Kelly is in the people business. Be Real. Define Happy. Keep Your Rockstars.
I am extremely lucky to do work I love and was put on this planet to do. I celebrate with gratitude my work as leadership coach, coaching supervisor, facilitator, and learning and talent strategist.
Looking back, I was always a coach, before I knew what coaching was. I walk alongside the humans I engage with, my clients (and my friends, my direct reports, my colleagues, my family) to be a thought partner. Listening is a skill and gift I offer to the world. I ask powerful questions and listen to the answer. Being fully present is at the core of my coaching and supervision and is in itself a tremendous gift to my clients. Thought partnership is about joining with my clients to help them to find the answers they seek, believing they are capable and whole.
Kelly Ross is an exceptional leadership coach. As a transitioning military service member, I was skeptical about leadership coaching or any coach whatsoever. Kelly helped me to identify my passion, match my skills and find a career that was a natural fit for my personality and drive. While most of my colleagues were trying to match their military experience with the next job, Kelly had me find my natural ambition and channel it into something I am grateful to get out of bed every day to do.
– Entrepreneur & Veteran
Supportive -- yet challenging, is the phrase that comes to mind when I think about Kelly. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Kelly over the last 9 months in her executive coaching program. From our first meeting, I was impressed with her ability to understand and connect with me, albeit with very little information of my current circumstances. Her ability to actively listen, ask thoughtful questions, and provide clear perspectives, tool, templates, and other reference materials was extremely helpful in my journey. Kelly was able to do all of that while building a relationship stronger than just a coach/client, which I hold equally (if not more) valuable as the lessons learned. Kelly’s experience, personality, and dedication would be a sincere asset for any leader looking to navigate their current or future landscape and comes with my heartfelt recommendation.
– Leader in Professional Services & Learning Simulations
Kelly helped me clarify my leadership skills, grow more confident in my decision making, and understand the value of my voice and insight. I'm incredibly grateful for our time working together and the leader she helped me become!
– Higher Education Leader
I worked with Kelly as I was making a job transition. Kelly is a genuine and caring coach. She is easy to connect to, had great questions, and created the space and time for me to reflect on what I wanted next in my career. I always left our sessions feeling as if I had learned something about myself, my current situation, and what I wanted in the future. I would recommend her to other looking to make a similar change in their careers.
– Executive making career transition
I unequivocally recommend Kelly Ross's coaching services. Kelly is a phenomenal coach, always sensitive to her clients' individual needs and able to balance that delicate tension between pushing you to grow and meeting you where you are. Thanks to Kelly, I was able to step into a new role with a stronger perspective on not only what had gotten to me where I was, but more importantly, what I needed to do differently to continue to be successful.
– Director in Learning Organization
Working with Kelly helped me identify, focus on, and improve in key areas of my job. She provided me with an invaluable forum in which to discuss the challenges of my role within the organization. She has a knack for asking the right questions, which encourages introspection without feeling pressured. Her recommendations have proven invaluable in helping me manage my over-the-top workload.
– Executive at nationally recognized not-for-profit
I was incredibly fortunate to have been coached by Kelly Ross on a pro bono basis during an exciting and challenging time in my career. Kelly was critical to my success during the year she coached me and the confidence that I have been able to sustain since then. She pushed me to be disciplined and stick to the leadership goals that I set at the beginning of the coaching engagement, while remaining flexible and helping me to process unexpected management challenges. She guided me through a process of reflection and self-awareness, helping me to understand who I was as non-profit leader, what my leadership values and assets were, and how I could use these as I was helping to build and scale our organization’s program infrastructure, reach, staff, and operations. She not only listened and asked the right questions, but shared relevant and helpful articles, and offered valuable management and leadership advice based on her impressive experience as a management consultant. I would recommend that all professionals find the time to reflect on their leadership and their management during times of growth and change, even though we feel like time does not permit. And I would recommend that they consider working with Kelly, who is a coach one can trust to listen and push you to the next level.
– Non-Profit Leader
My coaching relationship [with Kelly] was incredibly valuable. I left each session with a golden nugget of insight about myself and a direction for exploring more.
– Manager in higher education
Kelly gave me a new perspective on thinking about things; I really appreciated her perspective. I believe Kelly is a great sounding board that offered unbiased advice.
