Mark Crouter
Mark Crouter
Professional Certified Coach Strengths Coach
Mark Crouter provides strengths-based career and leadership coaching to clients at every stage of career and work life, from early career to the cusp of retirement. He brings to his coaching practice more than 45 years of leadership and management experience as a Navy officer, information technology manager, and cybersecurity consultant.
Mark is the designer and mentor of several programs to help people understand their value in the workplace, articulate their talents and strengths, develop their personal vision of success, and create actionable goals and plans to reach their full potential. He also provides individual coaching for a more in-depth exploration of career opportunities, challenges, and options. His programs include:
- Discover Your Strengths
- Telling Powerful Stories—Yours!
- Leveraging Your Top Talents: Awareness, Appreciation, and Action.
- Career Branding: Your Personal Value Proposition.
- The Power of Networking: Meaningful Connections, One at a Time.
- Visualizing Your Future: Your Personal Vision of Success.
“I love working with people to help them bring out the best in themselves and put that to work. My work draws on proven principles, practical approaches, and demonstrated skill in individual and group coaching.”
Academic and Professional Background
Mark is a Professional Certified Coach and a member of the International Coaching Federation. He holds a Certificate in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University and is also a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Virginia, a Master of Science degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California, and a Graduate Certificate in Information Security Management from The George Washington University. He is also a graduate of the US Naval Postgraduate School and the US Naval War College.
“I take great satisfaction helping others to grow, develop, and challenge themselves to fulfill their potential in work and in life.”
Personal Profile
Growing up in a military family, I was drawn to a career of service—first as a Navy pilot, then as a consultant supporting federal agencies in the management of information systems and security. I learned about the value of coaching through leadership development programs and pursued training and education in coaching to become a better leader and manager myself. My own experiences with lifelong learning and development inform and reinforce my commitment to help others to shape their own careers and create the best version of themselves—at any age and any stage of life. I still seek to be of service to others through coaching and teaching.
“Doing and Becoming: When we do something different, we become someone different. When we become someone different, we can do something different.”
Cultural Perspectives
The conventional wisdom of the 20th Century (when I entered the workforce) doesn’t fit the world of work in the 21st Century. We need new approaches and perspectives to adapt to the pace of change and disruption. In today’s economy, people can expect to have several careers in the course of their life and many jobs over those careers. We used to ask, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Now we ask, “What do you want to be NEXT?” Whatever the future holds, it’s critical for every person to have a clear understanding of their values, talents, strengths, and capabilities; to be able to express their value clearly to employers, managers, customers, and colleagues; and to create their own definition of success and satisfaction.
“The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The work of life is to develop it. The meaning of life is to give your gift away.”
—David Viscott