Christopher Veal

About Christopher 

A former Marine officer, combat veteran, and black man with nearly 30 years of experience in leadership development, Christopher supports leaders to embrace the vulnerability, courage, and compassion required in elevating their leadership influence and creating leaders with greater impact and results. 

Christopher has experience working with leaders in the public, private, and non-profit sectors, ranging from front-line supervisors with an emphasis on senior and C-suite executives. 

Christopher has a Master’s of Organizational Leadership and a Master’s in Business Administration. He completed his coach training through the Co-Active Training Institute, the oldest and largest in-person coach training program in the world. He is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) and holds a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential through the International Coach Federation (ICF.) Christopher is certified in The Leadership Circle Profile 360, and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).

What makes a coaching relationship great?

Trust – In order for my clients be able to commit to the coaching process, they must know and understand that I’m committed to their growth and transformation. I also must trust that they will commit to being engaged in the coaching conversations.

Showing up – I am a resource and an ally for my clients in their journeys; however, nothing will get accomplished if they don’t show up and do the work required. We all have days where we’re not feeling on our “A” game. I expect that you show up and give your best effort, even if your best that day may not be what it was the day before.

Embrace imperfection – Let’s face it, we’re all human. We make mistakes. I never encourage or expect my clients to pursue perfection; that is just fuel for our Saboteurs to run amok. I do, however, encourage my clients to grow and improve, to strive to become better versions of themselves based upon the goals they’ve created. I don’t expect you to be flawless (I know I’m certainly not.) I do expect you to learn from experiences and then use that knowledge in moving forward.

What characteristics do I admire?

Sense of humor – I’ve found that having a sense of humor can help get me through some challenging times. It also helps keep me humble by being able to laugh at myself and not take myself too seriously all the time. 

Authenticity – I like to be around people that are comfortable in who they are and don’t waste time worrying about being someone they are not. Being true to yourself is one of the most ultimate expressions of authenticity. 

Being open – Open to new ideas, to new experiences, to new perspectives. If someone can’t be open to the possibility of different ways of seeing the world and other people, we’re probably not going to be a good match.

What makes a perfect day off?

My perfect day off would probably include taking my daughter for a motorcycle ride…picking a random direction or location to ride to, and setting off on an adventure while exploring whatever stops along the way caught our attention.