The C-Suite Coach | I help senior leaders thrive in their roles by optimising their performance, energy and time to enjoy their careers once more (you deserve it). Book your discovery call today.

Most senior executives are technically brilliant but invisible.

I help C-suite executives build the executive presence and influence to get recognised as visionary leaders.

Why does this matter?

Despite your contributions, you're not getting the recognition you deserve. 
You're stuck managing tasks instead of leading strategically. 
Your boss wants you to be "more strategic," but you can't see the path.

Worst of all?

You're overlooked while others with less competence move ahead.
The problem isn't your intelligence or work ethic. 

It's your executive presence.

My Background: I've Walked This Path

I've spent 20+ years at the C-suite level at Citi and currently as GM at a Blackstone portfolio company. 
I know what it takes to command respect and lead with influence because I'm living it right now.
I coach from the arena, not the sidelines- which means I understand your current pressures and can help you carry the load. I'm also a Communications Professor at IESE Business School and have spoken at 50+ conferences globally.

The Transformation

I help senior executives who feel invisible become recognised leaders who:

→ Communicate with influence, not just authority 
→ Get recognised and advance their careers 
→ Command respect without demanding it 
→ Inspire teams instead of micromanaging 
→ Focus on strategy, not stuck in tasks

My Approach

Unlike coaches who only ask questions, I provide practical solutions based on C-suite experience.
I combine emotional intelligence with accountability to turn problems into action.
No corporate BS or cookie-cutter frameworks.

My methodology builds:

• Masterful Communication & Executive Presence 
• Authentic Leadership Identity 
• Resilient Inner Core 
• Strategic Influence

I integrate insights from marathon running, meditation, and Stoic philosophy for sustainable performance.

Who I Work With

C-suite executives across all industries who are ready to build executive presence that advances their careers.

What Clients Say

"Peter is a brilliant coach. He is a great listener, truly cares and freely shares his wisdom." 
Nora Tandberg, CFO, Papirfly

"Peter's unique perspective is very effective in a business setting and brings a fresh perspective to solving contemporary challenges." 
Guy Nicholas Mansfield, CFO, C-Quest Capital

Ready to Elevate Your Leadership Impact?

Book your strategy call today.

Peter McKenzie

Last Thursday I went for a carefree evening walk with my wife.
After a truly horrendous day.

Notification of a tax inspection, a leaking shower (with furious neighbours downstairs) and a curt response from the boss on a tricky subject.

Financial loss, a long drawn out dispute and a mail that makes you question your self-worth.

A triple whammy of despair.

But I realised during the walk that none were spinning round in my head!

Something that 10 years ago would have had me ruminating for a week.

I had taken it in my stride.

I wasn’t going to let it ruin my night.

After years of dealing with massive crisis in my head that never happened, I have learned how to be resilient.

The number one trait that leaders need to get through hard times: 

Because the shorter the length of time it takes you to return to your baseline state after a setback, the better your final response will be.

And the quicker you can shrug things off and get back to work, the better a leader you are.

People may spend billions trying to stay young.
But resilience and wisdom only come with age.

And the realisation that imagined disaster outcomes are worse than the actual problems you face.

You'll never recover the wasted time catastrophising.

But you can learn that lesson before you get too old.

-------------------------------
PS How long does it take you to bounce back from a setback? 
Do you put things in perspective or blow them out of proportion?
--------------------------------
I’m Peter McKenzie 🕺

Try my FREE Executive Presence quiz here:
https://lnkd.in/dQEr7KYG

The C-Suite Coach | Elevating Executive Presence for Greater Leadership Impact | C-suite at Citi, currently GM at Anticipa - a Blackstone portfolio company | I coach from the arena, not the sidelines.

When IKIGAI goes badly wrong.
You finally discovered your deep purpose in life... 

But keep doing something else anyway.

Funny!

Or not?

So, how do you score?

I've made money - but not always at the things I'm best at.
 
And I spent plenty of time outside of the important blobs.

So what do I do now?  

And you?

Happy Friday, all!

(The answer can wait until Monday).

NB Kudos to the great Colby Kultgen for this sketch, which made me laugh out loud.  
.---------------------------------- 
I’m Peter McKenzie 🕺
🐟 Dead fish go with the flow.
🎸Rockstars challenge the status quo.

Sorry to tell you this: 
Your tough boss isn’t the root cause of your problems. 

Your response to them is. 

People complain when they work for a hard boss. 
And that applies to senior execs as well. 

Because the majority of CEOs aren’t easy people. 
(It’s often why they got the job!). 

The first time I had a tough CEO, I completely flunked the exam. 

I complained to anyone that would listen. 
Thought things were unfair. 

And the worst of all:

Passed the pressure onto my team. 

It changed the day my number 2 broke into tears in a team meeting.
I realised it wasn’t my boss, job or life that was unfair. 

It was me. 

Instead of absorbing the pressure, I was passing it down. 
A bad moment for her became a valuable one for me. 

I realised it was all a test. 

It was my job to shield my team – and prove my worth. 
Not whinge, whine and push my people to their limits. 

Years later, as a coach, I hear clients complain of the same. 

