At Berman Leadership, we don’t believe in generic coaching. The challenges leaders face today are too complex—and too deeply rooted in the systems they operate within.
In the Human Wise podcast, Dr. Bill Berman shares how his background in family systems therapy shaped his approach to executive coaching. “You can’t coach a leader in isolation,” he says. “You have to understand the system they’re part of—team, enterprise, culture—because that’s where the real leverage is.”
This systems-based perspective is a defining feature of Berman Leadership’s approach. Whether we’re coaching a CEO, a rising leader, or an entire leadership team, we consider the broader dynamics at play:
- Team interactions
- Organizational pressures
- Cultural norms
- Strategic priorities
Bill draws a powerful parallel: just as family therapy considers how each person impacts the whole, effective executive coaching must examine how individual leadership behaviors ripple through an organization.
He also challenges the default towards individualism in Western business culture. “In many parts of the world, leadership is deeply collectivist,” he notes. “That lens—thinking about the organization first—can actually drive stronger, more sustainable outcomes.”
Our work helps leaders operate with greater awareness of the systems around them. The result? Decisions that land, conversations that matter, and leadership that scales.
In complex environments, the right coaching isn’t about offering advice. It’s about navigating interdependencies with clarity, empathy, and enterprise-wide impact.
Learn how we coach leaders across systems: https://bermanleadership.com/our-approach