SladeCOACH,LLC

About

Coaching Philosophy: I believe that everyone is a leader and that the first person you lead is yourself. I see each client as a powerful, resourceful, and gifted partner. This mindset is rooted in my childhood in Newark, New Jersey, where I learned: • To see others and myself beyond the negative stereotypes of inner city black and brown youth. • The value of community and the importance of individual and collective accountability. • That change starts at home (self-first) and so does leadership. Leading yourself first means taking the time to reflect on your own values, goals, and actions. It means being self-aware and honest about your strengths and weaknesses, and actively seeking opportunities for personal growth and development. When we are able to effectively lead ourselves, we become better equipped to lead others. By setting a positive example, we inspire and motivate those around us to strive for excellence and achieve their own goals. We often find ourselves in positions of leadership where we are responsible for guiding and motivating others. However, it is important to remember that before we can effectively lead others, we must first lead ourselves. “Put the oxygen mask on yourself first!” Let’s partner to identify, understand, and work through roadblocks to you being your best self and doing your best work. Background: Walter has thirty plus years of experience in coaching, advising, and collaborating with people leaders, teams, and individual contributors in various Fortune 500 companies (Verizon, Corning, AstraZeneca, Merck, Digital Equipment Corporation, Northern Telcom and TRW) and local not for profit organizations. His last corporate role was an Executive Director for Culture and Change for Merck & Co, Inc. In this role he was privileged to lead, implement, and manage an initiative to instill and sustain an inclusion and coaching mindset and behaviors for 30,000 global employees. Walter’s openness, passion, non-judgmental style, and ability to quickly develop trusting and accountability-based relationships helped to make him an effective leader in three global businesses and now as an Executive/Leadership Coach and Human Resources Consultant. Walter earned his B.A. from Drew University in New Jersey. He is an ICF Professional Certified Coach and SHRM-Certified Senior Human Resources Professional.