Testimonials for Ken Roseboom and Thinking Partners
We seemed to be going in circles. Our work with Ken had immediate results.
We brought Ken in because we had a challenge in our leadership team. We just seemed to be going in circles and could never come to a final agreement or landing point. Or there would be times when we thought we were aligned, but a few days later, we realized that we really weren’t.
Ken guided us through a series of exercises to help us work through decisions and attain alignment so that we could then go forward and not have to repeat the process unless we made a conscious decision to shift direction.
Our work with Ken had immediate results. We clarified a few important decisions and then that was the direction we went in!
Ken took a very personal approach to delivering the sessions and customizing them to both the people in the room and the specific projects we were working on. He made personal contact with each participant both ahead of time as well as during the session, so that everyone felt like they were included. He also followed up after the sessions to see how things were going.
In the past, we’ve had sessions where the facilitator’s personality just rubbed people the wrong way. Ken has a way that is welcoming and inviting – not off-putting in the least. He’s extremely open to everybody’s personality, recognizing that “everyone brings their own flavor to the table.”
Afterwards, everyone agreed that working with Ken was a very worthwhile and good experience. 
~ Roger Canann
Ken delivers a powerful package: coach, trainer, alignment practitioner, and fun human to work with.
I’ve had the pleasure of partnering with Ken to deliver alignment coaching and training for my company.
Ken was a huge help with the design and delivery of team sessions. I feel proud to have him on our team because the clients Ken is coaching are clearly getting value and enjoy working with him.
I hired Ken because I personally benefited from his coaching when I was stuck and not making any progress finishing my book. Ken used his knowledge of the Enneagram to coach me out of my excuses and discover a part of myself that loved writing!
Since I got my book done, I’ve enjoyed watching Ken become an alignment super user. He truly delivers a powerful package, coach, trainer, alignment practitioner, and fun human to work with.
~ Patty Beach
CEO LeadershipSmarts
Author The Art of Alignment A Practical Guide to Inclusive Leadership
I enjoyed working with Ken and feel I received good value for my investment.
I decided to work with coach Ken because I was having trouble deciding on a focus for my next career moves.
I'd had a long career in government, moved to academia and found myself at a crossroads: Do I stay in academia? Do I go back to government? Do I go to school to get my PhD?
I wanted someone to help me consider the options and provide some outside perspective.
I had never worked with a coach before - and had never even met Ken before we started working together. (We still haven't met in person, only over zoom!)
Ken was able to build rapport quickly. He listened well, provided insights, and asked good questions to get me thinking and to help me focus on what *I* wanted.
He also did a personality profile to help me see my strengths and weaknesses.
After completing our coaching together, I decided to enroll in a PhD program and have just completed my first year.
I enjoyed working with Ken and feel I received good value for my investment.
Ken is a positive and caring person who listens well and provides useful, actionable feedback.
~ Daniel Alfonso
Our team left the meeting feeling aligned and committed to the decisions that we reached
Ken facilitated a daylong executive meeting for our global People & Culture leadership team.
Our objectives were to:
- create a north star for our people and culture function
- identify strategic levers to get to our north star
- form a team charter with our leadership team
This was a challenging assignment due to the mix of different cultures. Ken also had to "play within the box" - working within a global strategy that was already set.
We were impressed with Ken's preparation and delivery - he made productive use of our limited time together. We appreciated his industry knowledge, along with his ability to listen and allow the team to brainstorm and generate their own ideas instead of coming in with his own agenda.
We met our objectives and our team left the meeting feeling aligned and committed to the decisions that we reached.
~ Nikhil Shahane
I especially appreciate Ken’s high-quality feedback. It can be hard to find people who are neutral, candid, and skilled in this area.
Ken functions as a sounding board for me.
It’s great to have a neutral third party who isn’t involved in the company dynamics to provide perspective and good, honest feedback.
Our work together is primarily around strengthening alignment and building and maintaining relationships with my peers.
In considering how to engage with others, I like to think through scenarios and evaluate different paths for how things might play out using logical if, then, else structures.
During these sessions, Ken might ask “have you thought about X or Y?” Or he may simply agree with my thinking. Either way, I find it helpful to have him validate that I am notionally headed in the right direction.
I appreciate that Ken always listens first. I’ve worked with other executive coaches in the past and it often seemed like they were following a script. Ken takes a more tailored approach. He asks questions to make sure that we’re going to focus on what is important and relevant to ME.
He’s also genuine. He walks his talk by embodying what he teaches.
I especially appreciate Ken’s high-quality feedback. It can be hard to find people who are neutral, candid, and skilled in this area. He’s also easy to connect with – which is important in a relationship like this.
~ Chris Olive
Ken is helping me fill in gaps in my leadership – with dignity, respect, courage, and kindness
When I started working with Ken, I really didn't know what help I needed.
