We recently connected with Peter Gandolfo and have shared our conversation below.
Peter, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
My parents encouraged me academically, but never micromanaged me. My mom tells a story that I came home with a B once from grade school. I was very serious and let them know that this wouldn’t happen again. My mom replied, “oh, okay.” They were fine with Bs, even though I wasn’t.
Fast forward to college, my parents strongly urged me to choose a major that would set me up for a career. I chose Pre-Med to satisfy them and Psychology to satisfy me.
Three weeks into medical school in California, when it was clear to me that I was there for the wrong reasons, my parents listened and supported me in withdrawing and returning home to Kentucky. I’m sure they were scared. I had no idea what I was going to do next, but I was eager to figure it out. Thankfully, they gave me the space to figure it out without adding more pressure to the situation. I eventually found my way into marketing, and less than two years later I moved back to California for my first job in advertising.
Since then, my career has taken many twists and turns: product marketing at Ford Motor Company in Detroit, a return to LA to work in brand management at Mattel, a pivot into leadership development at the Drucker Institute, and finally a decision to launch my executive coaching practice. At each juncture, they’d say, “We don’t fully understand your decision, but we trust that you are making the right decision.” Once they saw that I could leave a clear path like medicine and find my way, they trusted that I could do it again. They instilled in me the ability to trust myself and to do what is right for me, even if it didn’t make sense to anyone else.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
While this felt like a complete veer off the path I’d been on, I went out on interview “dates” to pique my curiosity. Two months later, I was presented an offer. When my heart said “yes,” but my head said “no,” the universe gave me a nudge by unexpectedly getting laid off eight days later. Still uncertain that this was the right path, I gave myself permission to treat it as an experiment. If, after one year, I missed working in marketing, toys, or both, I gave myself permission to return to something more familiar. Instead, I never looked back.
I am most moved by the times when a client gains new awareness about themself—their superpowers, their wisdom, their fears, their dreams—and then integrates that insight into progress. I am particularly passionate about the work I’ve done with fathers who want to grow in their career while being present for their family. I’m filled with pride to be in the fifth year of co-leading a leadership circle for gay, bisexual and queer men. Dozens of male leaders have joined this community to grow professionally and personally while supporting others in doing the same. And my latest new venture is to launch executive coaching on the mountain, which we call chairlift coaching.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
The month I left my full-time job to launch my coaching practice, I learned about a promising opportunity to work with my target clients at a single organization. It held the potential to bring in enough volume to comp my base salary at my previous job. I thought, “Could building my own business really be this easy?”
I needed to receive a certification, which was just a formality, since I’d already completed the requirements. I fast-tracked the certification and completed it in advance of the deadline I’d been given. I then waited, and waited.
A month later, I received the news that they’d found someone else who already had the certification. I remember the exact location I was standing on a busy sidewalk when I read the email on my phone. I was gutted.
The hidden gift of this experience was that it forced me to branch out. I networked, tried different types of coaching, earned additional certifications, and ultimately built a stronger, more diverse practice. Two years later, I got a new opportunity to work with the organization. This time, however, it was a welcome addition to a growing portfolio of work instead of being the sole basket for all of my eggs.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
When I first graduated from my coaching program, I was advised to pick a focus. “Know who you serve. Niches has riches” While I had ideas of who I wanted to work with, I hadn’t market-tested my ideas yet. While I was fine communicating those focus areas as interests, I chose to also be open to opportunities completely outside that those niches. It was through that decision that I learned about some specialities I never would have considered, including coaching nonprofit leaders and law firm attorneys.
While I once thought that I am not cut out for sales, I’ve come to realize there are many aspects of business development that I am well-suited for, particularly when I believe what I am offering has value. I am careful not to treat interactions as sales opportunities. Instead, I focus on being genuinely curious about others and being of service to them.
Today, I am grateful to say my clientele come from three sources: past clients, other coaches, and personal contacts who know me but haven’t coached with me personally.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.evolution.team
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petergandolfo/
- Other: https://evolution.team/men-leading-with-pride https://evolution.team/thrive-outside https://evolution.team/chairlift-coaching
Image Credits
Photo Credits: Peter Gandolfo