Leadership Story Talks | Why Executive Coaching is a Strategic Imperative with Greg Smith Artwork

Narativ Leadership Story Talks

Leadership Story Talks is a podcast hosted by Jerome Deroy, CEO of Narativ, and Julienne Ryan, business author, communication and HR specialist, and frequent Narativ training contributor.In each episode, Jerome and Jules discuss the practices that engage, motivate, develop, retain, and attract people to businesses, whether these are your customers or your employees. Their principles and tools are based on real world stories that leverage listening and storytelling to become a better leader and management professional.

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Narativ Leadership Story Talks

Leadership Story Talks | Why Executive Coaching is a Strategic Imperative with Greg Smith

December 08, 2025 • Narativ Inc

In this episode of Leadership Story Talks, hosts Jerome Deroy and Julienne Ryan speak with Greg Smith—General Manager of FranklinCovey’s Executive Coaching practice and a leader with more than 25 years of experience developing executives across global organizations. Greg has supported leaders at Walmart, Deloitte, Starbucks, FedEx, Disney, and today his practice delivers an extraordinary 97% coaching success rate.

Greg shares a moment early in his career: a CEO’s deceptively simple piece of advice—“If you want to fly like the eagles, hang out with the eagles.” What made it powerful wasn’t the phrase itself, but who said it and the way it awakened Greg’s belief in aligning himself with excellence. That shift in mindset still shapes how he approaches leadership development today.

Greg breaks down why executive coaching is no longer a perk but a strategic imperative— defined by rapid change, restructuring, and rising complexity. He walks through FranklinCovey’s four-phase coaching methodology, shares an example of a leader whose newfound courage saved the company $20 million in one meeting, and why human connection, empathy, and trust remain irreplaceable even as AI becomes more deeply integrated into leadership work.

You’ll Hear:

“Fly With the Eagles” – One comment from a founder shifted Greg’s trajectory by redefining what—and who—he aligned himself with.
Coaching as a Strategic Lever – Why organizations facing disruption increasingly rely on coaching to accelerate capability and navigate complexity.
The 4-Phase Methodology – Alignment, data-driven insight, focused coaching, and sustainable transition.
Courage in Practice – How a single leadership intervention, rooted in new skills, averted a multimillion-dollar loss.
Human Leadership in an AI Era – Why the future belongs to leaders who cultivate empathy, curiosity, trust, and adaptability.
Preparing for What’s Next – How CEOs, COOs, CHROs, and talent teams can rethink development to meet tomorrow’s challenges.

Greg’s insights offer a clear, actionable roadmap for strengthening leadership in times of uncertainty—and for keeping humanity at the center of growth.

Resources

Coaching | FranklinCovey

LinkedIn — Greg Smith

Forbes Coaches Council — Greg Smith

Narativ’s online course in partnership with New Mexico State University Global Campus:
Lead With Your Story (self-paced, on-demand course)
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Learn more about how to leverage Narativ’s storytelling method for your pitch and sales team: Download our free e-book, or you’re welcome to schedule a free 15-minute call with Jerome.

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