Never Walk Alone – Abroad
EXECUTIVE COACHING FOR EXPATS
Experience-driven executive coaching and mentoring for expat CEOs who struggle to figure out how to lead exceptionally well in Czechia, Romania, and abroad.
Why Should You Never Walk Alone as an Expat CEO?
EXECUTIVE COACHING FOR EXPAT CEOS
Moving abroad to lead and make a real difference on a foreign market is a mighty endeavor. When I moved from Romania to Czechia in 2004, I had no idea what life had in store for me. Five years later, I was leading Czech Business Weekly, the only English language magazine on the Czech market, as its deputy editor in chief. Six years later, in 2010, I was starting my own business also on a foreign market and in my fourth language. If there is something that life has taught me it is that to be exceptionally successful abroad, we need to be able to strike gold right in the middle: to remain ourselves to honor our own strengths, and to understand and embrace the local culture to leverage its own strengths. This is easier said than done, which is exactly why I want us to work together. As an expat CEO coming to a new market to make a difference, you should never walk alone.
Cristina demonstrated a wide experience leading communications during our common projects. She supported the generation of creative ideas and concepts that contributed to our success. Cristina also managed and maximized the company’s social media presence by facilitating interviews and providing regularly published content on select media outlets. Above all, it was a pleasure working with her.
This is how I serve:
Women CEOs Expats
Being a woman CEO is tough anytime, anywhere. Becoming mindful of the potential gender biases present in the culture in which you will lead can be a game changer for your future success. I am here for you.
Men CEOs Expats
“I need you to come in to tell me how to handle them, or I will kill them.” Literally the words of one of my male expat CEOs when confronted with certain specifics of the Czech culture. Would you like to understand how to pull, not push, your new company to success on your new market? I am here for you.
How Does Never Walk Alone Work?
The Process
This versatile executive coaching and mentoring program, Never Walk Alone, has been designed to help you address the specific challenges you face today. I invite you to join me in a thorough process aimed to make sure you achieve maximum results, impact, and bang for your buck.
Step 0 – Let's talk
Let’s take 30 minutes to get to know each other. Free of charge, no strings attached. During this time we will talk, bond, and I will be happy to listen to the greatest professional and personal challenges you are facing right now. Based on this conversation we both can make a decision whether to continue in our conversation or not.
Step 1 – Diagnosis and Goal Setting
When we decide to work together, we will dive into your program with a 30-minute diagnosis and goal setting. We will specify your objectives and the desired outcomes you want to achieve by the end of our program. Based on this diagnosis we identify the urgency of your topics and we select the topic for your first session.
Step 2 – Delivery
In this phase we deep dive into your challenge. To do this I will use my entire professional development toolbox: executive coaching and reflective inquiry to clarify your path, executive mentoring to leverage your real-life experience and know-how, training simulations to prepare you for what’s coming your way, and techniques such as visualization and somatic exercises. Our sessions can be recorded. Do expect self-reflective exercises and extensive asynchronous support via WhatsApp and email between our one-on-one sessions.
Step 3 – Feedback and Follow-Up
As we wrap up our development program, we’ll assess your current position, progress, and challenges still lurking on your path. I welcome your feedback and a rich discussion on our collaboration and ways to improve it going forward. As you grow, so too will your horizon expand – and your challenges. This is why most of my clients decide to continue our partnership through a different executive mentoring package designed to help them tackle new challenges arising from their success.
Should You Define Your Challenges Alone?
COMPLEX 360°ASSESSMENT
Sometimes it can be helpful to reflect and work on the challenges you know you have without further interventions. On the other hand, when you are about to enter a complex stakeholder environment with multiple perspectives and demands, it can be helpful to get them on board with your development. This is why I offer you two 360° assessment formulas aimed to help you make sure that you are focusing on the right challenges and you progress in a direction that is aligned with your stakeholders' expectations from you.