And things only shift when the story shifts. 
When they stop feeling sorry for themselves. 

And start doing their job. 

It’s exactly what happened to me. 

A tough CEO forces you to choose.
Either learn how to handle pressure. 

Or to turn into the very person you’re complaining about.

<<<>>>

PS Have you ever had a tough boss?
How did you react?

The long silence at the meeting table was unbearable.
I felt the need to step in. 

To say anything to break it.

I squirmed in my chair.
It felt like the deal was slipping from our grasp.
But my boss’s stern glance told me to keep my mouth shut.

He was one of the best bosses I had at Citi. 
He was never shy to speak up.
As regional Ops head, he had to drive results.
Which meant driving his team.

So why didn't he speak?

Because he was teaching us a lesson.
To me and those on the other side of the negotiating table.

It was so tense because there was a lot of money at stake. 
This particular relationship wasn't easy.

The silence became too much to bear.
So much that they caved in - and filled it. 
And their words revealed the details of what they were willing to offer.

That was exactly what we needed.

Priceless.

We had spoken the least - but gained the most.

I realised that my strategy of always talking and expressing my thoughts was just performance for my ego.

Instead of giving me power - my talking drained it.

Impact is knowing when to speak up,

And when to say nothing.

----------------------
PS When was one time you wish you had kept silent in a meeting?
Drop the details in the comments.
----------------------

I’m Peter McKenzie - The C-Suite Coach

Try my FREE Executive Presence quiz here:
https://lnkd.in/dQEr7KYG

As uncomfortable as it is being a spectator, it feels safer than risking looking stupid.

Or worse - proving that you’re not good enough.

But there are only two ways you’re perceived at work:

You’re either visible or invisible.
Important or irrelevant.
Powerful or powerless.

Your career’s going nowhere if you’re on the wrong side of that list.
Even if you work hard and do a great job.

Unfair?
 
It doesn’t matter.

That was what I said to an ex-colleague last Tuesday.
In a busy Barcelona cafe she stared back at me, letting that sink in.

She’s been HR head for 5 years at the Spanish branch of a multinational.

She's in the management team.
But never in the centre of the conversations that count.

She feels second class and overlooked.

Her boss constantly urges her to say what she thinks, even if it's not about HR.

But she admits it feels safer to watch and listen. 

Like an extra in a film, or a background figure in a videogame.

Unnoticed.

To earn points and win, you need to be the player.

Even losing is better than being irrelevant.

Her next game is her next meeting.
Her challenge is to grab the controls and play.

If you’re in the same game, it's your challenge too.

----------------------------------------
I’m Peter McKenzie - The C-Suite Coach

Dead fish go with the flow.
Rockstars challenge the status quo.

You have to burn down your past to create the future.

That’s what the Valencians do every year when they celebrate the Fallas.
 
They spend months creating elaborate effigies, like this magnificent Charlie Chaplin, all around the city.
 
Then on the 18th March - on the Nit de foc (night of fire) - they burn them to ashes.
 
Madness? 
Pyromania?
Or celebration?
 
I came to live in Valencia 38 years ago. 
I had burned my bridges to my corporate career with PWC in London to set up as a poor English teacher here. 

It was the best move of my life.
 
Eventually though I went back into corporate ( a man has to eat!) and in the 30 years since haven’t done enough burning.
 
It’s easy to think you’re building something that lasts.
 
But nothing can.
Or should.
 
The Valencians have got it right. 

You must burn the baggage from your past to create space.
 
38 years ago I was excited but unsure what I was doing.
 
This time , with the match in my hand, I know its the right move.
 
Which of your effigies do you need to torch?

The price of never risking offending anyone is never risking saying anything important.
Hedging your opinions with caveats is masking your fear.

“Maybe, perhaps, I think…”

Tics I’ve used because I was allergic to conflict.

I figured the best way to keep people onside is never to state a strong opinion.

And I was right.

But my impact was negligible.
One of my bosses, who used to work for Swiss Air, gave me some advice.

“Be like a pilot taxiing down the runway to take off. 
You can’t “sort of fly”. You either go full thrust or abort.  
That’s how it should be with your statements.”

In other words:

If you’re going to say something, go all in.

No caveats, no tics, no hedging.

It may not always be “nice” to have an opinion.
But who wants (or needs) nice...

State your opinion without fear.

Go full throttle. 

Just say it.
-----------------
When was the last time you spoke your mind? 
And when did you last decide to play it safe?
-----------------

I’m Peter McKenzie - The C-Suite Coach

Dead fish go with the flow.
Rockstars challenge the status quo.

Romana Prochazkova

What’s NEXT? || Connecting work with PURPOSE for lasting IMPACT || Executive Coach & Leadership Consultant

Pretending is expensive.
Especially when you’re the one everyone relies on.

I work with leaders who are great at what they do and tired of carrying everything alone. 

Things move because you’re there. 
Decisions sit with you. People wait for you. 

From the outside, it works. 
Inside, it’s heavy. 

My job is to help you see where you’re holding things that don’t actually need you anymore. 
To tell you the truth about what’s going on, calmly, without drama. 

