Level Up with Ethan Evans (retired Amazon VP)

Make the Most from an Executive Coach with Ethan Evans & Sue Bethanis

Jul 4, 2024

Former Amazon VP Ethan Evans and executive coach Sue Bethanis discuss the significance of executive coaching, key focus areas, maximizing coaching relationships, career transitions, securing sponsorship, confidentiality, and choosing the right coach. They emphasize feedback, company vs. self-paid coaching, and the importance of mentorship. Wrapping up with insights on feedback in the workplace and contact details for coaching services.

01:34:56

Creator website

Episode guests

Sue Bethanis

Ethan Evans

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Choosing the right coach involves assessing their coaching model and approach for alignment of expectations.

Evaluating the effectiveness of a coaching relationship includes assessing the applicability of insights and the level of engagement.

Consider the benefits of self-paid coaching for autonomy versus company-sponsored coaching for alignment with organizational goals.

Deep dives

Choosing the Right Coach

When selecting a coach, it is crucial to assess their coaching model and approach. Understanding if they use assessments, homework assignments, or rely on personal experience can help align expectations. Different coaches have varying styles; some may offer personalized insights based on their experiences, while others may follow a more structured approach.

Pre-Coaching Reading Recommendations

01:16

Seeking Advice and Feedback

00:41

Strategic influencing is key in navigating and being influential

00:57

Coaching for Executive Success

01:04

Intro

3min

Executive Coaching for Leadership Development

17min

Maximizing Investment in Executive Coaching and Real vs. Role Play

3min

Understanding Different Levels of Client Preparedness in Coaching Sessions

31min

Factors to Consider in Choosing Executive Coaching

24min

Importance of Mentorship and Coaching for Executive Development

5min

Importance of Feedback in the Workplace

11min

Wrapping up the episode with contact information and gratitude

2min

Level Up Newsletter & Community paid members and the Mariposa Leadership Community were invited to join this live event with Ethan Evans and Sue Bethanis discussing "How to Get Support for an Executive Coach, and Make the Most of It" followed by a live audience Q&A.

Sue was Ethan's executive coach (last and best) when he was an executive at Amazon/Twitch.

If you’re already in executive roles (e.g. Director, Sr. Director, VP) and want to optimize performance or move up further, consider Ethan and Sue's live online course, Cracking the C-suite 'How to Get and Master Key Executive Roles'.

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Show Notes:

00:00 Introduction

03:04 The Importance of Executive Coaching

03:50 Ethan's Personal Coaching Journey

07:48 Key Areas of Focus in Executive Coaching

16:08 Maximizing the Coaching Relationship

30:06 Career and Transition Coaching

41:53 Securing Sponsorship & Making a Business Case for Coaching

44:16 How to Ask for Coaching

45:43 Exploring Company Coaching Programs

46:30 Confidentiality in Coaching

53:15 Deciding Between Company-Sponsored and Self-Paid Coaching

56:55 Choosing the Right Coach

01:13:02 The Importance of Feedback

01:19:57 Conclusion

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About Ethan Evans

Ethan retired from Amazon as a Vice President after 15 years where he led global teams of 800+ and invented businesses such as Prime Video, Amazon Video, Amazon Appstore, Merch by Amazon, Prime Gaming (formerly Twitch Prime), and Twitch Commerce.

70+ patents.
Reviewed 10,000+ resumes, conducted 2,500+ interviews, and 1,000+ hires.
Was an Amazon Bar Raiser and Bar Raiser Core Leader, responsible for training and maintaining Amazon's group of interview outcome facilitators.
Helped advocate for and draft the Amazon Leadership Principle (LP) “Ownership” — the words, “They never say ‘that’s not my job.’” are Ethan's (read the story).

Ethan retired from Amazon as a Vice President in September 2020.

Join Ethan's Level Up Newsletter & Community to get ongoing career advice and leadership networking access.

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About Sue Bethanis

Sue is the CEO/Founder of Mariposa Leadership, Inc., a 15-person San Francisco- based ﬁrm, which provides executive coaching and design thinking to high-tech leaders.

Sue is the author of the well-received business book Leadership Chronicles of a Corporate Sage and hosts the popular show WiseTalk, a monthly leadership forum, and WiseSpace, a Zoom coaching community.

Sue has worked with many Silicon Valley and San Francisco companies and non-profits, including C-level Executives and VPs at Amazon, Apple, Cisco, eBay, EqCA, Expedia, GoFundMe, Google, Guru, HPE, Intel, LinkedIn, Microsoft, MongoDB, Monite, Paypal, Pinterest, Roku, Twitch, Workday, Yahoo!, and Zynga.

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