Intelligent Leadership® Executive Coaching
for Visionary Startup Founders
Scale Your Startup, and Your Leadership, Without Sacrificing Your Health or Value
Combining deep personal development with measurable leadership skill growth, Intelligent Leadership Executive Coaching guides founders to achieve sustainable hyper‑growth, an aligned culture, and a lasting legacy.
Trusted by Global High-Growth Innovators
The High-Growth Founder Paradox
You’re winning on paper, but wearing down in practice.
As revenue grows and your cap table shines, the leadership pressure intensifies. You’re still the decision engine, culture anchor, and crisis manager—and it’s costing you. Momentum hides the cracks: misaligned teams, founder burnout, and quiet investor doubts. Growth got you here. But without evolving your leadership, it may not get you there.
That’s where Intelligent Leadership® transforms the equation. By scaling the one thing growth depends on most: you.
From Founder Survival Mode → Visionary Leader
Fast-forward just 12 months: With Intelligent Leadership® Executive Coaching, you don’t just manage the chaos—you rise above it. Over 12 months, we help you build the leadership systems, inner strength, and cultural alignment that turn reactive hustle into sustainable momentum. Your team executes with clarity. Your investors gain confidence. And you finally operate from a place of purpose, not pressure.
BEFORE
- Reactive firefighting & inbox triage
- Brittle culture & disengaged talent
- Imposter whispers & isolation
- Burnout spiral looming
AFTER
- Strategic deep‑work mornings & focused team reviews
- Scalable culture that attracts A‑players
- Authentic confidence and board‑level credibility
- Sustainable peak performance in work, health & family
AS SEEN ON
Why Intelligent Leadership® Outperforms Generic Executive Coaching
John Mattone Global is the confidential coaching partner for elite leadership across government, royal offices, and corporate enterprises. Examples include:
World’s #1 Executive Coach
John Mattone has guided Fortune 500 CEOs and breakout startups to 10x valuations. That’s why GlobalGurus.org has recognized John 6 times as the world’s #1 Executive Coach.
Holistic Leadership Development
Proprietary diagnostics, the Mattone Leadership Enneagram Index (MLEI)® & Strategic‑Tactical Leadership Index (STLI)®, map both character and competency.
Deeply Personalized Executive Coaching
One‑on‑one sessions with JMG Certified Master Coaches focus on authentic leadership transformation.
Structured Roadmap
Your bespoke Assessment-Driven Intelligent Leadership Development Plan® turns insight into weekly, measurable action.
Relentless Accountability
Regular check‑ins track progress, recalibrate, and keep you advancing toward a lasting legacy.
Tangible Results You Can Expect
- Validated valuation growth: 5–10× increases, investor‑endorsed, within 12–24 months.
- Executive trust & alignment: metrics improved by 20–30 % within six months.
- Founder stress & overwhelm: typically reduced by 30–40 % after the first 90 days.
LeaderWatch Reporting
100% of executives reporting measurable improvement within six months of IL Executive Coaching.
%
Increase in Overall
Leadership Performance
What’s Inside Your Coaching Engagement
— one clear, flexible framework —
Built to fit your runway: go all-in with a diagnostic deep-dive or fire up a 30-day “Quick-Start Sprint” that solves a single pain point. Every element is modular—mix, match, or scale as fast as your company moves.
Founders Need More than Generic “Biz Advice”
Behind every breakout startup CEO—especially a solo founder—is a network of real support. The most transformative tier of that network is executive coaching. But not the “productivity hack” variety you find on LinkedIn.
Startup leadership is a different beast:
- Decision fatigue is lethal. A great coach gives you a judgment-free arena to slow the swirl, think clearly, and pick the right battles.
- Blind spots cost millions. We surface derailers before they turn into lost talent or missed valuations.
- VC pressure is nonstop. You need a sounding board who’s seen term-sheet politics and board dynamics up close.
- Culture fractures happen fast. Coaching helps you read the room, reset tensions between co-founders, and scale values as headcount expands.
In short, a strong coach doesn’t just help you do more—they help you become more: grounded, focused, decisive.
JMG’s Five C’s:Your Engine for a Scalable Startup Universe
These five tenets turn insight into execution for both the company and the founder:
- Clarity of Purpose – crystallise your vision, metrics, and model.
- Clear Commitments – lock the priorities that truly move valuation and culture.
- Communicating Commitments – align board, VPs, and teams at warp speed.
- Calibrating Progress – rapid-cycle metrics and LeaderWatch® pulses keep you honest.
- Consequences – real rewards, redirects, and tough calls that cement change.
Founders who stop at clarity hit their goals ~10 % of the time. Those who live all 5 C’s push success to near certainty.
