Executive coaching in Chicago
Executive coaching in Chicago
Practical, thoughtful coaching for executives, managers, founders, and professionals navigating the responsibilities of leadership.
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A space to think
You carry responsibility.
You can have support.
Leadership can mean making decisions with incomplete information, balancing competing priorities, and having conversations you cannot keep putting off. You may be stepping into a new role or finding that the habits that helped you advance no longer serve you as well.
I am Sam Rustum, a Certified Executive Coach through the Center for Executive Coaching and a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. My coaching focuses on professional goals, leadership habits, and the practical choices that shape how you work with others.
We can use your real challenges as a starting point, identify what you want to change, and turn reflection into concrete next steps.
Areas of focus
What we can work on.
Leadership transitions
Clarify expectations, build confidence in a new role, and move from doing everything yourself toward leading others.
Communication
Prepare for difficult conversations, communicate expectations, and practice giving and receiving useful feedback.
Decisions and priorities
Sort competing demands, identify tradeoffs, and make deliberate choices when there is no perfect answer.
Delegation and boundaries
Consider what to own, what to share, and how to set limits that support both your responsibilities and your team.
Leadership presence
Explore how you show up in meetings, respond to disagreement, and communicate your perspective with greater clarity.
Sustainable work habits
Examine overcommitment, constant availability, and unrealistic expectations. Build routines that leave room for the rest of your life.
The work together
Specific goals.
Practical action.
Start with what matters
We identify the challenge you want to address and what meaningful progress would look like in your day-to-day work.
Look at the pattern
We explore your current approach, the assumptions behind it, and the effect it has on your decisions and relationships at work.
Choose a next step
That might mean preparing a conversation, trying a different approach to delegation, or setting clearer priorities. We review what you learn and adjust from there.
Choosing the right service
Coaching and therapy.
Executive coaching focuses on professional development and leadership goals. Therapy addresses mental health concerns and emotional well-being. Although I have training in both areas, coaching is not a substitute for mental health treatment.
During an initial conversation, we can discuss what you are looking for and whether coaching or therapy is the appropriate service. The goals, scope, and terms of the work should be clear before we begin.
For support focused on mental health, explore what I help with in therapy.
How the coaching process works
We begin by defining a goal in observable terms. Instead of aiming only to feel more confident, you might want to state your recommendation earlier in meetings, delegate a recurring task with clearer expectations, or address a concern before it becomes resentment.
Next, we examine the pattern. What do you anticipate will happen if you act differently? What has your current approach helped you accomplish, and where is it now getting in the way?
We then choose an action suited to your circumstances. You try it, gather information, and bring the experience back. We use what happened to refine your next step. The aim is a process you can apply beyond a single conversation or decision.
Questions you may be asking
How is coaching different from therapy?
Coaching centers on professional development and leadership goals. Therapy addresses mental health concerns and emotional well-being. I am also a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, and we will establish the service, scope, and expectations before beginning.
Do I need to be an executive already?
You can ask about coaching when moving into management, leading a project, building a business, or preparing for greater responsibility. We will discuss the specific goal and whether this approach is a useful fit.
How are fees and scheduling arranged?
Contact me to discuss coaching fees, appointment format, and current availability. We will clarify those details and the terms of the work before scheduling.
A place to begin
Let’s make room for what you need.
A consultation is a chance to discuss the leadership question you want to work on, ask about the coaching process, and talk through next steps.