360° ASSESSMENT ONLINE SURVEY FORMULA
In this formula you identify up to 12 key stakeholders who should answer a compact set of questions related to your leadership profile, strengths, weaknesses, and development needs. Stakeholders receive a link to a survey form and they are invited to fill it in usually within 14 days. Afterwards we collect the data and we allow the results to inform our choices of challenges to tackle together during your development program.
Price: 1,000 EUR (VAT not included)
360° ASSESSMENT DIRECT INTERVIEW FORMULA
In this formula we identify up to 12 key stakeholders whom we will interview personally. All stakeholders will receive a scripted set of questions pertaining to your leadership profile, strengths, weaknesses, and development needs. Stakeholder live virtual interviews may take up to 20 minutes per individual. Afterwards we transcribe the interviews, collect the data, and we allow this thorough and robust information to fuel our choice of challenges to tackle together during your development program.
Price: 3,000 EUR (VAT not included)
The Success Formula
Why Three Options of Never Walk Alone?
I am here to serve you with the precise type of intensity and urgency you require. Based on my experience serving over 200 individual clients I can say with conviction that these three formulas usually meet clients’ needs best, which I why I recommend you explore them in depth.
Under Pressure
3SESSIONS
This flexible 4-hour formula is best for you when you are under tons of stress: you get ready to hold a keynote in front of your new company and all eyes are on you; you prepare for a key stakeholder meeting or presentation (client meeting, regulators, investors, trade & business associations etc.); you are about to give your first interview to a local medium and you’re concerned about cultural nuances and the specific mindset of local journalists; you are facing crisis communications on social media and in traditional media and you need quick orientation and support; you are about to leave your role and you want to craft a heartfelt goodbye speech etc. In this formula we can collaborate in a compact 4-hour workshop with 2 small breaks or divide the time into two 2-hour sessions, or three sessions of 90 and 60 minutes respectively.
Price: 3,000 EUR (VAT not included)
Solution
6SESSIONS
This formula is ideal when your challenge is a bit more robust and a bit more stretched in time than UNDER PRESSURE. For example, you have just landed and you want to understand the new culture and your stakeholders in depth; you are about to design the architecture of your new executive team and you want to make sure you are about to retain / hire the right people; you need to craft a personal branding / CEO communications strategy that will help you gain the trust of your employees, clients, and other stakeholders etc. This formula is also ideal when you want to develop a specific skill: public speaking, storytelling or media interview skills in your new culture. We can agree on six sessions of 7 hours (two 90-minute sessions and four 60-minute sessions), with enough time in between for self-reflection, practice, training, and action to achieve your desired results.
Price: 5,000 EUR (VAT not included)
Transformation
12SESSIONS
This option is life-changing – and that’s not just a phrase. This session package is ideal for facing a major professional or life challenge: when you become the expat CEO of a company in crisis / you came to close down a company or business line; your company is facing constant massive client or regulatory pressures and you need to work intensively at your public affairs and public communications to fix things; you want to sculpt a personal brand that will serve your company and your future career steps; you decide to exit your corporate organization and to start your own business on your new foreign market; etc. This 12-session (13-hour) package is spread over six months to allow for a maximum of self-reflection and action room for your healthy, sustainable growth.
Price: 8,000 EUR (VAT not included)
Crisis Intervention: Short & Sharp
Picture it: your boss just told you that your department will be closed. You grasp for air. You don’t know how to respond. This is exactly when my SHORT & SHARP sessions come in handy. When life pulls to rug from under your feet and you need to avoid saying or doing something you may later regret, I am here for you.
Short & Sharp: Quick Compass
30Minutes
This pinch-like intervention can literally save your reputation. Our session is aimed to help you compose yourself, regain critical distance, and make a sound decision fast. For example: you need to bounce back quickly after an upsetting internal announcement and state your position; a journalist is waiting for your response; a co-worker did something unacceptable and you want to give them feedback without biting their head off etc. Quick Compass is ideal when you are in a rush AND you want to preserve your cool head and respond wisely in a way you won’t later regret.
