Mike Harden

Mike Harden

Exceptional Coaching for Exceptional Leaders

Learn to think strategically

Develop your leadership skills

Eliminate derailing behaviors

Become a more effective leader

Get mentoring from an experienced executive

Deal effectively with change & uncertainty

Relieve isolation – it’s lonely at the top

Increase your management team's performance

Make better decisions – get better results

Increase employee engagement

Have a sounding board – get unbiased advice

Develop high potential talent

Being Good Isn’t Good Enough Anymore

CEOs work under the watchful eye of shareholders, boards, regulatory watchdogs, the media, and the public. Their successes are short-lived and their missteps magnified. There is little room for error, and no room for doubt, hesitation, or resistance to change.

Mike Harden understands the immense pressure and intense scrutiny; he has lived it, breathed it, and succeeded in spite, and because, of it. One of the Greater DC Area’s most sought-after executive coaches, Mike brings decades of experience to clients, helping them grow and develop into strong guides and guardians for their organizations.

Being a “good” CEO is not enough in today’s rapidly changing, unprecedentedly complex business world. Being good is the same as being adequate. Being great is the only option. Mike’s expertise, understanding, and ability to connect, question, and advise helps good leaders become great leaders.

Here are some Frequently Asked Questions about coaching.

“Business coaching is attracting America’s top CEOs because; put simply, business coaching works. In fact, when asked for a conservative estimate of monetary payoff from the coaching they got… managers described an average return of more than $100,000, or about six times what the coaching had cost their companies.”

- FORTUNE Magazine

About Mike

In a career that has spanned four decades, there is little that Mike Harden has not seen. As an entrepreneur, executive, teacher, mentor, and coach, he has honed his skills and developed an exceptional depth and breadth of knowledge. His experience and insight has made him a sought-after coach and advisor for those charged with guiding their organizations in complex times. With over 14,000 hours of coaching CEOs and other C-level executives — Mike is committed to helping good executives become great leaders.

  • The CEO of Clarity Group, offering top-level executive coaching to CEOs, COOs, Presidents, and business owners.

  • A seasoned international executive who has worked for companies including Bank of America, CitiCorp, Sterling Software, BancTec, and Fiserv. With over 45 years of experience, he has spent 28 years at the CEO/COO level.

  • The former President of a division of a Fortune 500 company, where Mike started with one employee and no revenue, and grew the division to over 1000 people with revenues of $50-$60 million within 14 months.

  • A successful entrepreneur who tackled emerging technology with his ventures, Mike started several new companies in various sectors.

  • A business expert - Mike testified before numerous Congressional committees on emerging technology.

Mike Harden
  • A trusted advisor to business and government leaders from around the world.

  • A trusted source on industry events for news organizations including The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and CNN.

  • A respected lecturer and professor. Mike lectured at George Washington University; held the position of Professor at Strayer University; and was an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland.

  • A former Army Ranger and second-degree black belt in Ju Jitsu, Mike teaches executive security and travel safety through his other company, Executive Security Escape & Evasion.

  • Read Mike's story "Good to Great" in Profiles in Success.


Mike Harden provides each client with a customized coaching experience guided by decades as a CEO. With empathy and compassion, he helps executives break through the plateau of good and climb to greatness.


Latest Blog

Are You Encouraging Insanity in Your Company?

Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. But in business, insanity goes a step further. In business, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results, and then making it a standard operating procedure for everyone to follow. One of the easiest […]
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Don’t End Up As The Best-Looking Horse In A Glue Factory

Your company is having financial problems. Products aren’t selling. You are not keeping up with competitors, and customers are heading out the door. What do you do? Redesign your website. Sure, there’s your top priority right there. If you change your colors to something innovative-looking and add some new content, then the rest will fall […]
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Real Leaders Don’t Complain

I can’t tell you how many times I am in a coaching session with someone, and I end up spending most of the time just listening to them complain. After a while, I have to stop everything and tell them this: The true leader in any organization is the person who doesn’t complain. No truer […]
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