Clients
Testimonials

Testimonials

This is what some clients have said about LeadingCoach.

(Originals available. Please speak to me personally to discuss.)

Robert Burnside is an excellent executive coach in communication.

I have developed a deeper understanding of executive communication and learned much about myself, which I consider as an extremely valuable result.

I feel much more capable of getting my point across easily and accurately, especially through storytelling.

I really enjoyed his coaching, and recommend him highly.

Japan CEO
Major European Multinational Manufacturing Corporation
originals available

Robert is a coach with a style that differs with every leader - he has coached 2 very different kinds of executives at our Bank and within 3 hours we have already realized the ROI of our investment in the executives and in Robert's methodology for coaching.

He is very good in ensuring that all stakeholders' views are taken into consideration, keeping them up to speed with the progress and yet keeping the confidentiality in place, most importantly he pro-actively seeks feedback on the progress of the coachee from the relevant stakeholders to ensure that he is meeting expectations.

Head of L&D
Major European International Bank
originals available

Robert Burnside has a an exceptional ability to change people’s mindset in communication and build their skills quickly, so that they can present themselves and their ideas with outstanding engagement, focus, clarity and persuasiveness. These are attributes and skills that business leaders most need to advance their companies and careers. His teaching effectively bridges the gap between soft skills and hard science, so that demanding students engage, learn and remember.

I have seen his methods work on students from more than 40 countries, and I am therefore convinced that he is teaching a mental approach and a set of applicable skills that are universally valuable.

In addition to this, he models everything he teaches, and brings valuable business understanding and experience to our students. His business communications courses, and he as an instructor, have been among the most popular with our students for the four years that he has been teaching on our MBA program.

I have had the honor (and discomfort) of working with a number of people who "say" that they can teach effective Leadership Communications. After many failed attempts and dissatisfied students, I can clearly say that Robert not only stands out as a great success, but is one of the very, very few true professionals that are working in this field in Japan.

Dean
Graduate School of International Management, Japan
originals available

Without reserve, I rank Robert Burnside with one of the highest honors I give a trainer and coach: a great teacher.

As an employee development professional with over 20 years’ experience and a doctorate in leadership development, I have designed and delivered training and coaching around the world and know a great many people in this profession. Robert and I have been co-trainers. In addition, as a client, I retained him for training my company and have been guided often by his wise coaching.

I love that Robert is a farmer, both literally and figuratively. Farmers are pragmatic—doing what works, because if something fails, it dies. Also, farmers live close to nature and the earth. Robert embodies both qualities: pragmatic, common-sense, straight-shooting, results-oriented training and coaching. He works with people and groups as individuals—with nature—not systems or something to fix. If you want cookie-cutter, fast-food, systems training, ask someone else. I recommend Robert for more sophisticated individuals and companies searching for long-term results.

President and CEO
HR Services Company, Japan
originals available

Robert is not someone who provides all his clients with the same communication training. His approach is very different from many other training/coaching providers I have worked with.

Every time I approached him with my needs for communication training or coaching, he listened to my needs and tailored his content and approach to best suit the individual needs.

His training not only achieved high participant ratings but also continued to make an impact to the way people communicated in our organisation. Thanks to his coaching and feedback, we have seen our participants gain confidence to speak up in their workplace and deliver a clear core message. This has helped them become more successful in the competitive investment banking industry.

L&D Head, Japan
Major International Investment Bank
originals available

Robert has helped me extensively with my communication and public speaking skills and I have not met anyone of the same caliber during my time in Japan (17 years). He is a great person and a great communications coach.

Robert not only coaches communication skills, but he utilizes those skills himself. He is an impressive and memorable speaker, and I have attended several meetings with Robert where he has concretely shown his superior listening, story-telling and negotiation skills. He walks the talk and he does what he coaches. It is not fluff and it works.

The result is that Robert effects change in people. Real positive change. I am still learning, but Robert has taken me through public speaking, shown me how to be “present” or have “presence” and my confidence in many situations is now remarkably different from when I first met him. Robert would be the first person I recommend for any executives who wish to change themselves and their communications.