– Senior Associate, Big Four accounting firm
I cannot say enough good things about the coaching I received from Kelly Ross. Recently, I decided to leave an industry I had been in for the past 8 years for a new career, and Kelly was able to help me think holistically about that decision, supporting me each step the way. She had a gift for helping me tease out how I was feeling as well as offering up her own wisdom at precisely the right time. Kelly also has a keen eye for recognizing patterns: she helped me identify attributes of my decision-making style and how they have shaped my professional and life decisions time and time again. It was such a pleasure working with her, and she will be my first call when I find myself in need of support again!
– Leader in Professional Services
Kelly impacted my life, my team, my family, and probably even my future career choices. I feel so appreciated and satisfied. Thank you for understanding me, for making me feel safe, for digging deep into those dark, hurt areas, shining light and healing, and helping me accelerate this process. When I think of you, I think maybe one day I could be a coach. I love what you do, and for it I am forever grateful.
– Manager at global management consulting firm
I’ve been working with Kelly of almost two years now and have significantly benefited from the partnership. Kelly provides a great forum to discuss the challenging situations I face as a Leader within my Organization. Her guidance and approach has helped me advance in my career and evolve my Leadership skills.
– Sales Leader, Analytics
Kelly was a great fit for me! I had the privilege of working with her when I was internally promoted into a role where I was stepping into the shoes of a beloved leader who was retiring and had to transition from being a peer to being a manager. Not only did I gain insights from our one-on-one sessions, but Kelly also interviewed my staff and synthesized feedback on their perspectives of my first year as president. I am grateful for Kelly’s perceptive prompting and would recommend her to anyone who wants to lead authentically.
– President, Family Foundation
I interviewed several executive coaches before I decided on Kelly. She was selected because she truly focused on me- asking me thoughtful questions on the progress I was looking to make. Kelly served as an unbiased thought partner to talk through leadership decisions such as performance challenges with staff members and a reorganization of my team. Where I truly found power is understanding more about myself and how to bring best of me to leading others - including peers, business partners and my own manager.
– Sales Leader, Investments
When I originally reached out to Kelly, I was looking for someone to talk about my own personal growth, outside of my organization. Kelly certainly provided that and more. Coaching helped me to see things from a different point of view, or through a different lens and to understand how I present myself, and how others might view me. This has helped me not only within my organization, but also with external client partners. Kelly was a great resource, she listened well and she kept me on track when I diverted off my plan.
– Vice President, Construction
I’ve been working with Kelly of almost two years now and have significantly benefited from the partnership. Kelly provides a great forum to discuss the challenging situations I face as a Leader within my Organization. Her guidance and approach has helped me advance in my career and evolve my Leadership skills.
– Vice President Business Development, Analytics
I had the privilege of sitting in on a workshop Kelly led and she was fantastic! The event evolved from a handful of people to a group of 80! The room was packed, and Kelly did an amazing job working the room, keeping it interactive, and keeping the participants fully engaged in the topic. This crowd is notoriously hard to please, and Kelly made it look easy. I think they actually had fun… and so did I.
– Leading MBA program leader
[Today’s workshop] was one of the most fascinating and useful events I’ve attended. I had never taken an MBTI assessment before. In life, you progressively come to know more about how you behave/think/operate. But in today’s session, looking through the structured lens of MBTI, those behaviors seemed easier to grasp. Moreover (and just as importantly), it seemed easier to understand the ways in which others behave. What we learned today will come in handy! [The session] was engaging – there was certainly a lot of participation and a lot of discussion after the session in the halls!
– MBA student
[The 3-day manager skills workshop] was such a positive experience. I want you to know it has already allowed me to be more effective in my position! I am using flip charting at my meetings with wonderful results. It helps me encourage participation and it is so easy to summarize the results for the group. I think of you when there is need for crucial conversations and I am more confident using some of the techniques you offered. I am also putting effort toward being concise…one of my personal challenges. I have created a mind map for both work and home. My husband said “wow” when he saw the home map and my 16-year old daughter knew exactly what a mind map was all about. I think it reflects how my mind thinks and will help me keep on track. At first, the concept looked chaotic to me when presented at the class, but because you asked us to try it, I discovered a tool that I otherwise would’ve ignored. The experience of the 3-day [workshop] was energizing. As a manager for 23 years I have been to many training events. I appreciated the very practical content of your program, the small group size and the expectation that we actively participate to get hands-on experience. Thank you for giving me fresh ideas to manage the challenges faced in my management position!
– Manager in health care
Kelly is FANTASTIC! She facilitated a session for our team and was GREAT.
