What Our Clients Say About Mel Parker and Take The Limits Off
AMAZING! That’s the word that come to mind when I think of my executive coaching experience from Mel Parker. When selecting an executive coach there were many names that are advertised throughout the industry and come highly recommended. After carefully researching and interviewing with a few, I chose Mel as he first captivated me by his executive presence.
Mel’s track record of being an executive also caught my attention. After hiring Mel as my executive coach, he has been powerful for me and my career! He speaks truth. He seeks to understand, actively listens, and ask questions to ensure he proposes solid feedback for resolution. When it’s crunch time, late at night, early in the morning his willingness to assist reflects his authentic personality. You are not a number to him you act as a team! I know my career will continue to SOAR and I’m excited to have Mel alongside me in my journey!
Mel came to speak at one of our annual JetBlue conferences, and he was absolutely fantastic. Mel has an energy that is contagious and he kept the audience 100% engaged. Mel’s story is inspiring and his leadership principles are simple and elegant which makes it easy for the audience to connect. He also injects humor and fun into the session. We are already getting requests for Mel to come back to future conferences!
My work with you over the past eight months has been transformational. I have a clearer vision of myself and my potential contribution to my team and the organization. Our work on coaching skills and emotional intelligence have expanded my ability to get significantly more work done through others. As trust within the team has strengthened, I have been able to delegate more tactical work to team members, creating the time needed to be more strategic.
As a former US Marine Officer I was immediately drawn to select Mel as my executive coach. His successful leadership career in the military and in the private sector was impressive and I felt that I could easily relate to him. I was not wrong. We immediately clicked during the first phone call. He was very organized and had a plan but was ready to adapt to my needs and goals. From the very beginning he was easy to speak with and we had fantastic in-depth Conversations. He is a very astute listener and asks probing and insightful questions to open the dialogue. I loved discussing his leadership challenges and experiences and relating them to mine. He helped me pause and think about my career, my goals, and how to balance these with my priorities in life. At the end of the 6 months, he was more than a mentor and a coach, he became a friend. His energy level, positive mindset, and grounded beliefs/values were inspirational. I would highly recommend Mel as your coach, so you too can become a focused and selfless leader.
When Mel took the stage at Intel, as our keynote speaker, he told us, “I’m going to wow you and change your life.” And no surprise, he delivered! From sharing his journey as an Airborne Ranger in the US Army to lessons in leadership from the C-suite, he was engaging and inspired the audience.
Mel spoke about building trust and the importance of nurturing relationships, taking time to lower defenses and that leadership is not a title or position, it is about what you action. I continue to hear praise from Intel leaders and employees at large about the amazing impact his speech had on them.
Mel led a three-part Inclusive Leadership series for us that was extremely well received by our employees. His direct and engaging storytelling style captivated our audience, and his content was relevant and empowering. Those who will take the time to master Mel’s leadership principles will unleash the potential to transform from managers into leaders who will have the tools needed to inspire and lead in a way that can transform organizations.
Being coached by Mel was a life-changing event for me. He helped me push past obstacles and find my personal power, so that I could live my life confidently and with integrity. ….Mel is an amazingly effective coach.
I had the pleasure of engaging Mel and recommending him as the opening conference keynote speaker for the 2019 CBRE African American Network Group (AANG) National Conference. As an opening conference keynote speaker there comes a lot of pressure to energize, excite and empower, and Mel delivered above and beyond. Immediately, Mel established a connection and credibility with the audience by being authentic and vulnerable by showing the audience who he is as a person and sharing his journey.
His keynote message carried on throughout the remainder of the conference… Whether it was in other sessions or during networking time, you heard conference-goers often referencing the parts of Mel’s message that personally resonated with them as it related to their career journey or key executives referencing points from Mel’s keynote to support their business perspective. Even today, there are some conference-goers that have communicated that they have started journaling at Mel’s recommendation and are now seeing that impact of doing so…
Mel Parker is one of the most well-rounded keynote speakers that I have ever had the privilege of working with. Mel’s personal background, military accomplishments, and corporate leadership experience allows him to connect with a wide array of individuals in a way that is both challenging and inspirational. Mel took the time to understand the theme of our conference and customized his material to get the most impact for the audience. The audience was impressed with Mel as an individual, challenged intellectually, but most of all inspired to become the best version of themselves. Mel’s left an indelible impact on the audience from the “neck up” and from the “neck down.” I look forward to working with Mel on future opportunities.
Mel, I now understand what it means when you say “I am your mission”. You have the unique ability to make me feel that I was not only your most important coaching client in the whole world, but also the only coaching client you have in the world. Working with you is always energizing, comforting, challenging and inspiring all at once.
Mel is very comfortable working with successful executives – who have the highest expectations from any trusted advisor. Mel is a great mentor and is committed to helping you achieve whatever goals you set for yourself. You are his Mission! I am beyond thrilled with the results that Mel has helped me to achieve in both my professional career and my personal life.
It was great to have you last week. I was thrilled to see the level of attention and engagement during your session and the energy it created with the group was palpable. Feedback I heard from many afterwards was how great it was to have the business invest in bringing you in, how it set the management session apart from others they’ve attended and brought inspiration, motivation and energy to the two days. Many conveyed how they related to different pieces of your presentation based on your experiences and learnings, and therefore had different takeaways unique to how they related. All in all, I believe your session will have impact for a long time to come.
