Executive Coaching for Leaders & High-Potential Talent
Executive Coaching for Leaders Who Can’t Afford to Get This Wrong
The higher you go, the smaller the room of people who’ll tell you the truth gets. We’re that room.
TAP’s executive coaching engagements are built for senior leaders, succession-ready high-potentials, and executives navigating high-stakes transitions — promotion, turnaround, acquisition integration, or simply the next level of scale.
Who This Is For
C-suite and senior executives under board or investor scrutiny
High-potential leaders being prepared for expanded scope
Newly promoted executives in their first 100 days
Leaders navigating restructuring, M&A integration, or rapid growth
Portfolio company CEOs and executive teams under PE ownership
Our Approach
We don’t do surface-level conversations. Every engagement blends validated assessment tools, behavioral science, and direct, candid dialogue to surface the patterns that are actually limiting performance — then builds a practical plan to shift them.
COMMON DEVELOPMENT FOCUS AREAS:
Executive presence and influence
Strategic thinking and decision-making under ambiguity
Stakeholder alignment and board-level communication
Leading through change, restructuring, or scale
Emotional intelligence and self-awareness
Performance accountability
Navigating organizational politics and team dynamics
How Engagements Work
Diagnose First
A structured intake and assessment process — not a generic curriculum — defines what “success” actually means for this leader, in this role, right now.
Build A Measurable Plan
Pre-assessments and mid-point check-ins keep the engagement tied to outcomes your organization can point to.
Adapt As The Business Does
Coaching plans flex with the realities of the role — a leader navigating a reorg needs something different than one preparing for a board presentation.
“Karen Hilton is an excellent coach. As a member of our executive team, she was instrumental in navigating some critical business issues in our sales organization. Karen was highly respected as a team player. She’s a savvy business leader.”
— VP OF SALES
Retained Executive Coaching Programs
For organizations and investors who need coaching built into a broader leadership or talent strategy, our retained programs integrate individual coaching with organizational context — your strategy, your stakeholders, your timeline.
FAQS
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Executive coaching is a structured, confidential partnership focused on helping a leader grow their self-awareness, judgment, and effectiveness in their role. Unlike mentoring, coaching doesn't rely on the coach's own career path as the model for yours — it's built around your specific goals, context, and blind spots. Unlike therapy, coaching is forward-focused and performance-oriented, not clinical. At T.A.P., every engagement is grounded in adult learning theory, so the goal isn't just insight — it's building durable habits and systems that outlast the coaching relationship itself.
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Executive coaching is a fit for senior leaders, VPs, C-suite executives, and high-potential leaders who are navigating a new role, a growth edge, a transition, or a pattern that's holding them back. It's equally valuable for leaders who are already strong performers but want a confidential thought partner to sharpen their thinking.
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Most engagements run 6–12 months, with regular sessions (typically bi-weekly or monthly) supplemented by structured reflection tools between sessions. The length depends on the goals — a targeted transition (like a promotion or leader assimilation) may run shorter, while deeper behavioral or leadership identity work often benefits from a longer arc.
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Beyond 1:1 sessions, engagements typically include a goal-setting and stakeholder alignment process at kickoff, between-session tools and reflection prompts, progress check-ins with sponsors (when appropriate), and a clear measurement framework so both the leader and the organization can see progress. This is intentional — coaching should produce visible, durable change, not just a good conversation.
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Yes. What's discussed in coaching sessions stays between the coach and the client. When an organization is sponsoring the engagement, we establish clear ground rules upfront about what (if anything) is shared with the sponsor — typically high-level themes and progress, never session details.
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Karen Hilton holds a PCC (Professional Certified Coach) credential through the International Coaching Federation and is a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), backed by 30+ years of HR leadership experience across healthcare, technology, finance, higher education, and entertainment.
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Most engagements start with a short discovery conversation to understand your goals, context, and constraints. From there, we recommend the right scope — whether that's 1:1 coaching, team work, career coaching, or an advisory engagement — rather than defaulting to a one-size-fits-all package.
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Yes. While T.A.P. is based in Woodstock, Georgia, engagements are conducted virtually as well as in person, and clients span multiple industries and regions.
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Pricing depends on scope — coaching engagements are typically structured as monthly retainers over a defined term, while advisory work can be scoped as monthly retainers or project-based fees depending on the complexity of the engagement. Specifics are discussed during the discovery conversation.
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Healthcare (including physician and anesthesiology practice leadership), higher education, government and municipal agencies, and enterprise organizations across technology, logistics, and entertainment.
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Reach out to schedule an introductory conversation. We'll talk through your goals, answer any questions, and map out the engagement structure that fits your needs.