Get to Know Daniel Santos, PRA Partner Coach & Experienced International Business Leader

Over the last two decades, Daniel has lived in Brazil and the U.K. and worked at several global companies before joining Johnson & Johnson to lead marketing and sales in the pharmaceutical division. He now resides in the U.S. and has launched more than 10 brands with Johnson & Johnson. His corporate experiences fuel his passion for development and leadership.

His interest in coaching began when he grew tired of the “work, eat, sleep, pay bills, and repeat” cycle. Daniel felt he needed to get to know himself and better understand his fears and thoughts to achieve his goals.  After journeying this path himself, he decided he wanted to teach people to lead and deal with crisis in a new way.

Daniel earned his MBA from the Fundacao Instituto Administricoa Brazil. He has completed Newfield Network’s ontological coach program and is certified by the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

How has your background influenced your coaching style?
I always wanted to find practices that could help me and others without selling a “magic formula.” This meant uncovering practices that go deep into the core of our beliefs, emotions, and body energy. That’s why I adopted the ontological approach as my primary style. Ontology is the study of the being and asks questions such as, “Why do we act the way we act?” “What helps us get what we want?” and “What is getting in the way?”

How does your background help your clients?
My experience living and working as an international business executive in multiple countries allows me to support clients with similar backgrounds and experiences.

How would your clients describe you as a coach?
My clients would describe me as authentic.

What is your coaching specialty? Do you identify with any sub-specialties, such as executive, leadership, team, etc.?
I specialize in ontological coaching, cultural coaching, business and life coaching, leadership coaching, and team development coaching. I also provide coaching in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

What coaching methods do you use?
I use three methods:

  1. Ontology, an approach to living and working well and developing a life of deep satisfaction, meaning and fulfillment
  2. Anthroposophy psychology, a method of understanding the nature and potential of a person and recognizing their body, soul and spirit
  3. Positive psychology, an approach to helping clients increase well-being, enhance and apply strengths, improve performance, and achieve valued goals 

What is your approach to or philosophy about coaching?
Coaching is a deep transformational process driven by the client. It has nothing to do with providing advice or offering “magic formulas.”

What advice would you offer executives about vetting and selecting a coach?
I encourage executives to consider the situations, thoughts and emotions that are creating pain. I then suggest that they reflect on what they need and prepare to discuss during the first coaching session. It’s important to remain committed to the process. The client is in the driver’s seat and needs to embrace the practices to experience results. Don’t expect coaches to solve problems for you.

How do you ensure coaching outcomes are aligned with the client’s business strategy/strategic objectives?
Quite often, clients bring in specific needs to address in the first session. As we dive deeper, things tend to change completely. Going a new direction is okay, but I always make it a point to frequently revisit the original goal and reflect on how it has been addressed.

How have you seen your coaching services impact the bottom line?
Clients that are committed to the process often are able to see their lives from a different perspective. They become more effective and develop healthier relationships with their own emotions and bodies. Ultimately, they become freer from the narratives and “ways of being” that society expects.

Share one of your most impactful/memorable coaching outcomes.
The most powerful moments are when I notice my clients “wake up” to new awareness, see fresh possibilities and embrace their lives with a new energy, emotional state and mindset.

What kind of measurable impact have you helped clients achieve?
Impact can often be measured by promotions, career progressions, successful moves to new countries or starting different careers or life projects. However, these mark only the tangible impacts of coaching. The most important impact is the intangible – the new ways clients learn to view their lives, embrace themselves, and develop their dignity and self-love.

Finding a coach that understands your needs and style is vital to the success of a coaching relationship. Our coaches bring a variety of deep experience to all engagements. Our cross-disciplinary team of C-level coaches, former C-suite executives, and active board members enables Platinum Rule Advisors to craft holistic solutions that blend powerful coaching, rigorous assessment, and diverse experience to deliver significant impact to support business strategy and objectives. To learn more, please contact us.

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