Executive Coaching in Indianapolis
Lead with greater impact in the Crossroads of America. John Mattone Global delivers executive coaching for Indianapolis leaders navigating pharmaceutical innovation, technology expansion, and the leadership demands of a Midwest logistics powerhouse experiencing rapid corporate growth.
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Leadership Challenges Facing Indianapolis Executives
Every market has its own leadership landscape. Here are the challenges that make Indianapolis distinct.
Pharmaceutical Growth at Unprecedented Scale
Eli Lilly’s explosive growth is creating thousands of leadership positions across manufacturing, R&D, and commercial operations in Indianapolis. Leaders must scale teams rapidly, maintain the quality culture that pharmaceutical regulation demands, and develop management pipelines faster than ever before.
Evolving from Regional to Global Leadership
Indianapolis companies increasingly compete nationally and globally, but the local talent pool has historically been developed for regional operations. Leaders need coaching to develop global strategic thinking, cross-cultural communication, and the executive presence required to lead on a larger stage.
Technology Talent Acquisition and Retention
Salesforce, Infosys, and other tech companies have invested heavily in Indianapolis, but the city competes against established tech hubs for software engineers and data scientists. Leaders must build compelling tech cultures in a market not traditionally known for technology, while developing homegrown talent through university partnerships.
Supply Chain and Logistics Complexity
Indianapolis’s role as a national distribution hub means local leaders manage complex logistics networks spanning the continent. Supply chain disruptions, automation, and workforce shortages all require leaders who can think systemically and adapt operations quickly.
Maintaining Culture During Rapid Growth
Indianapolis’s collaborative, low-ego business culture is a competitive advantage, but rapid growth threatens to dilute it. Leaders must preserve what makes the Indy business community distinctive while scaling organizations that increasingly draw talent and practices from coastal markets.
Why John Mattone Global for Indianapolis
The World’s #1 Executive Coach
John Mattone has been ranked #1 globally seven times (2019–2025) by Global Gurus. Indianapolis is home to Eli Lilly (one of the world’s most valuable companies), Elevance Health, and growing Salesforce operations. Leaders at this level expect coaching that matches their ambition.
Deep Bench of Top-Ranked Coaches
Six of the world’s top 20 executive coaches work under the JMG banner. Indianapolis’s diverse economy, spanning pharmaceuticals, technology, logistics, insurance, and manufacturing, requires coaches with versatile expertise. JMG’s team delivers that range.
Experience Scaling Leadership Pipelines
JMG has helped Fortune 500 organizations build leadership pipelines during periods of rapid growth. This experience is directly relevant to Indianapolis companies like Eli Lilly, which is hiring thousands of new employees and needs accelerated leader development at every level.
Measurable ROI for Practical Leaders
Indianapolis’s Midwest business culture values practical results over theoretical frameworks. JMG’s proprietary LeaderWatch® tool tracks quantifiable improvements in leadership effectiveness, with clients typically seeing 27–31% gains across key competencies within six months.
Igniting Breakthrough Leadership Performance & ROI
John Mattone Global's coaching doesn't just promise growth. It delivers measurable, transformative change. By leveraging our exclusive LeaderWatch® tool, we track real, quantifiable improvements.
Agility with Change & People
Improvement
Creativity & Innovation
Improvement
Building & Sustaining a Positive Team Culture
Improvement
One-On-One Communications
Improvement
Overall Leadership
Improvement
6 of the World's Top 20 Executive Coaches. One Firm.
Global Gurus 2026 rankings. More top-20 coaches than any other firm in the world.
#1John Mattone
#2Dr. Aldo Civico
#5Mark Nation
#9Dr. Barbara Dalle Pezze
#10Dr. Vincent Pieterse
#16Puja Talesara
John Mattone & Intelligent Leadership®
John Mattone is the world's #1 ranked executive coach by Global Gurus, a distinction he has held seven times. His proprietary Intelligent Leadership® methodology combines inner-core development (values, character, mindset) with outer-core skills (strategy, communication, execution) to produce measurable, lasting transformation.
