Coaching in the Future of Work

Hi, my name is Les. I am a coach specialized in cross-cultural management and innovation. Supporting executives, leaders and entrepreneurs to thrive amidst change in the future of work. And….I am building my coaching practice in Europe.

I first moved to Brussels in 1986 - at a time when the new European Union was moving from Concept to Reality. Specializing in global management, I completed my M.Sc Management at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)/ Boston University and MBA at California State University. As a management consultant, I specialized in cross-cultural management and have advised Fortune 50 clients including 3M, Du Pont, GE, GM, Dow and Bayer on their international strategy.

As a leadership and Innovation coach, I bring a passion for supporting leaders in managing transitions, engaging multinational teams, and thriving within new cultures. I have coached executives and leaders from HSBC, Citi, Morgan, McKinsey, Bayer, Bain, Amazon, and the US State Department. I am professionally trained in coaching at New York University, Group Coaching at GCHQ, New York and Transitions Coaching (TQ) at MEA.

As Coach-in-Residence at Almaworks, I supporting tech entrepreneurs and their teams at Columbia University. I have also coached PhDs at University of Melbourne, Australia and initiating coaching for creative industries leaders at Yale. As an International Coaching Federation (ICF) Ignite Coaching Fellow, I am now building South Asia’s first coaching program to support young leaders in tribal communities. As

Objective for 2025-2026

I am Columbia University’s first Research Scholar on Coaching, I am researching the future of work and examine how coaching supports leaders across borders in building successful career transitions, relocations, engaging AI, and managing multicultural teams. As a coach, I bring unique skillsets in creativity and support founders and teams in building creative solutions.

As an example - a pilot

• First, as a Coach-in-Residence I can work directly with senior leaders on honing strategic decision-making, resilience, and emotional intelligence—skills essential to leadership philosophy. Holding office hours I can meet with executives as they need, Through one-on-one coaching sessions, we define individual goals aligned with the company’s values, mission and focus.

• Then, Bridge teams across regions: I would lead workshops on cultural intelligence, equipping executives with tools to recognize and leverage the unique strengths of their diverse teams. In addition to 1:1 coaching, I would also conduct team-building sessions that promote inclusive communication, active listening, and conflict resolution, all vital for managing remote and hybrid teams effectively.

• Finally, explore how coaching can cultivate a unified, forward-thinking leadership culture across the organization’s global network.

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About: Dr. Les Joynes (b. Santa Barbara, California) is a leadership coach working with leaders in a new era of work. A graduate of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) / Boston University M.Sc European Management Program (M.Sc) and California State University (MBA), Les brings thirty years of global experience across the Americas, EU and Asia Pacific. With a special interest in the future of Europe, he has been resident of France, Belgium, Germany, United Kingdom, Japan and India. In addition to his training in global management, Les is also brings a robust background in creative training in London and Tokyo.

In New York, Les is a Columbia University Research Scholar examining creativity in coaching. As a mentor and coach, Les has served the Columbia Community since 2019 and has coached 100+ MBAs and EMBAs at Columbia Business School and coaches Entrepreneurs and their teams at Columbia Start-Up Lab and Almaworks.

Trained in coaching at New York University, Les is also an ICF-certified group coach. At California State University, Les published with Organizational Behavior specialist, Rami Shani, PhD on parallel learning models instrumental in creating cross-border cooperation in technology. In 2021, he initiated International Coaching Federation’s Global Chapter Connect hosting ICF’s first cross-border events between ICF Belgium and ICF Chicago. He has initiated coaching to culture professionals at Yale, California State University and PhDs at University of Melbourne, Australia.

Les is recipient of EU/Erasmus Award (1995) for France, the Fulbright US Public Diplomacy Awards for Mongolia (2014) and China (2017), . And the Fulbright Academic and Professional Excellence Award for India (2022) and serves as an International Coaching Federation (ICF) Ignite Fellow (2024-2025). He is bilingual in French and English and has worked in Italian, German, Japanese, and is learning Mandarin Chinese.

Certifications: ICF Certified Coach. ICF-NYC DEI Coach Mentor; ICF-certified GCHQ Group Coach; GoldAward Mentor. MBA (California), M.Sc (Brussels), MA (Lon), MA (Japan), PhD (Leeds), Post-doc (Brazil)

Testimonials

“Dr. Joynes is a phenomenal coach who influences how I think, plan, and act, to achieve my ambitions and maximize my potential. His methods combine creative and strategic problem solving techniques that ensure that the paths I define and choose simplify complexities and focus on the most important outcomes. Our work has helped me grow as a more impactful partner to my clients and influential leader and member on my teams” - Peter Sun | Consultant, McKinsey & Company

Coaching is recognized today as a value-add resource for international organizations, diplomatic communities and government working in multi-cultural environments. It is my pleasure to recommend Dr. Les Joynes as an experienced and thoughtful leadership coach. Experienced across thirty-five countries, Les works alongside leaders and teams to build strategic goals, team effectiveness, mission focus, and maintain work-life balance. - Anthony Diaz | Chief, Political and Economic Affairs Advisor Economic Affairs US Department of State; Advisor, U.S. Mission to the United Nations

As a venture capital professional, it's easy to get caught up in a daily routine and relegate career development decisions to our "someday" to-do list. A leadership coach, Dr. Joynes engaged unique approaches to align my professional and personal goals and work-life balance. I highly recommend him. - Hugues Dongmo | Vice President, XBTO Humla Ventures, New York

Les’s unique coaching style blends diverse training and deep experience in both creativity and management enabling him to work effectively with leaders as they build pathways towards their professional and work-life balance goals. -Paulette Rao MCC, BCC