Price: 400 EUR (VAT not included)
Book your Short & Sharp session hereShort & Sharp: Strategic Orientation
60Minutes
Imagine this intervention as taking a clarity pill. You need to cut through the fog, identify your next steps, and make sure you’re on the right path. This intervention is ideal for my former clients who want to discuss a certain topic without being enrolled in a fully-fledged coaching and mentoring program, or for future clients who want to sample the quality of my work before committing to a longer development program. Strategic Orientation helps you ground yourself, regain critical distance, and clarify your next steps in the direction of your desired objective.
Price: 700 EUR (VAT not included)
Book your Short & Sharp session here
With Whom Will You Work?
Your Mentor and Coach
I will work with you personally. Never Walk Alone is a work of love and a carrier of my own purpose and positive impact on the world. This is why I would be honored to get to know you and for us to address your challenges together.
If you want to learn more about me, my qualifications, and my story, please feel free to visit my My Story page.
Your Success is My Success
TESTIMONIALS
I feel incredibly privileged to be able to work with some of the smartest, most heartfelt and impactful leaders and CEOs on this planet. Feel free to check my clients’ reflections on our work together.
Cristina has the talent to tune in to a specific group or individual and to design a program according to very specific needs. She creates relationships based on trust that are a good basis for the development of individuals or groups. Her language skills and multicultural experience are also an added value. Cooperation with Cristina is very rewarding and at the same time very pleasant. Cristina will not push anyone to achieve their goal; everyone must find the will to develop within themselves. Yet she will gently accompany and support you in this whole process.
During my time as CEO of Foxconn Global Services Division (FGSD) in the Czech Republic I became acquainted with Cristina when we both worked on a specific account development project. The cooperation worked so well that we asked Cristina to work more intensively for my organization in order to develop the Communications and Marketing strategy for FGSD. I must say that working with her changed not only my professional, but also my private life. It changed my view on things that one can observe daily in the media and it definitely added value to my business by leveraging the company resources in order to enable sustainability and growth. I am no longer working as CEO of Foxconn GSD, but I will certainly rely on Cristina again in the future to support me personally in all aspects of company communication, to train people in my organisation and to support with developing sales and HR team capabilities. As a modern CEO I recognize that communications and marketing require a professional approach. For that you must rely on real professionals. Professionals like Cristina. As a CEO I found it delightful to work with Cristina because you can rely on her with all aspects of your communications and marketing both for the company and for you as a leader.
Cristina had a great impact on my communication style and my emotional intelligence during an important development time in my life. She helped me get to the next, higher level in my professional and personal life. She was extremely patient and flexible while serving my needs. Cristina opened my “analytical mind” and broadened my perspective to include the importance of seeking to understand. Cristina can point very sensitively to all the aspects that need improvement or focus in your communications and she can fully respect your personal needs at the same time. Emotional intelligence and psychology is a very abstract science to me, yet Cristina managed to change my perspective on the importance of improving these skills.
It takes a rare gift, outstanding knowledge of the media world, and the skill of a coach to teach a person to craft a message both interesting to journalists and memorable to the reader. Cristina Muntean does an outstanding job of teaching you to be a media-savvy CEO while still being yourself.
My Services Will Yield ROI for You for Years to Come
HOW CAN YOU CALCULATE THE ROI OF YOUR INVESTMENT IN MY INDIVIDUAL COACHING AND MENTORING SERVICES?
Here are a couple of ways you can use to measure the ROI of my individual coaching and mentoring services NEVER WALK ALONE:
Calculate the value of your reputation and personal brand during and after your current CEO mandate. How will your regional and global market value increase and how will your compensation negotiation levers manifest when you apply for your next CEO role?
The difference between your current salary and the salary you will receive in your new regional / global CEO role. Multiply that by 36 – 36 is the minimum length of a CEO mandate, or by 50, the average length of a regular CEO mandate. Anything on top of that is a bonus – my treat 😊
Imagine that you give an interview for Forbes. Your exposure will bring you a minimum of 6 pages for free. If you were to pay for advertising on 6 pages, you would pay a minimum of 10 000 EUR per page (it can be more function of the maturity of your market). By giving one good interview you save your company a minimum of 60 000 EUR. The instant ROI in my services: 7.5.