When that load lifts, even a little, things change. 
You slow down. You think more clearly. 
You stop jumping in so fast. 

You say less. 
And your team does more. 

And there’s finally space to think again. 
For better decisions or for what’s next. 

Without burning everything down.

That’s the work. 
Be sharp as a knife, but don’t cut. 

This is how I work. 
And it’s what you’ll learn to do, too.

Executive Coach & Consultant

Changing career over 40 is hard. 

What's even more difficult is to admit you NEED change. 

Because there are only few things you really WANT. 
And I will challenge you on that one ... helping you face your fears and take action.

Most decision fog at the top isn’t a data problem. And more analysis will not fix it. 

Saying the full truth will.

I was reminded of that recently at a doctor’s office.
 
I was describing my symptoms, when the doctor looked at me and asked: “Did you search online what this might be?”
 
I paused.
 
Of course I had.
 
Before the meeting I had gone through every scenario. Every tiny detail. 11 p.m., phone in hand, worst-case scenarios.
 
But sitting there in front of him, I hadn’t mentioned any of it.
 
And he noticed.
 
“People often tell ChatGPT more than they tell me,” he said.  “I want to know what you might be leaving out.”
 
That landed. I was leaving things out. Mostly the fears.
 
Not because I don’t trust doctors. But because I didn’t want to sound dramatic. Or irrational. I hate drama.
 
He told me it’s common. People filter.
 
And I realized we don’t only do this with doctors.
 
I see the same pattern in the private sessions I hold with executives.
 
They walk in clear. Structured. Composed. Strategy. Options. Risks. It all makes sense.
 
And then we stay with it a little longer.
Past the polished version. Past the first explanation.
 
There’s a pause.
 
And then they say the part that didn’t make it into the first round. The doubt. The instinct. The uncomfortable truth.
 
Almost every time, it’s followed by: “When I’m saying it out loud now… it suddenly makes sense.”
 
The full picture is finally on the table.
 
The leaders I work with are capable. Experienced. High-performing. 

They understand something simple: clarity often begins the moment you stop editing.
 
Sometimes it’s not about more analysis. It’s about saying the whole thing.

P.S. do you search symptoms online?😇

International Executive Coach & Leadership Consultant / People pay me for the truth | Clarity for leaders who carry too much

No alternative text description for this image

“He’s such an as***. That behavior is ridiculous.”

Pfffff.

I could almost hear the air leaving the balloon.

You know the one, when it slips through your fingers and flies wildly across the room before collapsing somewhere in the corner.

That’s what it sounded like.

A client of mine was going through a rough period at work. Politics. Internal fights. Shaming. Blaming.

From the outside, he handled it well.
Calm. Professional. Controlled.

Exactly how a senior leader is expected to show up.

Inside?

Steam. Hot steam, ready to burn anyone who came too close.

And she didn’t want her team to pay the price for that. Or her family.

So at the beginning of our session we made a deal.

For five minutes, she could vent. No filters. No leadership mask. Just let the steam out.

And she did.

At some point we both started laughing at the words she was using.

That’s usually the moment you know something important just happened.

The tension left the room.

Her anger wasn’t blocking her thinking anymore.
And then we could actually get to work.

Not therapy.

Just removing what stands in the way of seeing clearly.

Because sometimes you are not struggling with the real problem.
You are struggling with the emotional pressure building around it.

When the steam stays trapped inside, it clouds everything. Your judgment. Your conversations. Your decisions.

Often the answer is not changing the people around you. Or your emotions.

It’s changing your own direction and attitude toward the situation. Including taming your own emotions first.

That’s leadership too.

And sometimes the most strategic thing you can do… is let the balloon fly across the room.

P.S. What helps you release the pressure when things build up?

P.P.S. Photo credit Tomáš Nosil (you'll see more of his pictures soon)

Leadership is not endless availability.
Support does not mean self-sacrifice.

The most difficult part of leadership is not the pressure, the responsibility.  Not even the visibility.
 
The hardest part?
 
Holding emotions.Yours. And everyone else’s. At the same time.
 
You’re ambitious. You care.
 
So when your team is anxious, frustrated or disappointed, you feel it.  

When a colleague walks into your office on Friday at 4:37 PM ready to unload, you absorb it.
 
And just like when your child is struggling and scared…
 
You don’t get to fall apart.  Even if you’re scared or tired too.
 
You stay composed.  You regulate yourself.  
You help regulate others.
 
Over and over and over again.
 
That is the invisible emotional labor of leadership.
 
This is not another “go recharge” post. 
Rest matters. But that’s not the point today.
 
Today, I want to give you something far more uncomfortable: Permission.
 
Permission to draw the line.
 
To say:  “I want to give this the attention it deserves. I don’t have the capacity right now. Let’s continue tomorrow.”
 
A leadership with boundaries.
 
Because when you never pause the emotional intake,  when you never close the door, your energy drops and clarity as well.


You can hold it all, but should you?
 
Boundaries are not walls.  They are structure. Safety net. 

For you, your business and your team.

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Romana Prochazkova

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taplio

The Battle

Peter McKenzie

Romana Prochazkova

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Peter McKenzie's LinkedIn Performance

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