bench, first-time managers, and hidden friction that slows execution. My work reduces key-person risk, clarifies accountability, and builds the leadership capacity required for a business to scale - or become truly transferable.
I work with leaders and high-impact operators pursuing what I call "Team<>Market Fit." Where talent and impact meet in opportunity.
My method blends Team<>Market Fit (often using Kolbe® and Enneagram) with practical leadership coaching and operating clarity: right people in the right seats, stronger managers, and a team that can execute without heroics - and without you. I do this most often with owner-led businesses in transition, and I also support Series A–C startups as they scale, professionalize management and build their first real operating cadence.
If you’re facing a transition and want a clear view of your people risks and leverage points, let’s talk.
If you find yourself at a career juncture, I provide 1:1 leadership and career coaching that reverse engineers my talent tooling into professional development and career change strategies.
Meet Mike
My Method
Clarify & Define
I learned a valuable business lesson in university - from a drama professor. He said “the best plots are written backward.” That lesson is the foundation of my practice. What’s your desired outcome (the plot written backwards)? What does “great” look like?
1
Fit
Do we like the idea of working together? Can we complement and push each other as we work to achieve the outcome you need?
2
Partner
With your end goal in your mind, my goal is to help you understand the various routes to get you there. We’ll check in regularly and adjust as needed until your goals are achieved.
3
Where Kolbe® Fits
Kolbe® helps reveal instinctive execution—especially under stress.
It’s not personality. It’s how people naturally take action.
You’ll find Kolbe deeply ingrained of many of my offerings: executive search, workshops, training and executive coaching.