EEC 105: Pinpointing How to Find a Quality Executive Coach
Dr. Katrina Burrus interviews Dr. John Reed and talks about his book Pinpointing Excellence: How to Find a Quality Executive Coach.
- What is your professional background and experience?
- What have you seen in the executive coaching field that prompted you to write the book?
- How has it been helping readers? Why?
- What have you seen in the executive coaching field since the book was released that makes it even more relevant now?
- What are the key messages from the book do you express to help those considering executive coaching services?
- Is there any difference in advice you would give between current coaches and those planning to enter the field?
Dr. John Reed
John founded and has been a Managing Principal since 2005 at Quinn Reed Associates (www.quinnreedassociates.com). He has undergraduate and MBA degrees from Dartmouth and, as a licensed organizational psychologist, a PhD from the University of Georgia. A US Navy veteran, he previously worked in the strategic services practice of Accenture and the government practice of CGI.
He is designated as a Master Coach by Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching, a Master Corporate Executive Coach by the Association of Corporate Executive Coaches and a Professional Certified Coach by the International Coach Federation.
He is a Founding Fellow and Contributing Author of the Institute of Coaching at McLean/Harvard Medical School. His book ‘Pinpointing Excellence’ (www.pinpointingexcellence.com) for example is popular with leaders who use it to evaluate and select top executive coaches.

He has 30 years of management, executive coaching, executive assessment, leadership development, organization change and alignment, and strategy consulting experience globally in the biotechnology, chemical, construction, consumer products, education, energy, entertainment, environmental services, federal government, financial services, healthcare, legal, manufacturing, not for profit, pharmaceuticals, real estate, retail and technology sectors.
John helps successful people excel further, working with C-suite leaders, boards, executive teams, entrepreneurs and other high impact professionals. A partial client list includes AGCO, AIG, Aker Solutions, AlEn, AstraZeneca, BASF, Benteler, Black Hills Corporation, British Petroleum, Calpine, Cameron, CBRE, Central Intelligence Agency, Children’s National Medical Center, Clock Spring Company, Comfort Systems, ConocoPhillips, Diageo, Dover Industries, Duke Corporate Education, EastWest Bank, ExxonMobil, Flix Brewhouse, Hines, ION Geophysical, IvyExec, Jones Lang LaSalle, KIPP Schools, Lloyd’s Register, Macquarie, Memorial Hermann Health System, MILE Saudi Arabia, NASA, NRG, Occidental Petroleum, Oil States International, Panasonic, PetroChina, Pink Petro, PSC, Raytheon, Recall, Royal Dutch Shell, Schlumberger, Seyfarth Shaw, Stepan Company, Sunbelt Steel Texas, Texas Children’s Hospital, The Brock Group, The Cameron School of Business at the University of St. Thomas, The CapStreet Group, The Freeman School of Business at Tulane University, The March of Dimes, The Owen School of Management at Vanderbilt University, The University of Houston, The University of Texas (Austin), The University of Texas Health Science Center (Houston), Thomson Reuters and US Foods.
His organizational psychologist license was granted in 2000 via the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards by the Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychologists. He is a member and the 2013-14 president of the Society of Psychologists in Management and a member of the Society of Consulting Psychology. He teaches MBA courses as an adjunct professor and contributes as a keynote speaker and writer.
He volunteers in the community focusing on education and helping children. He has a history of board service, for example as the 2016-17 president of an inner-city school, the Nehemiah Center. He belongs to Kiwanis International and supports Deerfield Academy, Dartmouth College and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
John and his wife have four children.