About Marian Thier

Perhaps my favorite, and most revealing, story about how I became a coach happened in the early 1990’s when I was facilitating a year-long program for leaders at an automotive company. One day the program sponsor said, “You are good with people and we have a team of executives that’s a mess. Maybe you can help them, and don’t worry, you can’t make them worse.” With that faint praise my coaching career was launched.

I’ve coached many wonderful people all over the world, from Fortune 100 companies to private medical practices, built and sold a professional services firm, written books, and developed valuable workplace effectiveness assessments, including Hear! Hear? Your Listening Portfolio®, an online instrument that describes listening habits and patterns.

The best way to describe myself as a coach is to share my background and highlight what I’ve learned along the way.

Host and Producer in public TV: I learned the art of asking questions to explore beneath the surface of quick answers and snap judgment.

Professor, Department Head, and Dean of Academic Support Services: I learned to lead a large department with a wide range of issues and personalities, all needing a leader’s attention and steady focus.

Consultant and Facilitator: I transitioned from academia to business with a mandate to integrate personal development skills into the workplace. As a result I studied people and organizations and have amassed a tool chest of techniques that are of practical use for leaders faced with lots of challenges.

Business Founder: Where I learned to prioritize the myriad of requirements associated with taking a start-up through growth and eventual sale. My clients appreciate my experiences that mirror theirs. I speak authentically, not from a book, theory or model.

As you can see, my career path has afforded me a rich and diverse background that enables me to coach a wide variety of people in a broad array of contexts.

As you are a seasoned executive, I am a seasoned coach.