– Director at consulting firm
Kelly recently ran a trainer certification process for us for a coaching program we were implementing across our division. She did a great job getting the trainers comfortable with the material and more confident in their facilitation skills. She clearly knows a great deal about coaching and served as a great role model. Kelly is a delight to work with -she's passionate about coaching and learning and changing behavior back on the job. I look forward to working with her again some time in the future.
– HR Leader
Supervision is a gift to yourself because it gives you time and space to process some of the complex coaching situations you may be faced with over the course of an engagement. Kelly has an open and collaborative process. She really listens and asks thought provoking questions that supported me in finding experiments and solutions to try out.
– Leadership Coach
Working with Kelly as my coaching supervisor helps me analyze what’s working and what needs to shift and grow within my own coaching practice. Kelly supports my growth by helping me navigate new or tricky client situations and ground me in coaching best practices. As an experienced coaching professional, she is an invaluable sounding board and I am incredibly grateful for her insight and expertise.
– Leadership Coach
I found great value in supervision. It created time and space for me to reflect on my own growth as a coach, to stretch my thinking about how I approach my work, and recenter myself on what I find most important.
– Internal Coach
I found coaching supervision with Kelly to be valuable because you don't have to explain anything about your business or clients - she just gets it so you can go right to the heart of the matter. Kelly also does a great job of blending the mutual exploring and probing with sharing her relevant experience and perspectives to help her clients work through things.
– Leadership Coach
As coaches, we know everyone has blindspots and set patterns of behavior based on our own unique life experiences and upbringing. Supervision is critical to ensuring that as coaches, our own issues aren’t intruding on the space we need to create for clients.
– Leadership Coach
Going through group supervision was like realizing you are able to breathe under water. When I brought my case to the group, I received so many great perspectives that I wouldn't have been able to think about by myself. It helped me to see a path forward when I was feeling so stuck. I also found a lot of comfort in realizing I wasn't alone with some of the struggles I was experiencing. Additionally, I got so much (maybe more?) out of hearing other people's cases and learning from the things they were struggling with. There is something special and unique about reflecting in a group of coaches that can't be replicated any other way. Kelly did an amazing job of holding the container for us to share openly, and learn collectively.
– Leadership Coach
"Supervision with Kelly created a beautiful bridge for me. I started to work with Kelly shortly after completing my certification program while also taking on new coaching engagements through my employer as I was working towards my ACC credential. My time with Kelly was incredibly valuable as it gave me a safe space to ask questions and navigate some trickier internal coaching situations I found myself in where I no longer had a cohort of people to ask weekly. In addition, having a supervisory practice supported me to feel more confident in my coaching abilities."
The people who are nice to you aren’t always being kind to you. Saying what you want to hear is nice. People sugarcoat feedback to make you feel good today. Sharing what you need to hear is kind. People speak honestly to help you do better tomorrow. Candor is an act of care.
Looking for the good in others doesn’t make you naive. It means you’re not cynical. Recognizing people’s strengths doesn’t deny their flaws. It reveals their potential to overcome their flaws. Those who refuse to see the good in others fail to bring out the best in others.
I love this! #Read more #fiction and reflect on your #leadership! hbr.org/2022/06/want-t…
"#People want to feel #cared for, they want to stay #connected, and they want the #flexibility to figure out how to manage their situation their way—and #managers hold the key." ow.ly/8Luh50Jv4mG pic.twitter.com/rYE7DybdNM
Powerful messages about avoiding #burnout from Arianna Huffington in this talk with #Chief, more here: ow.ly/XzWg50JpC67. pic.twitter.com/UwTYBDAzv8
I am so busy! You too?? Check out the possible reasons: ow.ly/n0SZ50Jc4Al pic.twitter.com/tCYQczHb7V
When groups defer to the most assertive person in the room, they reward confidence over competence. The danger of speaking with conviction is that it can stifle critical thinking and silence dissent. We learn more from people who explore ideas than those who attack and defend.
My #to_do_list is often daunting... I am going to try this #DONE_LIST out. What do you think? ow.ly/nkrz50IOaTX pic.twitter.com/puX9fheQ7E
The highest compliment from someone who disagrees with you is not “You were right.” It’s “You made me think.” Good arguments help us recognize complexity where we once saw simplicity. The ultimate purpose of debate is not to produce consensus. It’s to promote critical thinking.
Good reminders for building #trust as #leaders and #humans ow.ly/uXVk50Ipkjh pic.twitter.com/QVlq09QCKm