Why Finding the Right Executive Coach is Difficult in Financial Services and FinTech
According to a 2013 survey by Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, 51 percent of senior executives reported they "receive coaching or leadership advice from outside consultants or coaches." In the high-stakes and rapidly innovating financial services / FinTech industry, the need for coaching is even higher.
However, many executive coaching engagements don't succeed in financial services. Some coaches come in with an approach that is just too soft of a touch for hard charging, data-driven financial executives. Some coaches lack the industry expertise required to understand the complex business problems facing their clients. Some coaches have never been responsible for a P&L or regulatory compliance, so they just don't get what those pressures are like.
Meet Victor Prince - The Certified Executive Coach for Financial Services Firms
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Victor Prince is uniquely qualified as an executive coach for financial services and FinTech firms. As a former marketing executive at Capital One, he understands what it is like to lead a team and be responsible for a P&L in the financial services industry. As a former COO of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, he understands the complexity of working with government regulators in the financial services industry. As a Wharton MBA in Finance, he gets the technical part of the financial world. And as a former strategy consultant with Bain, he can help sort through the complex strategic issues in the fast-moving financial services industry.
Victor helps ambitious executives in the financial services industry find a competitive edge by improving key leadership skills like:
- Conflict Management,
- Communication,
- Persuasiveness,
- Decision-making,
- Managing Upward,
- Strategic Planning,
- Time Management,
- Motivating People,
- Developing Talent,
- Delegating,
- Building Teams, and
- Executive Presence.
He is an outside, independent voice who can be a:
- Sounding Board,
- Meeting Facilitator,
- Brainstorming Partner,
- Accountability Coach,
- Feedback Provider, and
- Leadership Advisor.
Victor applies proven tools and techniques to help executives in the financial services industry identify the root causes of their problems and implement the solutions that will work for them. These techniques begin with an understanding of each client's situation, their thinking and communication style, their interests and behavioral traits, and their career and performance goals to find the best approach for their success.
Most importantly, Victor understands that coaching requires a significant investment of resources and time from his clients. He is driven to provide coaching results that represent an extraordinary return on that investment.
Contact Victor to learn how he could help you achieve your full-potential as a leader in the financial services industry.
Video Introduction
Industry Expertise
Financial Services Executive
Federal Financial Regulator
Management Consultant
State/Local Government Official
Work Experience
Capital One (Marketing Executive)
US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Chief Operating Officer)
Bain & Company (Consultant)
Central Intelligence Agency (Analyst)
Geographic Work Experience
🇺🇸 United States 🇸🇪 Sweden
🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🇫🇷 France
🇪🇸 Spain 🇮🇱 Israel 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
Coaching Expertise
Board Certified Coach,
Center for Credentialing & Education
Certified Executive Coach,
Center for Executive Coaching
Member,
International Coaching Federation
Education
MBA (Finance), The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
BA (Int'l Studies & Economics), American University
See Example Articles by Victor on the Financial Services Industry
How Our Executive Coaching Works
Victor approaches coaching like a consulting project. He helps the client identify their goals and then employs the right information, tools, and techniques to achieve those goals.
A typical engagement has Victor meeting with the client every week or two for six months. The meetings can be over the phone or via a video call.
Every client is different, but a typical coaching engagement with you may look like this:
- Coaching Agreement - We clarify our expectations for the coaching engagement, in writing, including the engagement length (6 months), confidentiality, fees, schedule, etc..
- Gather Baseline Information - You complete a new client survey to clarify your goals for the engagement. You take two assessments to measure your working style relative to other people. Victor interviews 5-10 of your key colleagues to get anonymous feedback on your strengths and opportunities for improvement.
- Identify Opportunities for Improvement - Victor reviews the feedback and assessment results with you. We use those to identify and prioritize the most important things to work on.
- Coaching Sessions - We meet for an hour, every other week, over a phone or video call. Victor uses a conversational technique called active inquiry to guide the conversation to help you clarify and identify solutions to your problems and opportunities. Each session ends with you identifying a few next steps you want to do before the next meeting.
- Track Progress to Build Accountability - Each session starts by reviewing the progress on the next steps from previous sessions. Victor gives you access to an online portal to help us both track your progress.
- Review and Assess - At the end of the six months, Victor interviews your key colleagues again to get feedback on your progress versus the beginning of the coaching engagement. Victor prepares a short, anonymized, summary of the results and reviews with you.
- Next Steps - At the end of six months, we decide whether we want to start a new engagement immediately or take a break.
- Provide Ad Hoc Support As Needed - During our engagement, Victor can also help you by playing other roles too during our sessions. He can be a sounding board for new ideas. He can role-play to prepare you for a crucial conversation or a big meeting. He can help with time management and communication skills. He can curate training and reading for you. At times, where appropriate, Victor can also provide technical advice to you in areas where he has experience and expertise. If needed, Victor can also provide consulting, training, and facilitation as separate engagements.
Client Testimonials
”Victor is an excellent coach and mentor… He has been a helpful sounding board for ideas and tasks.
Given his executive experience and strong understanding of business and financial services, Victor is able to provide insightful advice based on real-life experiences. In addition, Victor’s differentiated coaching style and excellent listening skills have helped me put things in perspective. After each coaching session, I’m more confident and have good energy. I highly recommend Victor as a career coach.” - Ignatius N.
"It has been a pleasure working with Victor! His coaching has helped me "see the forest through the trees" with regards to how I strategize, become a better leader and focus on the growth and long term success of our business. I recommend Victor and DiscoveredLogic to anyone seeking executive coaching." - Julie M.
"Victor’s extensive leadership and consulting experience, and his strength in coaching combine to create amazing impact! Victor’s coaching pushed me to think outside of my comfort zone, helped me identify options I hadn’t considered, and develop a plan to take action. I’m excited about the direction, ambition, and clarity his coaching unleashed in me. Victor is an excellent coach, and I highly recommend him." - Paula S.
"Victor is a gifted Executive Coach. In working with Victor, I noticed that he was truly able to bring the best out in my by helping me break down barriers existing in my mind, which were holding me back from reaching my goals. Victor's approach is steady and intuitive. He was quickly able to help me assess both the opportunities and the path to capitalize on those opportunities. If you are looking for an Executive Coach who can help you realize the your full potential as a leader in your organization, Victor is a great choice!" - Adam M.