Calculate the value of your good name and access to premium / exclusive services that your visibility offers yourself, your children, family members, and other people you care about.
Calculate the positive impact of writing a book on your local, regional, and global reputation. How will your market value, negotiation power, and career and life management opportunities expand once you become a reputable published author?
Calculate the value of your peace of mind when you know you run a business that respects you. Priceless, isn’t it?
If the ROI calculation for my services is a topic of your interest, please book a call and let’s calculate it together.
Don't Walk Alone
Book a simple and quick 30-minute call with me personally to get to know each other and to assess the magnitude of your challenges as an expat CEO. I promise I will invite you in to work together only when I believe we could be a great fit; both our time is precious and I wish only the best for you, for myself, for your business and for my own business. The 30-minute call is a free, no-strings-attached virtual conversation. You literally have nothing to lose – and everything to win.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the questions I receive regularly from potential clients. Take a look, clarify your next steps, and let’s talk.
Is NEVER WALK ALONE for CEOs only?
No. NEVER WALK ALONE is an executive coaching and mentoring program for present, former, and future women CEOs. It can also be used by women and men entrepreneurs – founders & CEOs, by expat CEOs or by men CEOs who strive to improve their emotional intelligence and leadership repertoire. The simplest way to check whether this program is for you is to book a direct call with me and we will take it from there.
Is NEVER WALK ALONE for women expat CEOs only?
No. NEVER WALK ALONE is an executive coaching and mentoring program dedicated to any expat CEO who wants to be exceptionally successful in their role on their new market. My preference to work with women leaders serves directly into the mission of my company VORNICA® – to triple the number of women CEOs in Europe by 2030. However, men are wonderful clients as well and they are more than welcome to use NEVER WALK ALONE to amplify their leadership and their impact.
Who pays for NEVER WALK ALONE?
It depends on the phase in your career and life. Clients who are about to be promoted CEOs or who are already CEOs usually get their bill settled by their company. On the other hand, clients who eye an exit from the corporate environment in order to launch their own businesses or who are not employed by a company anymore choose to settle their bills by themselves.
Is the price of NEVER WALK ALONE the same if paid from one’s own pocket or by a company?
Yes. The value provided to the end customer throughout this service is the same. The only difference is that function of your location in the world and the various VAT regimes applicable in our countries, we might be able to use a VAT exemption that will shave off 21% of VAT from your final bill in case you are a physical person covering your costs by yourself.
Is the price of NEVER WALK ALONE the same when applied to clients from Western Europe and North America, and to clients from Eastern Europe and other parts of the world?
Yes. The value provided to the end customer throughout this service is the same. The only difference – same as above – is that function of your location and the various VAT regimes applicable for our countries, we might be able to use a VAT exemption that will shave off 21% of VAT from your final bill.
How much time do I have to use my sessions?
It depends on the formula you purchased. In general I recommend using UNDER PRESSURE in less than a month, SOLUTION in less than three months, and TRANSFORMATION in less than 6 months.
Will our sessions be recorded?
Yes, should you choose so. One of the greatest advantages of working together online is that we can preserve everything through session recording. Thus, during the session we can focus on each other and on the challenge at hand, and less on note-taking.
How do you protect my data privacy?
Your psychological and data safety are my massive concern. Protecting your psychological safety is one of the reasons I chose not to become a digital nomad even though I work remotely – because I want to offer you my full attention from a private space with no interruptions, noise, and background distractions. In terms of data safety, all your data is stored in the cloud in a folder accessible only to you and I, and on my private server for back-up. Your data is deleted as soon as our program together has ended and I have your permission to clean up our servers.
Do you work only online or can we have our sessions in-person as well?
99.99% of my work is done online. This is how I get to serve clients from all over the world, and to protect my time and boundaries without burning out. However, if I happen to be in your home city and we both decide it would be nice to run a session in-person, I will be happy to oblige. Yet, expect this to be the rare exception rather than the usual way of working together.