JMG's approach is built on proprietary tools like the MLEI® and STLI-360® assessments, which give leaders a data-driven baseline and a clear roadmap for growth. Combined with the LeaderWatch® tracking system, every coaching engagement delivers documented, quantifiable results.
Learn About Intelligent LeadershipWhy Indianapolis Executives Need World-Class Coaching
Indianapolis punches well above its weight as a corporate headquarters city. Eli Lilly and Company, the pharmaceutical giant with a market capitalization exceeding $700 billion (making it one of the most valuable companies in the world), is headquartered here and employs over 10,000 people in the metro. The company’s breakthrough GLP-1 drugs (Mounjaro, Zepbound) have driven explosive growth, and Lilly is investing $9 billion in new Indiana manufacturing facilities. Anthem (now Elevance Health, $156B revenue), one of the largest health insurers in the country, also calls Indianapolis home. Salesforce maintains its second-largest office globally in the iconic Salesforce Tower downtown.
Key Industries
Major Companies
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Book directly with Nicholas Mattone or Trevor Maloney. No sales pitch, just actionable insight on your highest-impact leadership lever.
Nicholas Mattone
CEO of JMG | Executive coach and leadership strategist
Trevor Maloney
Chief Growth Officer | IL Master Coach and advisor to global C-suites
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Eli Lilly’s growth affecting leadership development in Indianapolis?
Eli Lilly’s breakthroughs in GLP-1 drugs have driven its market cap above $700 billion and triggered $9 billion in new Indiana manufacturing investment. This growth is creating unprecedented demand for leaders across R&D, manufacturing, commercial operations, and corporate functions. Executive coaching helps both existing Lilly leaders and the broader Indianapolis leadership ecosystem develop the capabilities needed for pharmaceutical operations at this scale, including regulatory navigation, global team management, and quality-culture leadership.
What makes Indianapolis’s business culture distinct from other Midwest cities?
Indianapolis combines Midwest humility and collaboration with a growing entrepreneurial energy. The city has a strong tradition of civic-business partnership (exemplified by events like the Indy 500 and the NCAA’s headquarters presence). Business leaders here are accessible, collaborative, and relationship-driven, but increasingly need to operate on a global stage. Coaching helps leaders develop executive presence and strategic ambition while maintaining the authentic, unpretentious style that makes Indianapolis attractive to companies and talent.
How does Indianapolis’s logistics hub status create leadership challenges?
Indianapolis sits at the crossroads of major interstate highways, and its airport hosts FedEx’s second-largest hub. Leaders managing logistics, distribution, and supply chain operations here face workforce automation decisions, supply chain disruption planning, last-mile delivery competition, and the challenge of retaining warehouse and transportation talent in a tight labor market. Coaching develops the systems thinking and people leadership skills these complex operations require.
Can executive coaching help Indianapolis leaders compete for tech talent?
Salesforce, Infosys, and other tech companies have invested in Indianapolis, but the city still competes against Austin, Denver, and coastal hubs for software engineers and data scientists. Coaching helps leaders build workplace cultures that attract tech talent: innovation-friendly environments, meaningful work, career development paths, and leadership styles that empower rather than micromanage. Indianapolis’s cost-of-living advantage becomes more compelling when combined with genuinely excellent leadership.
What role does executive coaching play in pharmaceutical industry leadership?
Pharmaceutical executives face unique leadership challenges: navigating FDA regulatory environments, managing long R&D cycles with uncertain outcomes, balancing scientific integrity with commercial pressure, and leading cross-functional teams that include scientists, regulatory specialists, manufacturing engineers, and commercial professionals. Coaching develops the leadership agility to operate effectively across these diverse functions while maintaining the quality-first culture that pharmaceutical regulation demands.