Individual Assessment & Coaching

Science-based insights to help you navigate
the next step of your career.

You excelled at your job, so they promoted you into a leadership position. But it turns out that leading people requires an entirely new skill set, which is going to take some time to develop. As the saying goes, “What got you here won’t get you there.”

So…

  • How do you pivot from “doing the work” to “enabling others to do the work”?
  • How do you shift your day-to-day focus from implementation to higher-level strategy?
  • How do you navigate relationships with supervisees who were previously your peers?
  • How do you project confidence when you’re feeling a bit of imposter syndrome?
  • How do you develop your leader identity?

How I Can Help

I offer three services to help new and developing leaders transition from high performer to effective leader:

  1. Leader Snapshot
    Option A ($1,500 USD)
    This includes 2 assessments: the Birkman Signature and the Leader Identity Integration Staircase, plus 2 feedback and development planning sessions.

    Option B ($2,000 USD)
    This includes 4 assessments: the Hogan Leadership Forecast Series (including the HPI, HDS, and MVPI) and the Leader Identity Integration Staircase, plus 2 feedback and development planning sessions.

  2. Leader Development Plan ($4,300 USD)
    This includes everything in the Leader Snapshot, plus verbal 360° feedback and a tailored development plan.

  3. Leadership Coaching ($10,000 USD)
    This includes everything in the Leader Snapshot and Development Plan, plus 3 months of 1:1 coaching and 24/7 access to me via phone and email.

Each service is explained in more detail below (click to expand).

If you just need help revealing some blind spots and getting pointed in the right direction, start with the Leader Snapshot. Here are some details on the assessments…

  • The Leader Identity Integration Staircase is a tool for reflecting on how you see different aspects of your identity working together versus clashing.
  • The Birkman Signature Report contains both an in-depth personality breakdown and an overview of work interests.
  • The Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) is a measure of the “bright side” of personality, which you can think of as your strengths at work.
  • The Hogan Development Survey (HDS) is a measure of the “dark side,” which concerns how your work style may change under stress.
  • The Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI) is a measure of your workplace drivers (i.e., what does and does not motivate you).

After you complete the online assessments, I’ll meet with you twice virtually to walk through your custom reports and create a roadmap for how you’ll develop as a leader over the coming months.

Each session is about an hour, but I’ll block 90 minutes to be safe.

If you just want the Leader Snapshot, email me at seth.osbornLA@gmail.com or book a virtual meeting to get more info.

NOTE: I guarantee satisfaction. If you don’t like it, I’ll refund everything except the hard cost of the assessment reports, which you’ll get to keep either way.

If you just need a blueprint for leader development that you can implement yourself over the next several months, then go with the Leader Development Plan.

This includes the Leader Snapshot (either option), PLUS:

  • Verbal 360 feedback
  • A customized development plan

Verbal 360

For the Verbal 360, I’ll interview you and 6–10 individuals who work closely with you. You get to choose which colleagues I interview, though I recommend a mix including supervisors, peers, direct reports, and other stakeholders.

In those anonymous interviews, I’ll explore:

  1. What makes you effective and successful as a leader
  2. Your key developmental opportunities
  3. Concrete recommendations to increase your leadership impact

You’ll receive a customized report, including a gap analysis comparing self-perceptions, others’ perceptions, and your personality results.

Custom Development Plan

Next, I’ll work with you to create a leadership development plan based on your 360 feedback. The goals will be concrete, actionable targets that you are willing to commit to over the next several months.

Typical developmental focuses include building leader competencies and enhancing leader identity.

This plan can serve as the basis for your ongoing development, whether in a self-directed fashion or using your organization’s internal coaching mechanisms.

To sign up for the Leader Development Plan, email me at seth.osbornLA@gmail.com or book a virtual meeting to get more info.

I guarantee satisfaction with the Development Plan. If you don’t like it, I’ll meet with you and your direct supervisor at no charge to review the 360 feedback again and revise the plan until you’re satisfied.

If you want all of the above, plus some added accountability and feedback along the way, then Leadership Coaching may be for you. In addition to everything previously described, this also includes:

  • 1:1 coaching for 3 months
  • 24/7 access to me via phone and email

This service makes the most sense if you want an ongoing third-party perspective while you’re working toward the goals in your development plan.

Private Coaching

You and I will meet virtually for 1:1 coaching every other week for 3 months (each session is ~1 hour). There are 3 possible focuses:

  1. Building Leader Competencies
  2. Developing Leader Identity
  3. Clarifying Career Trajectory

We can focus on just one, or we can cover all three.

My framework is Uncommon Coaching, which was developed by Leadership Worth Following (LWF).

24/7 Access

During the 3-month coaching period, you (and your direct supervisor) can access me 24/7 via phone and email regarding anything pertaining to leadership or your specific role. I can respond to questions within 24 hours at most, although I’m typically much faster.

To sign up for Leadership Coaching, email me at seth.osbornLA@gmail.com or book a virtual meeting to get more info.

This is not a “hard sell” conversation. I don’t really know how to do that, and it’s not my style anyway. Besides, my bandwidth for new clients is pretty limited. This is just to see if there’s a good fit.

You are welcome to use the entire first month of coaching as a trial period. If you don’t like it, I’ll refund everything except the hard cost of the assessment reports, which you’ll get to keep either way.

