We recently connected with John Hope and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, John thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

Lack of ethics and/or just plain unethical behavior. Unfortunately, I saw a lot of it over 35 years of military service, a lot more than I expected. Upon retirement, I decided to become a performance coach. I signed on with a franchise after doing a lot of investigation and due diligence. The franchise training program was advertised as being certified by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), which I later discovered that it was not. In addition, I put all of my business goals and objectives in my business plan, which was reviewed long before I signed the franchise agreement and paid the franchise fee. A large part of my business plan and future income would be derived from business that I could attract as a Service Disabled, Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) being combat wounded from my first combat tour in Iraq. According to a legal mediator, the franchise knew or should have known that my franchise could not obtain status, as the Small Business Administration (SBA) does not view the franchise owner as 100% in control of the franchise business operations and administration. Over the course of the last year, I took an ICF-approved Performance Coaching Certification Program at a local university and then took and passed the ICF written test for ICF certification and was Associate Certified Coach (ACC) accredited. I then had to cut all ties with the franchise and start an entirely new company to become SDVOSB certified finally.

John, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

You can find my profile on LinkedIn. I am a 1981 West Point graduate and ended up serving 35 years in a combination of active duty and reserve duty roles. I have done two peacekeeping tours, four combat tours, and two contractor tours supporting various U.S. and NATO operations. Since I have 35 years of leadership and leadership development experience, and I have a passion for service, I elected to become an ICF-certified coach and continue to teach, train, and mentor individuals, teams, and groups. I realized during my ICF certification education that various kinds of personality assessments can be used in the
coaching process. The only assessment I received while in the military was the Myers-Briggs assessment, which was not utilized for its best effectiveness. ICF does not advocate the use of assessments, but I have found them to be invaluable in the coaching process. What sets me apart from other coaches is that I use at least two assessments to look “down and in” with the client to identify their purpose, self-concept, values, thoughts, emotions, ethics, and behavioral tendencies. I then use at least two additional assessments with the client to look “up and out” to discover the client’s personality type and marry their strengths with their development goals and objectives. We then set a timeline for action and agree on the metrics that will demonstrate the success of the short, mid, or long term. I still use the ICF coaching methodology throughout the journey with the client so that the client sets the agenda, their goals and objective, and their timeline. I call this Fusion Leadership.
I am very proud of my education, experience, and service. I gave a life lifetime of service to the nation, and I am not done serving. What sets me apart from other coaches is that I have been there and done that. There are multitudes of academics and scholars who write on all facets of leadership and have never led anyone. There are multitudes of veterans who have been tremendous leaders in uniform, but not many of them write extensively on leadership. I do both. I did some of the hardest things the Army can put you through, including West Point, Ranger School, and multiple combat, or near combat deployments, so my brand of Fusion Leadership covers the gamut. But I am not comfortable talking about myself less it sounds like bragging, so I enjoy writing and commenting on leadership, and doing leadership development workshops and occasionally one-one coaching engagements in between.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Two quick stories for context. During my Senior year of High School, I was accepted to attend West Point, my life’s dream. However, I broke my neck playing football the same year, and I was medically disqualified from admission. It took me two and a half years, but I healed, reapplied, and was again accepted. It is a prominent story in my forthcoming book, Distilled Leadership.

In my first year at West Point, I failed calculus and was nearly academically terminated. I had to attend West Point Summer School to retake the course, and I was given little chance of success by both my Tactical Officer and my Calculus instructor. With the help and assistance of the Assistant Dean of the West Point Math Department, I proved them both wrong and passed the summer term with flying colors. This is also a prominent story in my forthcoming book, Distilled Leadership.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I was a Captain and Infantry Rifle Company Commander at Ft. Campbell, KY in 2012. My battalion was deployed to the Sinai desert in Egypt for six months as part of the peacekeeping force under the United Nations Multinational Forces and Observers (MFO) command. My company had deployed on the first aircraft of three, each a week apart. As a result, we would return to Ft. Campbell in the same order. My company arrived at Ft. Campbell on December 5, 1986. The second aircraft crashed upon takeoff in Gander, Newfoundland, killing all 248 Soldiers and eight crew members. My wife at the time demanded that I resign my commission and leave the Army or face a divorce that would include two small children. I reluctantly resigned, losing my profession, my tribe, and my dreams. But I did a pretty good pivot, and ended up back in the Reserves years later and was eventually mobilized for Active Duty for almost fourteen straight years to complete my oath of a lifetime of service to the nation.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lwhtn.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in.JohnCHope

Image Credits
John Hope