Thank you again for the effort you put in and delivering such a powerful session!
Lindsay
Mel’s strong leadership, knowledge, skills, and disposition were key to his dialogical coaching style and highly effective when pushing my thinking. Over many months, Mel and I engaged in thoughtful but challenging conversations about work situations, my leadership strengths, and ultimately where I still needed to grow. His approach was always highly empathetic, personal, and collaborative, often asking me to reflect on my choices and consider alternative routes. I would readily recommend and seek out Mel for future coaching opportunities.
It was OUR pleasure to have you! Without a doubt, you delivered one of the BEST keynotes I have heard! You were certainly one of the highlights of the conference!
Thank you again!
Mel has an inspiring story and a passion for developing leaders, which has made him an terrific partner for the Executive Leadership Program at Dell. He brings not only great energy, but also credibility as a leader throughout his military and corporate career. Mel also has the unique ability to connect with people, whether 1:1 or presenting to a large audience. He has been very easy to work with, and I especially appreciate that he is committed to the success of his clients. Thanks Mel!
I just returned from the 40th Conference and Exposition for the National Black MBA Association. It was my first conference as Chairman of the Board of the organization. We were fortunate to have Mel as the keynote presenter at the open plenary. He certainly set the bar for the remainder of the week. He is a phenomenal storyteller. He leveraged his personal leadership journey to delivery fantastic insights into core competences that help leaders develop from good to great. His book “The Parker Principles” is a must read for aspiring and seasoned leaders and the in-person experience is certainly time well invested. I’m appreciative that he set the stage for one of our best conferences to date and allowed me to bask in the success of an outstanding event.
When I came to Mel for coaching I was to the point where I would have taken any job, anywhere to get away from the stress I was feeling at work. He helped me to analyze what I really wanted for a career path and gave me the right amount of inspiration mixed with some tough love to help me get where I needed to be. I am so very glad that I chose him out of all the options available!
I found Mel to be keenly interested and aware of my concerns about performance and career. His deep corporate experience allowed him to quickly grasp the team, business and internal political opportunities and barriers to growth. He was able to methodically uncover the “invisible cables” that were holding both my performance and career down. Mel was also adept in exploring and inspiring a wide array of mitigating activities that aligned with my core values and authentic self.
I think what has struck me the most is that the audience was so enthralled with the power of your story, that we could have expanded your time slot to 2-3 hours so that they get immersed more in 2-3 of the principles. The book signing was such a hit, this allowed folks one on one time to speak with you and have a moment of direct connection. Everyone in line came alive when it was their turn to chat with you and take selfies!
Mel, your session was absolutely amazing. I know the team plans on taking the actions you recommended and also reading your book. As we continue to evolve our programs for leaders, I am hopeful we will have you back in the future.
I recently had the privilege of attending a key note presented by Mel. Everyone, including myself, was on the edge of our seats as we listened to Mel’s story of inspiration, perseverance, and his drive for finding his purpose. He shared deeply personal accounts of his successes and failures as he took us through the journey of what brought him to where he is today…today he is inspiring people like me to constantly challenge ourselves with things that seem impossible by being a living example of what can be achieved when you delve outside of your comfort zone. Thank you for your leadership and lessons in the power of transparency!
You are such a dynamic speaker! What I loved most is that what you said was employable and right on point. I also loved how you demonstrated your principles through the delivery of your keynote such as getting to know someone in order to trust them. Your experience and insights are truly remarkable!
Mel participated in our annual executive training as our keynote speaker. Not only did Mel take the time to really get to know our team, our objectives and desired outcomes, he truly made it a point to connect with us. His presentation was not only engaging, it was meaningful, personal and incredibly authentic. Our entire team walked away feeling energized and humbled by his many accomplishments. Leadership was epitomized through his story-telling that evening and we are incredibly grateful to have met Mel!
Mel has the unique ability to authentically connect with an audience and weave his amazing personal and professional experiences into a compelling and impactful presentation. I worked with Mel when he was the keynote speaker at a LEO Pharma leadership offsite at West Point, NY. Not only did Mel take the time prior to the session to understand our unique business challenges, but he also created a custom keynote presentation that was the motivational spark for the three days that followed. I would recommend Mel to any organization that is looking for a partner to bring energy and practical business insights to their leadership development programs.
What struck me most about your session was how universal your message is, and how you have the ability to connect with such a diverse international audience. A standing ovation! An inspirational and energizing way to kick-off our annual leadership summit!
The Parker Principles are an energetic, enthusiastic look at leadership traits for today’s world. Most of the 10 Leadership Force Multipliers are recognizable, but there are some critically important principles that set this book apart. Based on the real, personal experiences of the author, I found The Parker Principles: 10 Leadership Force Multipliers to be an exciting read that challenged you to step up your game.
Thriving as a leader in a VUCA marketplace requires every leader to become a lifelong
learner. Mel does a masterful job in this book of not only explaining why it’s time for leaders
to retool but gives the formula to become a leader who is relevant and impactful.
Our firm has been fortunate to work with Mel in a range of client assignments over the past years and it has always been a special, rewarding experience. Mel has a remarkable ability to engage with others, to offer meaningful feedback and advice, and enable them to see new possibilities in themselves and their performance as leaders.
