Patrick Callahan

portfolio lead, assessment services

Patrick Callahan, Senior Consultant

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

An expert executive coach, facilitator, and executive assessment specialist, Patrick has supported strategic leaders and their organizations around the world, and worked throughout manufacturing, financial services, transportation, healthcare, retail, hospitality, telecommunications, government, and nonprofit sectors. He is board-certified in coaching and in clinical psychology, has worked with high-performers from senior professional levels to the most senior executives, and has been coaching at the C-Suite level for over a decade.

Background & Industry Experience

Patrick was recruited into the world of executive coaching over 15 years ago due to his unusual experience as both a clinical psychologist and a Special Forces officer, or Green Beret. In addition to his work with TMCG, Patrick maintains an active affiliation with the top-ranked, Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), and travels widely for them as an executive coach working with leaders, at Corporate Director through C-Suite levels, from within organizations ranging from top Fortune 500 companies, to nonprofit corporations with assets in the billions. He also maintains an active security clearance which facilitates other work within the intelligence community, from operator through Senior Executive Service levels. Patrick grew up in New England, and attended Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, MA. He lives in North Carolina with his wife and three children.

Before entering the world of executive coaching, Patrick’s primary industry experiences were in the military as a Special Forces operator, and in healthcare as a clinical psychologist. Patrick joined the United States military after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and served for nearly a decade in infantry and special operations units. Patrick also assessed and coached other elite military special operators through work at the United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center & School in Ft Bragg, NC.  Previously, he spent a decade in clinical psychology, including teaching positions at New York University, Cabrini Medical Center, and Bellevue Hospital Center.

Coaching Approach

Patrick’s comfort optimizing human performance in extreme situations, experience living and working in the Middle East, and familiarity with multiple languages, enrich his individual and team coaching across the public, private and nonprofit sectors with their increasing demand for global, culturally-astute change. Helping leaders identify and mitigate the risks of relative vulnerabilities is a particular area of specialization.  

Facilitation & Teambuilding Approach

Patrick approaches both facilitation and teambuilding as relationships—often using proportional vulnerability as a way to build trust rapidly and authentically. From there, recognizing that every client is unique, he develops a customized approach and operational plan which guides the journey forward. Developing metrics, formal or informal, is another key step which generates indicators that help determine how and when to end the engagement including how client growth is sustained and development continues.

Relevant ASSESSMENT Assignments

  • Assessment for Selection: Engaged in assessment for selection work since 2011; Has assessed hundreds of elite leaders in US military special operations as well as in private sector companies, including assessment for C-suite roles. Recent examples include pre-hire assessment for CIO in national retail organization as well as comprehensive assessment for CEO succession in a publicly-traded financial services company.  Currently engaged in assessment of executive leadership team of large national financial services organization. Ongoing pre-hire assessment of potential VP’s with large national retailer.
  • Assessment/Development Centers: Served as an assessor in customized assessment and development centers since 2011. Table Mountain currently has assessment and development centers with a global manufacturing organization and a global research and development pharmaceutical company. 
  • Assessment Strategy: As an assessment expert with an extensive background in clinical psychology, has consulted to organizations on particularly difficult assessments as well as on optimizing fit between prospective hires and both organizational culture and executive team dynamics.
  • 360 Feedback and multi-assessment feedback: Facilitates 360 and multi-assessment feedback sessions with leaders and has done this work with Corporate Directors through Corporate Officers.

Relevant Coaching Assignments

  • CEO, national non-profit with over $5B in assets, new role. Focus: navigate rapid ascension from within, lead former peers, and develop optimal relationships with a politically powerful, diverse board. 
  • Director, Fortune 500 automotive manufacturer. Focus: rapidly assess and improve relationship with immediate supervisor, identify, and align allies to support promotion/assignment, and improve efficiency via enhanced delegation and time-saving techniques.
  • CFO, privately-held, global manufacturing company, with over $6B in top line revenue, expatriate assignment. Focus: rapidly assess and maximally motivate diverse team, identify and utilize political allies on board of directors, and align sustainable work-life balance within new corporate culture.

Relevant Facilitation & Teambuilding Assignments

  • Senior Leadership Team, Financial Services. Focus: build trust amongst team members, and develop a team culture in which giving and receiving honest, actionable feedback is normative and vital to driving business imperatives. 
  • Executive Leadership Team, Regional Power Utility. Focus: improve team cohesion and efficiency in context of new executive leader and impending organizational re-design; facilitate organizational re-design.

Education & Professional Affiliations

  • Licensed psychologist, Board-certified in psychology (ABPP)
  • Coaching certification (BCC); Certified in over twenty-five assessments
  • PhD and MA in Clinical Psychology, New York University
  • BA, Pomona College in Claremont, CA (graduated summa cum laude; member of Phi Beta Kappa, Psi Chi, and Cum Laude National Honor Societies)
  • Lifetime member of the Special Forces Association