President
Fast-growing young Japanese company
originals available

Robert changed the way I communicate.

I used to think that communication was a kind of process. Robert made me think of communication as a result. I wasn’t pleased with the results I was getting. Robert showed me that half the problem was I didn’t know the results I wanted.

The other half of the problem was that I wasn’t planning out what I wanted to say. There wasn’t a clear message.

Robert got these problems out in the open and helped me fix them. His coaching was practical and effective. It goes way beyond friendly advice. In fact, I found it challenging.

Robert will follow you anywhere: into technology, law, or any field of business.

I recommend Robert to you.

Senior Government Trade Official
originals available

The first time I met Robert, in 2010, I had just been asked to take on a leadership role with my practice in Japan, and at the early stages of a merger integration. I was worried about how I could handle this complex situation and hopeful that Robert could help. Over an introductory lunch, Robert not only clearly understood my situation well, but was able to offer insightful questions and suggestions. I knew immediately he could help me. From that day forward Robert's coaching has helped me tremendously in learning skills towards becoming a better communicator, presenter and leader.

In the past while communicating I had neglected to consider the most important thing, the listener. Robert fixed that, and helped me to position conversations around the main purpose to achieve better results. He also made sure that I considered what the listeners valued so I could be more effective, as well as the importance of timing of various conversations when trying to implement change. Since Robert has lived many years in Japan and understands its culture, he has a unique ability to speak to me in a language I truly understand while providing solid perspectives on the Japanese workplace.

Robert brought story-telling into my presentation-making. My previous presentation style was to deliver the average lifeless presentation that we see all the time. Robert has significant experience teaching presentation skills, and by far surpasses any of the many presentation skills courses I had been on. In a short time I have learned a basic framework for story-telling and presentations that help both get my key messages across clearly, and liven things up. More speaking opportunities seem to be coming my way.

Robert has shown me what leadership means and the behaviours needed to become a strong leader. I had never led before. It has been the underpinning of most of what we have worked on together. It has helped me grow into my role and pursue my vision for the practice with much more purpose. And I believe that it helped me receive my recent promotion.

Through Robert's teachings on communication, presentations and leadership, and his open and honest feedback, I have become much more self-aware of my abilities and development needs, and more assertive in my day-to-day work. Robert's skills and personality make him the person I always want to turn to when I have an issue to resolve. Robert came to me at just the right time, he changed my career for the better, and I can't compliment and thank him enough.

Executive
Multinational Professional Services Corporation
originals available

Robert conducted a training for a few employees of (Bank) aimed at developing their communication skills.

This training course got a very high recognition among our employees and demonstrated that Robert was not only an excellent presenter himself, but he is a very talented coach. He knows how to teach others his secrets, and he does that in very simple terms. Robert is always well-organized and well-prepared for his presentations and training courses.

Executive
International Bank
originals available

I consider Robert to be a superb facilitator. I have engaged him over the last two years to lead an annual strategy session among country and regional managers of several large (industry) companies. Although Robert has no (industry) background, he achieved a high level of satisfaction each time, leading the goup, on time, to the planned output. He maintained excellent focus, direction and balance among a group of demanding and forceful personalities while maintaining a free flow of ideas. I found him to be particularly effective in dealing with these top managers.

Japan Representative
International Industry Organisation
originals available

Over the last three years, Robert has worked with me to design and deliver a number of communication and presentation skills programs. He has shown flexibility and creativity in his approach and consistently delivered high quality programs that have achieved both the desired results and excellent feedback from our participants.

L&D Director
Major International Bank
originals available

I have had the pleasure of working with Robert at several charity events where he both MC’d and was the Live Auctioneer. Robert helped us establish a Live Auction Strategy which has successfully set new standards for amount of money raised.

Robert consistently displays a commitment to excellence and desire to promote the message of the evening. It is quite remarkable to observe the level of energy and passion he invests in making an event successful.

Regional Director
International Development Organisation (NPO)
originals available

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