Testimonials

“Mike’s been my executive coach for over five years. He helped me to grow as a banker and executive, tapping into his deep professional experience, and with his advice, which was grounded in analytics. Today, he also coaches three of our C-suite executives and conducts workshops in the bank that help individuals and teams leverage their strengths, recognize and overcome barriers to teamwork, and embrace the power of cognitive and operational diversity to be a more powerful, high-performing team.”

“Mike is an insightful, valued partner. He works with multiple levels of our team to not just help us better understand ourselves, but to optimize how we work together as a team. His coaching is evident as team members grow in their skills and confidence, aligning job skills with our strategic organizational growth needs. The team loves working with him, because he is unafraid to (kindly) tell you what you need to hear and always how you could be better as a person, leader and contributor – never taking a one size fits all approach, but one that is grounded in data and years of practical experience. Mike makes a measurable impact on me personally and with many leaders within Tidal Wave.”

“Mike did an amazing job engaging with my leadership team.  He provided both individual and team evaluations and coaching that helped us, as a new team, come together.  As our company grew and changed, my leadership team needed to adjust their styles and perspectives.  This is often the deciding factor for leadership growth and requires careful coaching and guidance to be successful.  Mike built tailored approaches for the individual leaders, for the team, did continuous follow up, and was always available to us.  That level of commitment and involvement was invaluable to the success of my organization and my leadership.”

“Mike and I began our work together discussing the development of upcoming leaders in my organization. Through our interactions, he also took an interest in my development and success. He was able to coach me on blind spots in a way that never felt punitive. He genuinely had my best interest at heart. Because of that, I applied his coaching advice and adopted strategies that I use to this day.”

“I’ve worked with Mike for almost twenty years. He is uniquely able to help someone maximize their strengths, address their challenges, and execute on their plans. He builds winners. He creates leaders. He helps teams come closer together in the way they work and communicate to perform at a higher level.”

“Mike’s value is not just that he knows how to use specialized tools to assess bank talent. He knows the banking business and how to apply industry-specific coaching principles to create meaningful personal development plans.”

“If you hire Mike to assess and coach existing and rising bank executives, buckle-in. It’s work, and it’s a serious commitment. Because if you ask him to hold you and others accountable, he will. With his 40 years of in-bank experience and proven skill in people development, he’s helped us to help ourselves become a better bank.”

“Over the past several years, Mike has been a trusted partner to Cadence Bank, working closely with several of our high-potential, mission-critical leaders. He brings a rare combination of banking and business fluency, M&A experience, and deep leadership insight, and has had a steadying, positive impact during a period of meaningful change for our organization. Our people respond to his honesty, fairness, and solid business sense. They admire his ability to not just tell them what the analytics say, but also to offer meaningful recommendations for self-improvement and walk alongside them to implement their individual plans. Partnering with Mike has been a true value-add for our teammates, and our organization.”

“Mike was an extension of our executive team. He sat at the table with us where we set strategy, he helped create and nurture the culture we wanted, and he helped us select the people who could move our business forward.”

“Mike Fitzgerald has an inherent gift for developing and leading people. From talent identification to strategic programming and facilitation, Mike is thoughtful, deliberate, and profound. He knows talent and inspires authentic development in next generation leadership.”

“While leading change at State Bank, Mike reinvented HR to become an extraordinary Talent and Leadership Development program. He is selflessly devoted to ensuring the right people in an organization are provided the opportunity to reach their full career potential.”

“Mike Fitzgerald led the building of our talent management infrastructure and orchestrated the development of an excellent leadership development program for our emerging leaders. He has a gift for building customized solutions for unique situations.”

“For more than 9 years I’ve witnessed the unique talent and passion of Mike Fitzgerald first-hand. He has done more in developing young talent than anyone I have witnessed in my long career. He is a humble servant leader, driven to develop future leaders.”

“Mike has a proven track record of elevating the next generation of leaders. He creates innovative and thought-provoking programs that build camaraderie and critical skills at the same time.”

“Mike Fitzgerald is extremely talented at identifying and developing leaders. He works collaboratively and balances his vision with an openness to other ideas and approaches. He expertly moves among various roles, including design, selection, assessment, and teaching.”

“What makes Mike unique and effective is his previous executive banking and business experience. There is real value in having the kind of industry experience that gives Mike the ability to grasp needs quickly. People recognize and respect that. He was able to help my team grow from the moment he met them, without a lot of my time teaching him how our business works. He quickly learned about our culture and the way we do business. This led to his assessments, insights and recommendations being accepted and respected by our current and future leaders, which led to effective coaching in a short period of time.”

“Working with Mike has been a meaningful experience for me and for several of our top leaders, fostering greater self-awareness and a deeper commitment to personal development. Through his sound advice, analytically-based recommendations, and actionable development plans, Mike helped us achieve optimal performance while addressing key areas of opportunity. As our leaders grew individually, that development translated into stronger, more effective teams, and a more aligned leadership culture across the organization. The program has delivered lasting value to our company by strengthening leadership effectiveness, engagement, and overall performance.”