The Challenge You're Really Facing
The business landscape continues to shift. You've been promoted for your expertise, but now you're navigating unprecedented complexity:
- AI transformation that's rewriting the rules in real-time
- Talent who want meaning, not just paychecks
- Economic uncertainty forcing impossible choices about people and priorities
- The pressure to be both strategically brilliant AND emotionally intelligent
- Stakeholder demands that sometimes feel like solving a puzzle blindfolded
- The loneliness of making decisions that affect everyone but you can't discuss with anyone
Meanwhile, you're watching different leadership styles get recognized and rewarded. You see your team struggling, and you absorb their stress on top of your own. You're succeeding by every external measure while feeling like you're failing at the life you actually want.
You're sacrificing time with friends and family, giving everything to the job.
You're staying stuck because "better the devil you know."
You're exhausted from carrying everyone else's weight while no one carries yours.
And deep down, you know this isn't sustainable.
Something has to change.
What You'll Master In Working With Me
Every leader's journey is unique. Rather than a rigid program, we'll focus on what YOU need most right now. Here's what clients typically transform:
Strategic Presence
- Find your actual voice that makes people lean in instead of check out
- Navigate high-stakes conversations with confidence and authenticity
- Build influence through genuine connection, not political maneuvering
- Position yourself for your next level move
People-Centered Power Skills
- Give feedback that transforms performance without eroding trust
- Create psychological safety while maintaining high standards
- Build trusting teams who actually want to exceed expectations
- Lead AI transformation through your people, not in spite of them
Values-Aligned Success
- Center your leadership around what actually matters to you
- Create a compelling leadership vision that energizes rather than exhausts
- Align your role with your purpose (yes, even in a corporate setting)
- Make decisions that honor both results and relationships
Resilient Leadership
- Build sustainable success without sacrificing wellbeing (yours or your team's)
- Navigate uncertainty with strategic clarity and genuine confidence
- Create agile teams that see challenges as puzzles to solve together
- Develop your career path so you're never trapped in "golden handcuffs" again
This is different because...
➥ It's Personalized Support in the Real World of Work
Not theory. Not generic frameworks. Not a "course". Real strategies for real challenges like managing through RIFs, budget cuts, economic downturns, AI transformation, toxic managers, and being passed over for promotion... anything that comes your way.
➥ It's Both/And, Not Either/Or
You'll learn to drive results AND build trust. Navigate politics AND maintain integrity. Advance your career AND have a life.
➥ It's Proven at the Highest Levels
My clients lead critical functions in organizations. I've worked with over 200 leaders across 22 countries, from Fortune 5 to bootstrapped startups. They don't hire me to hold their hand. They hire me to help them win!
➥ It's Completely Confidential
Say what you can't say at work. Plan moves you can't discuss internally. Get unbiased guidance from someone with no agenda but your success.
➥ Strategic Input on Speed Dial
You have access when you need it. (Seriously. You'll have my personal cell number.) We work on real challenges in real time. Whether it's tomorrow's crucial conversation, next month's reorg, or your three-year vision—you'll have strategic support every step of the way.
The Numbers That Matter:
➥ 61% of executives say adaptability to change is most critical to them as leaders this year²
➥ 72% cite economic uncertainty as their top challenge²
➥ 54% feel they're failing as leaders amid rapid change³
➥ 43% of senior executives struggle with impostor syndrome¹
➥ 96% believe leaders must support employees' whole lives⁴
➥ 58% say driving results matters more than empathy⁴
¹ Korn Ferry Global Workforce Survey 2025, ² Chief New Era of Leadership Research 2025, ³ EY AI Pulse Survey 2024, ⁴ Chief/Wakefield Research Executive Survey 2024
The one number that matters most?
100% of my clients say investing in coaching support transformed their trajectory.
Apply Now
For Organizations
When you invest in your leaders' development, you're not just building skills—you're building capacity for sustainable success. My clients' teams consistently show:
- Higher engagement scores
- Improved project delivery metrics
- Better retention of top talent
- Improved cross-functional collaboration
- Faster, better decision-making
The smartest organizations know that leadership development is the highest ROI investment you can make.
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Your Investment Includes:
✓ Bi-Weekly Strategic Advisory Sessions
Personal deep dives into your specific challenges twice per month. We work on what matters most to you, in real time.
✓ Leadership Assessments
We'll determine the best fit assessment(s) for you, with a wide variety to choose from, including HOGAN, Talent Insights, DISC, Leadership Circle Profile, and more.
✓ Direct Access When It Counts
Facing a crisis? Big presentation tomorrow? Surprise reorg? Text or email me. This isn't just coaching—it's having a strategic advisor on speed dial.