NOTE: I sometimes offer free 20-minute lightning coaching calls (especially May–August). Email to check my availability.

This is NOT a “teaser” or “taster” session that turns into a sales conversation. My availability for new coaching clients is very limited. I just really enjoy brief engagements where I can help others figure out their single next step.

What Others Say

  • “You were able to guide me to something actionable that was the right weight for the depth of the discussion and feasibility of executing on it.”
  • “This shook me out of my day-to-day and caused me to reflect.”
  • “This gave me clarity… I know how to move forward now.”
  • “Before this, I had ‘extra fluff’ that needed to be cut through…”
  • “You got me talking about [the issue] in ways I hadn’t thought of before.”
  • “The questions you asked made it clear you understood so well what I was saying…”
  • “Seth provided ways that I could push forward.”
  • “After our conversation, I immediately [took a bold action concerning a conflict with a coworker].”
  • “I greatly appreciated his specific feedback and deeper insight on what I was doing well and what I could use help with.”
  • “You were right about [a positioning change we previously discussed], and it’s already working.”

“Seth is an extremely knowledgeable yet approachable coach intent on providing the leadership growth in whichever ways best serve yourself and your organization. His approach starts with where you’re at and your current growth goals rather than with a checklist of traits, making the experience inherently tailored and allowing the participant to drive. Whether you’ve just landed your first leadership position, or you’ve been an executive for 20 years, the reflection and perspective-building which occurs in these sessions is of equal value.”
– Bethany Pursell, Covenant Underwriters

FAQs

“Isn’t personality testing a pseudoscience? Isn’t it basically a horoscope?”

No.

Well, actually, it can be. But I only use science-based assessments.

Here are some details from Birkman and Hogan on their personality assessments, including some info about validity…

  1. The Birkman Method FAQ
  2. Hogan Assessments FAQ

If you have any technical questions, just email me.

“Can we use MBTI (or DiSC or True Colors or Enneagram or something else) instead of Birkman or Hogan?”

No, I exclusively use Birkman and Hogan. I am not certified in any of those other assessments.

If you’re looking for MBTI, DiSC, or similar, I can refer you to colleagues I trust who are certified to use those tools.

If you have questions about how different personality assessments stack up in terms of validity and appropriate applications, shoot me an email.

“I previously completed the Birkman or Hogan and already have my report. Do I have to redo the assessment, or can we skip that part?

Sure, we can use your existing report. I’ll prorate the price to exclude the hard cost of the assessments. Shoot me an email at seth.osbornLA@gmail.com to discuss.

“Is this like therapy? Are you going to psycho-analyze me?”

No. I’m not that kind of psychologist. No aspect of my work involves treating patients or doing any kind of clinical work.

The assessments I use are measures of personality and identity, NOT disorders. There is no diagnosis involved in this process.

For me, coaching is all about clarifying direction and enhancing performance and impact.

“How would you describe your coaching style?”

I classify coaching styles into 8 general types. My approach is a blend of Insight–oriented and Action-oriented. In other words, I help individuals clarify their understanding of some situation, problem, or possibility, and then I help them develop practical steps to move forward.

I’m pretty pragmatic. If you’re looking for someone to ask questions like, “What if you secretly DID know the answer?” or “What one step could you take to achieve your wildest dream?”, then LOOK ELSEWHERE. I’m going to be way too grounded and concrete for you.

“Do you only coach new leaders?”

Not exclusively. Titles I’ve coached include frontline managers, directors, and VPs.

Even when I pitch this for “new and developing leaders,” invariably some senior leaders express interest as well. I think it’s because good leaders classify ALL leaders as “developing” (and I agree).

“I’ve got a ‘problem leader.’ Can you fix them?”

In the first stage of my consulting career, I only worked with involuntary clients (organizations that were mandated by the state to receive my services). It was a good learning experience.

However, in my current career stage, I only work with voluntary clients. I am more than happy to work with someone with serious challenges to overcome—provided they are open to the process.

But if they don’t want coaching, then it will almost certainly fail. In that scenario, I’d argue that the person who actually needs coaching is whoever the problem leader reports to.

“What is your policy regarding missing a coaching session? Is there any flexibility if I have an unavoidable scheduling conflict?”

Sure. If you let me know in advance, we can find an alternate time or just skip that week and add another session at the end.

Email any additional questions to seth.osbornLA@gmail.com.

Meet the Coach

Hello! I’m Seth Osborn.

I’m an industrial-organizational psychologist (think “business psych”). I’m the principal consultant for Osborn Learning & Analytics LLC and a Professor of Practice at Rice University.

Across more than a decade of training and consulting, I’ve certified hundreds of trainers; taught or spoken to thousands of professionals and students; and provided consulting services for nonprofit organizations, government agencies, prominent Fortune 500 and Am Law 100 firms, and professional sports teams.

My certifications include Hogan Assessments, the Birkman Method, and the Uncommon Coaching model developed by Leadership Worth Following. I hold a Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from the University of Tulsa.

My Philosophy:

I believe that every psychologist’s goal should be to make the invisible become visible. I don’t see the value in telling people what they already know.

So, rather than merely “holding up a mirror,” my services are designed to reveal blind spots. New vision enables new action.

If that’s what you’re looking for, then let’s chat.