My best people keep leaving
I hire well, and they do good work. But then they leave, and while the exit interview is polite, I am left feeling that the real issue went unsaid.
Step 1: Find out what's really wrong.
My book, Leadership in the Tyrant's Shadow, brings together my entire coaching philosophy and method in one place. It uses visceral case studies from my experiences with highly driven founders and CEOs to define, explore, and remedy the one leadership deficit that no other program dares to touch. Claim your FREE copy today.
Step 2: An Honest Appraisal.
If you saw yourself in the book and identified with the behaviors exhibited by the executive leaders featured in the case studies, the next step is to explore whether or not you really are the bottleneck in your business. My introductory appraisal includes an interview with you, anonymized questionnaires to your team, and a brief observation period of your business and its processes to evaluate where the root of your business's glass ceiling truly lies. My commitment to you is that if the source of your stagnation is indeed the business, then I will refer you to the right business coach for your needs. And if it's you, well, we move to Step 3.
Step 3: Leadership Recovery Coaching
There are two paths one can take: first, there's the narrative audit and coaching done through journal writing, one-on-one sessions, and in-person or online fitness training, all on a monthly coaching retainer; second, there's the full narrative rebirth program where I take you through a six to twelve month journey of rewriting the narrative behind your leadership, with the final deliverable being a publishable memoir of your life to date, and a metamorphosis of your leadership that will save you and your business.
About C.J.
I'm C.J. Adrien — historian, writer, storyteller, C-suite executive, fitness trainer, and a man in recovery. This work brings all of those parts together. It's my Ikigai: the place where what I know, what I can do, and what the world needs meet.
My aim is to help business leaders who have fallen into the tyranny of self develop their character, so they can use the power they've been given to have a more positive impact on the world around them.
You can think of me as the three ghosts of A Christmas Carol — only I don't haunt anyone. I train character the way I'd train a body: honestly, patiently, and with the whole person in view — body, mind, and spirit together.
I work with founders and CEOs of owner-led businesses, roughly $2M–$20M a year, who have hit a glass ceiling. Usually the drive, pride, and self-assurance that built the company have become the thing capping it. The signs are familiar: “My best people keep leaving.” “Everything runs through me.” “I'm working harder and growing slower.”
My approach is a Narrative Audit — identifying, processing, and overcoming the character traits holding you back — built on the ideas in my book, Leadership in the Tyrant's Shadow. I tell clients the truth about their business and their leadership, and I hold myself to the same standard. What you share with me stays with me.
If that sounds like you, the first step is a free 15-minute call. Leave your details on the form and I'll reach out to you.