✓ The People-Centered Power Toolkit™
Practical tools that actually work in the real world:
- Strategic Influence Mapping (see power dynamics others miss)
- Connected Communication CORE Framework (navigate difficult conversations with grace)
- Values Alignment Framework (center decisions on what matters)
- Effective Feedback Formula (build performance through trust)
- Leadership Vision Blueprint (create your compelling future)
- Neuroscience of Trust Methodology (backed by actual science, not wishful thinking)
- Start Owning Your Time Framework (because boundaries aren't optional anymore)
✓ Proven Frameworks From Our Programs
Access key strategies from:
- My forthcoming book, The People-Centered Leader: Changing How We Lead, Work and Build Organizations
- Our proprietary Connected Communication Training and Team Trust Accelerator programming
All tailored specifically to YOUR advancement!
Apply NowThis Is For You If:
✔ You're a People Manager, Director, VP, or C-suite leader (or operating at that level)
✔ You're ready to future-proof your career and create a life you love
✔ You're navigating complexity that keeps you up at night
✔ You want to advance without abandoning your values
✔ You're ready to be strategic about your leadership
✔ You can invest 3-4 hours/month in your development
✔ You want a thinking partner, not just a cheerleader
NOT For You If:
✖ You're not willing to try anything new to produce different outcomes
✖ You're committed to surviving instead of thriving
✖ You think trying new strategies means "playing politics"
✖ You've accepted that sacrifice is the price of success
✖ You're fine with being overlooked for inferior players
✖ You believe "working harder" is the only answer (versus working smarter)
✖ You're not ready to invest in yourself to get different results
About Your Strategic Advisor
Kim Carpenter,
Executive Advisor & Coach
Founder, People at the Center©
Author of The People-Centered Leader™️
Twenty-five years ago, my manager told me I was "spending too much time on my people." That I should probably just fire some of them. That's when I realized the whole system was broken.
Since then, I've helped over 200 leaders navigate the messy reality of organizational life. Not from the sidelines, but in the trenches — through M&As, digital transformations, 9/11, the dot-com bust, RIFs, economic crises, COVID, toxic cultures, and everything in between.
I spent years in agency life thinking that "synergy" was an actual business strategy and that working until 2 AM meant dedication. (Spoiler: It just meant poor boundaries.) Now I help leaders create success without the soul-crushing side effects.
My clients have achieved:
- 20-30% salary increases (yes, even during "freezes")
- Promotions to VP and C-suite in record time
- Highest engagement scores in their companies
- Successful exits with packages that reflected their actual value
- Careers and teams that thrive without burning out
- 20% reduction in attrition rates through culture transformation
The difference?
I believe in winning WITH your values and integrity intact.
I've proven that people-centered leaders can be THE MOST powerful leaders—when they have the right strategies and mindset. Turns out, humanity has an excellent ROI. (Private equity firms love that part.)
I've coached leaders and teams from Fortune 5 to startups, including...
Netflix • Nike • Apple • SLB • PBS • Cleveland Clinic • AT&T • Marqeta • Electronic Arts • University of Texas... and other's I'm not allowed to name!
200+ leaders across 22 countries have discovered that Monday mornings can be anticipated rather than dreaded.
Your Next Step: Claim Your Strategy Session
Currently Enrolling for 2025
This isn't about volume. It's about transformation. And transformation requires focused attention.
Current Status:
- Enrolling for Q3 2025 (July-September): 2 spots remaining
- ROI: Most clients earn the investment back within 90 days.
Others say the ROI on improved livelihood, confidence, work-life balance and satisfaction is PRICELESS!
Book Your Complimentary Strategy Session Now
This is not a generic coaching conversation. This is a strategic assessment of your specific situation.
We'll cover:
- The hidden dynamics affecting your leadership
- Your biggest opportunity for immediate impact
- Whether we're the right fit to work together
- What the timeframe for coaching should be to achieve your goals
Application takes 3 minutes.
Apply Now
The Bottom Line:
Every month you wait, someone with half your talent is taking opportunities that should be yours.
They're not smarter. They're not better. They just have better strategies (and likely, an executive coach).
The executives thriving in this new era aren't waiting for things to improve. They're not hoping to be recognized. They're investing in the strategic support that helps them navigate complexity with confidence.
The question is: How much longer will you navigate alone?
"The most powerful thing you can do as a people-centered leader? Model what it looks like to value yourself as much as you value others. Show your team that investing in your growth isn't selfish—it's strategic."
— Kim Carpenter
Still Thinking?
That's the pattern that keeps talented leaders stuck while strategic players advance. My most successful clients all had one thing in common: They invested in support BEFORE they were desperate for it. They saw coaching not as remedial, but as strategic acceleration.
Apply NowWe are recertification providers for SHRM and HRCI
If you are a human resources professional seeking a leadership development program for yourself and/or your HR team, reach out to see how we can help you earn your credits quickly.
People at the Center is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities.
People at the Center is recognized to offer credits toward aPHR®, aPHRi™, PHR®, PHRca®, SPHR®, GPHR®, PHRi™, and SPHRi™ recertification through HRCI.
