“I was working for a large corporation and was having serious problems with interpersonal relationships. I consulted Mel for advice on how to improve those relationships. He ultimately led me to considerable insight as to how I could change my behavior. As a result, my problems at work essentially disappeared, and I had a very successful career for the next 15 years. His insight and candid comments were invaluable.”
James Gillen JD,
Former Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Prudential Financial Corporation
“In my capacity of Vice-President for Medical Programs and Blood Operations at New York Blood Center, I managed a complex organization of about a thousand employees generating over $300M dollars in revenues. Many of the emerging medical and scientific services were run by physicians.
Dr. L, a female physician with an MBA, was tasked to implement major changes that would impact the entire system. She was getting immensely frustrated by what she considered bureaucracy, and the heavily regulated environment. She became so rigid as to prevent any progress unless her needs and wants were met 100%. Within 2 weeks of the initial coaching session with Mel, Dr. L. expressed an understanding of working with other departments who may not have the same vision as she. Within two months, she was practicing effective relations management and stopped being obstructive. She went on to execute highly complex projects while satisfying all regulatory and policy requirements. To-date, Dr. L is a valued resource and thought leader at NYBC.
I asked Mel to coach Dr. D, a male MD scientist with a naïve understanding of hierarchy and poor perception of his impact on others, was placed in a position reporting to two Directors. He soon fell victim to the conflicting priorities of the two leaders. and became totally paralyzed in his professional development. To his credit, he came to me and asked for help. What could he do better? Why was he incorrectly perceived? Again, I called to Mel. Again, he expressed confidence that he could help. And again, Dr. D made a remarkable recovery, regaining the trust and support of both leaders, through a better understanding of their motivations and of the dynamics of the organization.
As a consultant, I tackled new challenges in unfamiliar organizations while deprived of formal authority. Mel has been invaluable in helping see through the maze of relationships, understand my own value and reach significant successes.”
Pascal George
Former Vice-President for Medical Programs and Blood Operations at New York Blood Center
“The best in his field, Mel Sandler guided my husband, Dr. William Van Ost,MD and myself as we launched the Van Ost Institute for Family Living, Inc., treating alcoholics, addicts and their family members. Mel’s warm, highly knowledgeable but firm guidance led us through a difficult but rewarding process. From management skills to staff issues, working with board members, financial guidance, understanding the medical delivery system and strategies to promote public awareness, his always insightful consultations added just the special note to keep us on a very successful track. Mel Sandler remains to this day one of the most incredibly important people in our lives. To risk unprofessional words, he is a brilliant but gentle man.”
Elaine Van Ost
Co-founder, The Van Ost Institute for Family Living, Inc.
“Mel Sandler brings deep knowledge of organizational dynamics as well as human psychology to his coaching practice. This enables him to analyze and problem solve the most complex and difficult situations whether they involve the challenges of organizational structure or the behavior of one individual. I have relied upon Mel’s insight and guidance across my entire career with great success. I can truly say that I would not have advanced as quickly and as far without his coaching along the way.”
Dave C
Vice President, Commercial Lending
“I’ve spent the bulk of my career as a self-employed entrepreneur, making my own decisions and leading small sales groups. When I switched careers and went to work for a large company I found navigating these waters to be difficult, Mel has been invaluable in coaching me on the inner workings of how bigger companies work, guiding me on how to be ahead of situations before they happen. I highly recommend Mel Sandler as a coach, mentor and strategist for those who want to succeed in today’s business environment.”
Sr. Vice President, Major Hospital System in Greater New York Region
“Initially, Mel served as a career coach while I ran a specialty corporate finance group at a major Wall Street investment bank. Later, he became a trusted advisor to the board when I and my group, established our own boutique investment banking and venture capital firm. The environment we operated in was extremely challenging and complex. With his help and guidance, we were able to achieve an outstanding level of success, closing a number of transactions critical to the survival of our small, newly established company, including one which provided us with over $200 million of profit. His keen insight helped both in managing subordinates, hiring key employees and in negotiating with outside business associates. Mel’s extraordinarily supportive and constructive style allows him to be instantly accepted and received even in the most controversial of situations. He also assisted us in developing insights about the rapidly changing dynamics of our business environment, and then helped us to formulate and implement winning strategies.”
Jack Parell
C.E.O., U.S. Global LLC.
“Mel Sandler stands out in my mind as one of the very best professionals with whom I have worked. He took our EAP at United Airlines to a new level of effectiveness and credibility as a result of his skill in collaborating with company doctors, managers at various levels, and a range of personalities within three distinct labor unions. During a time of turbulent change in the company and the industry, he was an exceptional coach to managers and union officials alike while at the same time working directly with employees having a wide range of personal problems. More than anything, Mel had unusual insight into the complex interrelationships between all components of the workplace, from the nature of the individual tasks, to the people charged with carrying them out, to the management and union oversight that protected the product and the workers. His skill was widely recognized and appreciated.”
Jim Wrich
Former Director, United Airlines Medical Department’s Employee Assistance Program
“I have known Mel for a number of years, and I would like to start this recommendation by saying that Mel is a terrific person to know and a valuable resource to have. Mel understands today’s work environments, and all of the relationships that exist within these environments. He understands how things work on the ground, and is more than capable of supplying any of his client groups with strategies for success. Mel is an invaluable sounding board.”
Carvel Taylor
Former Manager, United Airlines Medical Department’s Employee Assistance Program
“Mel Sandler excelled in his coaching role. He was responsible for serving all of our sites located in the northeast. This included our corporate office, all airports from NYS, NJ to all of New England, and our regional reservations center. He was frequently called upon to coach management and union officials during very challenging circumstances. These included two very painful downsizings and reorganizations. His coaching skills involved helping clients manage very difficult organizational situations, analysis of the decision making process on many levels, how alliances were formed, adaptation to change and, finally helping clients optimize their effectiveness in the face of difficult circumstances.
He was calm in disruptive situations and had a unique ability to hear and understand all points of view. Given his special skills, we called upon him to take on a coaching role within our group and become directly involved in negotiating complex organizational issues on our behalf. He was always effective and appreciated.”
Kevin Rhodes
Advertising Leader | Brand Strategy | Business Development | Digital | Multi-platform | Social
“It has been my good fortune to have worked with Mel over the course of ten years. Mel’s coaching skills and practical strategies have proven to be invaluable to the organizations for which I have sought his guidance. His highly effective techniques and empathetic approach have immeasurably benefited my clients, co-workers and myself as well. I highly recommend Mel to any agency or organization that is goal-oriented and is looking for significant and meaningful outcomes from a professional coach.”
Marcie Cooper
LCSW, C-ASWCM Marcie Cooper, LCSW, C-ASWCM, fmr owner, Marcie Cooper Care Management, LLC, founder, The Hoarding Disorder Institute TM
“Mel Sandler performed coaching and group instruction for a selective group of our field service managers. Our management staff is required to supervise a diverse group of technicians with flexible hours and constantly changing work locations. Our managers were in need of instructional coaching to be more effective communicators with their staff. Mel was highly effective in understanding the unique challenges we encounter (in the telecom industry) and worked with the managers to increase their ability to overcome those challenges. I received very positive feedback from the staff on Mel’s coaching techniques and the suggestions he gave. They were also appreciative of Mel’s sense of humor and how quickly he could relate to the issues at hand.”
Richard Contrera
Director of Operations, Communication Components Solutions, Inc
