About Kiban
I get these questions all the time — so an FAQ seemed in order:
Why would I want to hire a psychologist for that?
How did you end up doing this work?
What kind of clients do you work with?
Where does your name come from?
I’m a psychologist who does coaching and consulting for organizations. Basically, I talk to people and find out who or what is keeping them from being effective in the workplace. What situation is keeping them up at night, making them dread coming into work, or keeping them from being promoted. Usually, the “situation” involves other people.
Then we talk about how to handle that situation, or person, as the case may be. What you can do, how you can work with others to get them to stop doing whatever it is that is not working for the overall team. If it makes sense, I sit down with two or more individuals who are struggling to work well together, and we hash things out.
With teams, I talk to the people involved and find out what is working and what’s not. Why is morale suffering. Is the current structure useful and efficient. Are all the players pulling together towards the same goal. Then I help the leaders come up with a plan for improvement. Often that involves me leading some or all team members through some joint sessions, as well as working with one or more people individually.
I also do individual career coaching for mid-career professionals who are making a career transition (some voluntarily, some not).
Why would I want to hire a psychologist for that?
Psychologists spend an inordinate amount of time learning how to motivate people to change unhelpful behaviors. If you are getting in your own way, I can help you to not do that anymore.
Psychologists are expert at understanding personalities, including those that are difficult. If you are working with someone who is working against you, or is disruptive to the team, or just has some patterns of behavior that are not constructive or helpful to the organization – I can help you figure out what is going on with that person, and more importantly, how you can work with them to get them to reduce the behaviors that are not helpful. And if you have a nightmare boss – I can help you figure out how to manage that situation too.
And finally, one part of my work is helping people to have difficult conversations, whether with a whole team or just between two people. I make sure that those conversations are productive and don’t turn into a trauma session or an attack. My background as a psychologist is invaluable in managing those meetings. If you’ve ever been in a team retreat that turned ugly, you know what can happen if a difficult meeting is not led by an expert.
Umm, no. And I won’t ask about your mother. Or push you to have an emotional catharsis. My first career was in business, finance to be precise, and that is really my first language. If, in the course of working with someone it becomes evident that they would benefit from therapy (say, for example, that they are depressed), I refer them to a good therapist.
My focus is on your career, your performance in the workplace, and your team’s performance within the organization.
How did you end up doing this work?
After graduating from the University of Chicago with an MBA in Finance, I took a job in corporate finance with American Airlines. While there was a lot about the job that I loved (especially travelling all over the world), I quickly figured out that what I was really good at was figuring out the people side of things. And I was continually frustrated by the organization making decisions based almost entirely on the financials and not on the people side of the equation.
I took a sabbatical, lived on an island for a while, travelled, and finally figured out that the field that fit my interests was psychology. I entered psychology always with the intention of circling back and bringing that expertise into the business environment. It’s been a rewarding journey, and I love being able to bring all of my diverse experiences to bear on a client’s problem.
Because if you have a people problem, I will help you solve it. There are a lot of leadership coaches out there who, after a 3-month training course, have a lot of exercises to help you visualize your future, or be a better communicator. But to address the really thorny people problems – most of them don’t have a clue. I know this because I am often brought in as the 2nd or 3rd coach to address a situation. I’m the one that’s brought in after the other coaches and consultants have failed.
I help leaders solve difficult personnel issues and avoid formal filings, complaints and even litigation. I help teams find out what is interfering with their cohesion and effectiveness, and assist them in transforming the team so they can move forward as a unified group. I help partnerships stay together, rather than dissolving and ending a productive business relationship.
What kind of clients do you work with?
I have worked with medium to large corporations, non-profits, and Federal agencies. I also work with partnerships, such as architecture firms. I have worked with executives from Capital One, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), AOL, the American Red Cross, the University of Maryland, Freddie Mac, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Dominion Resources.
If you are in the Washington DC metro area, I can come to your office to meet. I also have an office in Rosslyn, VA where I see career coaching clients.
If you are not in the DC area, I can work with you by telephone for individual consultations. If there is a need for meetings involving more than one other person, I generally travel to wherever you are to facilitate those.
How do you say your name? Where does your name come from?
Kiban rhymes with ribbon. It is a Welsh family name, which has undergone some spelling transformations over the generations. After years of dealing with the inconvenient aspects of having an unusual name (i.e., spelling it 14 times a day), I am happy to find that Google loves unique names!
Still have questions?
Email me at ktm@tmcoaching.com