One of the first things I did with Ken was the Enneagram. I had never really bought into the idea of personality tests. but this one really allowed me to discover who I am and what that looks like to others. I already knew I was a mathematical, organized, scientific, problem-solving person – but the report was a revelation: I could see where I excelled, where I had challenges, and what I was missing.
The great thing about Ken is that he didn’t TELL me I was missing anything, he allowed me to discover it on my own.
Through our work together, he is helping me fill in gaps in my leadership – with dignity, respect, courage, and kindness. He is *amazing* at what he does. I could not have asked for a better coach!
This journey of self-discovery, learning better leadership skills, and evolving into a better person is a difficult journey – harder than I expected it to be.
Ken is very positive, encouraging, and motivating. He has supported me to keep going – not by pushing me – but by affirming my progress and reminding me that “you’ve got this!”
As a result, I’m a more competent leader, a better friend, a better partner, a better parent, a better manager. Just better all around!
Before working with Ken, I’d rely too heavily on my mathematical “let’s get this done” side and not address the emotional side. Now I try to connect and bond on an emotional level. As a result, my staff are far more open with me now. They still respect me as their boss, but our office dynamic is more like a family.
I couldn't put a price on the impact for me both professionally and personally. It’s been invaluable.
I’ve met very few people in my life that I’ve been really in awe of how good they are at what they do – and Ken is one of those people. He has the knowledge, the skills, and the emotional intelligence to make things happen. I’m really thankful for his support. And I’m happy that he can put all his talents to use to make such a powerful impact for people.
~ Angela Calvert
Ken "meets people where they are" with curiosity and openness
Ken is awesome!
Ken and I developed and facilitated an Enneagram course together with a third partner.
As a collaborator, Ken is a great co-creator - very supportive, receptive, and easy to work with. He takes a “yes and” approach to integrating everyone’s ideas and will eagerly and happily participate in whatever role he was in – whether that was leading, teaching, facilitating breakout groups, or supporting me.
During the workshops, I noticed how well he “meets people where they are” with curiosity and openness. As a teacher, he pulls information and ideas from various sources and he’s skilled at integrating whatever participants bring up into the topic at hand.
He’s also able to handle whatever comes up – if something were to go wrong, he wouldn’t get flustered, he’d just deal with it.
Ken is a great partner, an approachable teacher, and a warm and gentle soul. I feel lucky to have had a chance to work with him and would happily do so again.
~ Heidi Kraft
Comments from coaching clients who prefer to remain anonymous
Not every client feels comfortable sharing a testimonial (and we never pressure people to do so!)
I found a lot of value in coaching with Ken.
Ken allowed me to comfortably explore which habits I needed to start up, and he helped provide accountability forming those habits. I wasn’t going to show up to our sessions without hitting our goals!
You have a knack for striking a good balance between sharing your opinions/coaching vs letting me reflect and think.
Ken has helped me realize how important work is to me and how hard it is for me when work isn’t going well.
I feel like I am much more aware of what commitments I am making and am tracking more honestly how I am following through with them. I have been more in touch with the situations in the past, which have shaped my assumptions about taking risk and I feel braver in the face of challenge.
You made me feel very comfortable and confident sharing my experiences and feelings.
I always felt heard without judgment and with kindness.
You asked thoughtful and perceptive questions.
I think I’m a bit more humble and proactive as a result of Ken’s coaching. Ken helped me, though painfully at times, realize how my arrogance and ambition has been getting in the way of what I want.
I loved working with you Ken. The environment you created was safe, warm and supportive.
I feel more stable and confident.
Ken helped me structure my thoughts, reflect on my recent past and how we could leverage our strengths and be better prepared for the future.
Very friendly and informal interactions, which was key. I thought we build rapport quickly.
Your strengths: Enthusiasm, engagement and curiosity
Before we began coaching, I believed boredom was an inherently bad thing. I believed that negative emotions were fundamentally bad and should be avoided wherever possible. I believed that there were things I “should” do and used that phrase much more than “I choose to”. I believed that there was more joy to be found in brevity over depth, and resisted narrowing my choices. I believed that meditation was a waste of time and that somatic coaching was a bit silly. On all these counts, you have proved me wrong and I am very grateful. Today, I can ground myself in the face of strong emotions, not every single time unfortunately but it’s definitely a growing tool. I find joy in “choosing” rather than fear I’ll make the wrong choice. I admire huge value in depth and I’m even doing some meditating!
Even though it was something I was a bit skeptical about, coaching has been some of the most impactful work I’ve done.
Ken helped me be proactive by helping me develop helpful habits. These include daily meditation, healthier exercise routine, and being a better teammate at work by not sweating all of the small things.
I really felt that you cared and were deeply engaged in what I was working through.