“Rich is your wake-up call.”
We help our clients shape and build companies that are leaders in their field and where employees love coming to work and are ambitious about making their companies successful.
We help your managers better understand your company culture and how it affects their success.
We focus on making teams work well together, growing leadership, modifying unhelpful behaviors, and teaching powerful communication skills.
All of this creates a better workplace culture that leads to stronger financial results and increases your bottom line.
"Engaging great leaders to exceed world-class."
What is High-Performance Coaching?
You may think that "high-performance coaching" means coaching for high performers – in other words, people who, for whatever reason, have been identified as "star talent."
High-performance coaching is about helping people reach their FULL potential — working with people to improve their performance in business and their lives. Check out P = P - I on my home page.
Why should I work with Rich?
Tough question. I know I bring three things to the table with all of my clients:
I have coached and presented to thousands of people from all walks of life. So I’ve been there (over 20,000 hours of coaching).
I custom-fit my coaching to YOU. No set assessments. No canned tools. Personalized for you.
We’re going to have FUN. And it will be A JOURNEY.
What do I mean by fun? What was the best class you had in school? Why was it the best class?
A good part of it was probably your instructor. They made it live – they made it exciting – they made it powerful. And you probably learned more in a semester than any other of your boring classes. That’s what I bring to my clients.
How did you arrive at running this business?
I had a coach many years ago. She helped me with the myriad of issues an executive faces and was a trusted partner.
One day, she said: “You would be a great coach.” It caught me off-guard (after 15 years in corporate) – so I asked why. She said that as a manager, I have always coached my team, but I also have a real empathy to help people and that I have an innate ability to get people excited and motivated. “You should try it.” she said.
So I did. And I LOVED it. So much so that I left my corporate position and started my own practice, and 15 years later, I’ve never regretted it. In fact, I have more fun and fulfillment each year. And it takes me out of my comfort zone to challenge me to do new and exciting things.
What are you known for professionally?
There are a lot of coaches out there. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great ones that change people’s lives. Unfortunately, the majority (90-95%) are hacks and hobbyists. I hate to be blunt, but it’s true.
I run one of the best high-performance coaching firms in the nation. How can I say that? Well . . . I bring 20 years of corporate management knowledge, 15 years of coaching experience, a practice of 25+ clients, and 20+ corporate workshops yearly, and I am frequently tapped by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Today Show for my views on business topics.
When I come up in conversations with executives, they exclaim, “You have to meet Rich Gee.” When I meet people, host talks, and coach, I can get people charged and enthusiastic about what they do (or want to do). Some people have called me their “spark” of business.
The #1 problem you solve for your clients?
I help my clients THINK BIG. We all tend to constrain ourselves in one way or another — we’re our own worst critics.
I get my clients to focus on what they can really do and help them realize that the obstacles that hold them back are pretty easy to eliminate. On calls, I sometimes push you, “What else can you do?” or “Let’s think bigger.” Clients get the message, and we start setting bigger goals.
Who have you worked with in the past?
I work with all types of people — from the boardroom CEO to the 25-year-old looking for their second gig. I work with:
1. Executives with communication issues, dysfunctional teams, or failing at balancing their work/life responsibilities. They need help immediately and require a sounding board to discuss solutions.
2. Employees in transition who were summarily thrust into unemployment and have no idea what to do (while dealing with the self-doubt that comes with job loss).
3. Business Owners whose business is growing so fast they can’t focus and don’t know what to do next. On the other hand, they’ve lost their key client base & don’t know what to do and where to go.
What did I do for them? I got them to stop the mental merry-go-round and understand what is important and what can really make the biggest impact on their situation. We then developed a concise action plan and, through a series of coaching calls, helped them stay motivated and on track to success.
What are you most passionate about?
I love helping people. I love to get people motivated, engaged, and energized. But more importantly, we have fun during the process.
Look, I did this for 20 years in corporate, but I had to deal with all the corporate BS that trundles alongside. As a coach, I can directly impact my clients immediately — I don’t spend my time critiquing them – we look for opportunities for them to shine and acknowledge their successes. That excites me.
What are you passionate about personally?
I love innovation. It energizes me when I see someone totally sidestep the ‘business establishment’ and come up with a new way of thinking, a new technology, or a new innovation.
I love interacting and working with enthusiastic innovators. People break from the pack because they have a dream and follow through to make it a reality.
I love talking about innovative companies like Apple, Tesla, etc. All of these companies consistently drive innovation in the marketplace – I can go for hours extolling their virtues.
How long have you been doing what you do?
I’ve been coaching for 15+ years. I’ve had three coaches during that time, helping me learn, grow, and expand my practice. Currently, I have an accountability coach who keeps me on my toes professionally and helps me grow on a weekly basis.
In addition, I have 20 years of experience in executive management – so I bring many of the managerial skills needed in business to my coaching practice.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Stamford, CT, and happily, my office is located there. Over the years, Stamford has grown from a small CT city into a worldwide corporate and financial powerhouse. It’s a perfect location for me to stay connected to all areas of the marketplace.
Over the past five years, I’ve opened satellite offices in New York and New Haven. During the pandemic, I reached out to my clients and followers via webcam and YouTube videos.
Any awards or medals?
I won the Chairman’s Award for excellence. Only ten people would win it out of 7000 – the CEO came into my office and let me know that he chose me due to my efforts to drive innovative sales tools that accelerated the sales process in the company.
I also won the Dale Carnegie Highest Award for Excellence. It’s not a big award, but my class of 50 executives had the opportunity to choose one class member that truly exemplifies Dale Carnegie’s tenets – and they chose me. I was honored.
What would be impossible for you to give up?
Technology. I live online — iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, MacBook Pro & MacMini. They accelerate and expand my business exponentially and allow me to do more with less.
Why would we not want to work with you?
I tell the truth. I push you. I don’t wrap you in a warm blanket and tell you a bedtime story. I expect that you’ve hired me to grow you, your career, or your business. I am your partner — so it behooves me to tell you the truth.
At the end of the day, though, I do acknowledge your successes and accomplishments because people rarely at the top get the kudos they deserve.
How do you want to be remembered?
I want to be known as someone who was put on this earth to help others. And that I succeeded in that endeavor. That’s it.
Anything else?
Actually, one more thing. I like to have fun. And I want all of my clients to have fun, too.
Learn more about what coaching is:
Written by Thomas J. Leonard, who invented coaching as we know it today — here’s a Top 10 list of reasons why coaching might be for you.