Executive Coaching

When technical excellence isn’t the issue

Executive coaching for senior leaders

Most of my clients are very good at what they do. They call when judgment and communication under stress have become the limiting factor. The role has grown or the people around them have changed, and the way they have been leading now produces results they did not intend.

I coach VP to C-level leaders and founders, many of them in technology, finance, biotech and research settings where precise thinking is the norm. Recent clients include research leads at Anthropic, an engineering CVP at Microsoft, and founder CEOs of venture-backed companies from seed stage to Series E.

Clients have included leaders at

Anthropic, Apple, Dropbox, Meta, Microsoft, Pfizer and Uber.

ICF PCC certified coach
25 years’ experience
MA in Adult Learning
By video or in person in New York

Situations clients bring

Stepping into a larger role, where what worked before now gets in the way.
Deciding under pressure with incomplete information and real consequences.
A working relationship with a board member, co-founder or peer that has stopped working.
Conflict that has gone unaddressed for too long.
Preparing for a negotiation or conversation you cannot afford to get wrong.
Being seen as a leader by people who have known you as an expert.
Leading people whose cultural or professional assumptions differ from yours.
Sustained pressure that is starting to affect judgment.

How an engagement runs

We begin by agreeing what should be different at the end of the engagement and how we, and your sponsor where there is one, will recognize it. Sessions are 60 minutes, weekly or every other week, usually for six months or longer.

Where it helps, we add a 360 (interview-based or Hogan) or a Harrison Assessment. I bring in a model when it fits the question we are working on, and we test it against your experience. Between sessions you try specific changes in real meetings, and we review what happened.

My sessions are direct. I also pay close attention to what sits beneath a reaction under pressure, including the assumptions and personal history that shape it, because that is often where lasting change starts.

For employer-sponsored coaching, goals are agreed with the sponsor at the start and reviewed at the midpoint and close. What you say in sessions stays confidential.

Format 60-minute sessions, weekly or every other week, by video or in person
Duration Six months or longer, with a review at the midpoint
Fees Quoted after our first conversation. Most engagements are employer-sponsored.
Assessments Interview-based 360, Hogan or Harrison, when useful
Starting point A 30-minute introductory conversation

In clients’ words

Michael’s counsel has been invaluable. He has an extremely broad set of skills and approaches that adapt to what I need each week. We’ve covered research strategy, prepped for difficult conversations, diagnosed dynamics in my group, and identified key factors that shape my productivity.

Joshua Batson
AI Research Lead, Anthropic

Michael’s coaching has helped me make decisions that have saved our company many months of time and many millions of dollars.

Brett Granberg
CEO, Vannevar Labs

Working with Michael was one of the best things I’ve done for my personal and professional development. Michael’s approach is grounded in mindfulness, empathy, and self-inquiry.

Rob Cromwell
CVP Engineering, Microsoft AI

Though he is keenly attuned to the emotional art of leadership, he is also rigorously quantitative and scientific in his approach, bringing validated scales, tools, and methods into our sessions for tangible, measurable change.

April Koh
CEO & Co-Founder, Spring Health
Read a case study: When what built the career starts to cost it →

Start with a conversation

Thirty minutes to describe what you are facing and who is involved. If I am not the right person for it, I will say so and, where I can, suggest who is. A proposal follows only if we both see a fit.

Or email directly: michael@michaellangercoaching.com