This Ain’t His First Rodeo!

April 29, 2021 | Posted by Jathan Janove

Long before becoming an SCC coach, Mike McCartney was a professional rodeo athlete. He rode bulls and saddle broncs. “I grew up on a small farm,” he says, “where we raised and broke Thoroughbreds for the racetrack. But I always wanted to ride something that bucked; the image of the rodeo cowboy took hold of me like a fever.”

Mike’s first taste of coaching occurred on the rodeo circuit. “I was always coaching,” he says, “helping younger rodeo cowboys learn the ropes.” He adds that coaching is in his blood, “SCC ain’t my first rodeo!”

Prior to becoming a professional coach, Mike had a 28-year career in a large agribusiness that grew to be a Fortune 500 Company. As a manager, he especially liked the coaching component of his job. “When I realized I could make a career out of doing what I like best,” he says, “I began charting my course for becoming a fulltime, independent coach.”

Eventually Mike’s and SCC’s paths crossed. “I wanted a proven and practical approach that was backed up by more than just anecdotes. A lot of coaches talk about having developed ‘their own approach’ but I wanted something beyond my own experience.” Mike had been following Marshall’s work for years. “The more I read, I knew I had to get certified in SCC.”

Mike credits SCC with much of his success in attracting clients. “Even if the person I’m to coach doesn’t know about Marshall, their CLO or HR VP does!” He adds that SCC credentials get their attention. “And then when I make the bold value proposition of ‘pay-only-for-results,’ the most client-centric approach there is, I usually got the nod. This is how I distance myself from other coaches – I’m willing to bet the ranch.”  

Using SCC, Mike has managed to become a strategic partner of another agricultural company. They’ve entrusted 8 leaders to him to coach over the last 6 years. “Being considered an extension of their senior team for developing and reinforcing leadership at the top has been very rewarding.”

I asked Mike metaphorically, “In coaching, have you ever been thrown?”

“One comes to mind right away,” he says. “A Fortune 500 CFO didn’t want any part of being ‘coached’. The ride was pretty rough at first.” In time, however, Mike won him over with the SCC process, eventually becoming a trusted partner and earning referrals to other prospects. “This was very gratifying for me,” Mike says. “That was 5 years ago, and we still stay in touch.”

“What do you like best about the SCC process?” I asked.

“Hands down—enlisting the support and challenge of a leader’s trusted cadre to be stakeholders. ‘Follow-up’ is the game-changing part of the process. Plus, the measurement that comes with it, the simple, no nonsense mini-surveys that validate SCC’s efficacy.”

Mike’s advice for other coaches? “Learn the SCC process cold. Mine the experiences of other coaches, especially Frank Wagner and Chris Coffey. Read Marshall’s books, watch his videos. The process works!” Mike adds that “there are untold ways to tailor it to the leader, the company culture and to optimize your own strengths as a coach while still upholding the integrity of the model.”

Mike remains grateful to Frank Wagner and Chris Coffey “for their support of me as I cut my path as a Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coach.” He also gives thanks to “Marshall himself, for sharing this one-of-a-kind methodology with the coaching world. Because of these people and others, I’ve been able to provide for my family by doing something I love.

“I knew I could have a longer career coaching leaders than riding bulls and broncs!”