Your Modular Journey
| Phase | 5 C Anchor | Focus | Key Deliverables |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Assess | Clarity | Inner- & outer-core diagnostics (optional in Quick-Start) | MLEI, STLI, 360° feedback |
| 2. Align | Commitment | Intelligent Leadership Development Plan | 12-month ILDP with milestones |
| 3. Activate | Communication | 1-on-1 founder coaching sprints | Bi-weekly 90-min sessions + stakeholder share-outs |
| 4. Amplify | Calibration | Leadership bench & culture lift | Team workshops, LeaderWatch® pulse checks |
| 5. Anchor | Consequences | Legacy leadership | Board-level scorecards, performance tie-ins |
Every step is delivered by a John Mattone Global Certified Master Coach—engage with all five, or start small and scale as you do.
Meet Denise Byers
Practice Leader, Intelligent Leadership® Coaching for Startups
Startups don’t fail for lack of vision, they fail when leadership can’t scale with velocity.
That’s where Denise Byers comes in.
Denise has spent her career building and backing bold leaders, guiding both high-growth startups and Fortune 250s through make-or-break moments. At Aera Technology, she advised founders on integrating AI into performance strategy. At Accenture, she led enterprise transformation for global Life Sciences firms. She’s also held operational leadership roles at Ford, Eaton, and Medtronic, where results weren’t optional and stakes were sky-high.
But Denise’s real gift?
She sees through the noise to the inner game of leadership. She helps founders move from reactive to resilient, from overwhelmed to operating with clarity and confidence.
As a JMG Master Coach and ICF-accredited executive coach, she leads with empathy, rigor, and a deep belief:
You can’t scale your company until you scale yourself.
The Payoff
Your startup universe tightens—vision, strategy, systems, culture all clicking in unison — because the founder universe driving it is sharper, calmer, and two steps ahead.
Each step is delivered by a John Mattone Global Certified Master Startup Coach and anchored in our Integrated Leadership Philosophy, engage with all five, or start small and scale as you do.
Is Intelligent Leadership® Right for You?
✅ VC‑backed founder/CEO at Seed–Series A with 20–500 employees
✅ Committed to building a values‑driven culture and lasting legacy
✅ Ready to invest premium resources in elite coaching for exponential returns
❌ Looking for a quick‑fix hack or generic mentorship
If that sounds like you, let’s talk.
Your Elite Coaching Partners
Nicholas Mattone
CEO of JMG | Executive coach and Gulf leadership strategist
Trevor Maloney
Chief Growth Officer | IL Master Coach and advisor to global C-suites
These engagements are led exclusively by Nicholas or Trevor — not delegated to junior staff.
Your Leadership Consultation
Fill out the quick form below (name, email, phone, company, coaching goals).
You’ll land on a scheduling page to book directly with Nick Mattone (CEO) or Trevor Maloney (Chief Growth Officer).
No pressure, no hard sell. In 30 minutes you’ll gain clarity on your biggest leadership lever, even if we never work together.
Awards & Global Recognition
- #1 Executive Coach (2019–2025) — GlobalGurus.org
- #1 Executive Coach (2024) — Fox Interviewer
- Top Leadership Thinker — Thinkers50 (Finalist)
- Top 10 Global Coaching Firms — Stats N Data, WMR, IBI
- Top 11 Fastest Growing Training Companies — GrowJo Database
- #1 Coaching Blog & Podcast — Feedspot (2017–2025)
- 17 Registered Trademarks (18 & 19 Pending) — U.S. Patent Office
- 192-Credit ICF Certification — Intelligent Leadership® Program
Frequently Asked Questions
How is this different from my accelerator’s mentor network?
Mentors offer advice; we deliver a structured, assessment‑driven system with measurable outcomes and relentless accountability.
What if I’ve already done assessments, how is this different?
Generic tools stop at insight. Our proprietary MLEI and STLI integrate with personalized coaching, turning deep insight into lasting transformation.
Is Intelligent Leadership coaching too time‑intensive for a busy founder?
The model is built for efficiency, high‑leverage leadership shifts and practical actions that fit within your schedule. Expect bi‑weekly 90‑minute sessions plus targeted fieldwork.
Do you work with teams outside North America?
Yes, if there’s strong cultural alignment, we coach founders globally via hybrid on‑site/virtual engagements.
What’s the investment?
Engagements are bespoke and premium, reflecting world‑class expertise and transformational ROI. We’ll scope a plan during your consultation.
Build Your Lasting Legacy, Start Today
“Integrated, purpose-driven leadership is not a luxury—it is the multiplier for lasting impact, sustainable growth, and a leadership legacy that endures.”
— John Mattone