MY STORY
Hello - I’m Jeff Hittner. I’m an executive coach, leadership expert, entrepreneur and father to two amazing boys. I’ve got 25 years experience building better teams and people in an effort to improve the world. It’s my passion. I know first hand what it’s like to have to transform a mindset (my own!) and strive to help others have life changing breakthroughs.
About 10 years ago I discovered that I could not become a biological father, something I had dreamed about my entire life. Fast forward to today, I have two boys that are the light of my life. This was only possible because I learned how to disassemble a lifelong definition of what fatherhood was, in order to reimagine the possibilities. I believe so strongly that if I can change my definition of something so fundamental as fatherhood, then all of us have the capacity to transform, even around our longest-held beliefs.
Want to know more? I was an elite gymnast for 15 years, competing at the highest level of my sport at the College of William and Mary. I received my Masters in Cultures and Development Studies from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, and currently live in Valencia, Spain with my wife, Grace, and our two young children, Rivington and Remiel.
What I focus on:
Becoming our best selves as a leader requires intention. Intention is born of an understanding that our authentic self isn’t who we currently are. It isn’t our limitations. Instead, it’s our deepest-held aspirations, dreams and goals. In partnership with my clients - both teams and individuals - we strip away the myths around what hold us back from becoming our fullest selves.
This work takes many forms: I design and implement leadership development programs for organizations around the globe. I advise and coach CEOs and non-profit leaders. I consult on cultural transformation and facilitate executive retreats. And recently I launched an initiative to help fathers adapt to the conflicting challenges of leadership and parenting.
My “experience”
I designed and continue to lead the High Potential Leaders Fellowship at JA Worldwide, a top 10 global NGO recently nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. I was the Global Lead Facilitator at IVY, a community that serves more than 10,000 CEOs globally. I am executive coach to CEOs and senior executives on three continents and to Yale MBA students in the USA. I was the MBA Professor of Leadership at Bard College, where I developed the curriculum for one of the first MBAs in Sustainability in the US. I also founded and led IBM’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) consulting practice globally.
I’ve also ran a career transition program for more than 100 New Yorkers, a blended learning initiative for high school dropouts in Latin America and career discovery programs for teenagers in Europe. I was the two-time Chairman of the Carnegie New Leaders at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs.
My coaching philosophy can be found here.