Member Since August 2021
Skills
About
Tom Frank is an entrepreneurial executive with more than 25 years of leadership building top tier companies in the advertising, media, software, transportation and education sectors. From his diverse industry experience, Mr. Frank has been able to remain on the cutting edge of emerging technologies, markets, and methodologies for achieving successful commercialization. He is considered an "entrepreneur's entrepreneur" who understands the complexities of customer discovery, launching a new venture, building a world class team, and scaling operations. He has been directly responsible for the turn-around or successful sale of multiple silicon valley start-up companies, as well as contributing his leadership, executive management, and investment support to new companies in multiple markets. Mr. Frank was most recently responsible for running one of the top ranked Entrepreneurship Centers in the country at the University of Michigan. He has built multiple successful start-up incubators and accelerators realizing millions in follow-on funding. He has mentored countless founders, and lectured across the country. He is currently an instructor for the National Science Foundation and corporate innovation advisor to a number of investors and companies. He strives to elevate research into impact.
Thomas Frank
Published content
expert panel
Diversity is a serious topic for businesses in every industry today. Unfortunately, in an effort to show that they are “doing something” about it, some corporations merely pay lip service to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives without actually taking effective action to advance stated goals within their operations, workforce and culture. When employees and consumers notice that a company isn’t taking DEI as seriously as it is claiming to, its brand can be damaged both internally and externally. Here, 14 members of Forbes Coaches Council explore mistakes corporations make in publicizing DEI efforts without following through, and how they can harm a brand.
expert panel
Although it’s the coach’s job to provide guidance to their clients during coaching engagements, the relationship between a coach and a client can be mutually beneficial in that regard. Clients sometimes provide important pieces of constructive feedback to their coaches, which can help a coach grow and evolve as well. Here, 15 members of Forbes Coaches Council share the most impactful feedback they’ve received from their clients and how it has affected their coaching practice and methods.
expert panel
One of the most intimidating and overwhelming parts of joining a new company is going through the onboarding process—but it doesn’t have to be. Onboarding provides a good opportunity for companies to help new hires feel welcome and set them up for success in their position. There are many important aspects to consider to create a clear and productive onboarding process that will benefit both newly hired employees and the company in the long run. Here, 14 members of Forbes Coaches Council discuss the key elements that every onboarding process should include to ensure that new hires feel welcome right off the bat and set them up for long-term success.
expert panel
One of the most challenging aspects of being in a C-level position is having to constantly make choices that impact your company’s success. Needing to make quick decisions all the time can start to feel overwhelming, and people in such positions may find themselves doubting whether they have made the right calls. There are many effective ways for C-level executives to enhance their decision-making skills. Below, 16 members of Forbes Coaches Council discuss some of the best methods for doing so and explain how and why they work.
expert panel
So many people have podcasts these days, all of the work that goes into planning one may not be apparent to listeners. While making a podcast may seem as simple as hopping online and pressing record, there are several critical areas to consider when creating one of your own if you hope to find success. From finding guest speakers to getting your branding down, creating a podcast requires a lot of careful thought, consideration and planning. Here, 11 members of Forbes Coaches Council offer their most important pieces of advice for planning a branded podcast that will help you reach your podcasting objectives.
expert panel
Customer acquisition can be expensive for a new business. It’s important to have loyal, returning customers, but it can be difficult to find them without spending a large part of your budget. When you’re first starting out, though, doing this could break your bottom line. Fortunately, there are some strategies you can implement to reduce the costs associated with bringing in new customers. To help show you the way, 14 members of Forbes Coaches Council weighed in on how businesses can lower expenses while finding innovative new ways to reach prospective clients.
Company details
Ascend Coaching and Training
Company bio
Ascend was created because the field of coaching, training, and management consulting has become a “wild west” of questionable people, practices and ineffective results. Frankly, many professional coaches and trainers don’t have direct experience as leaders and managers. We wanted to build a company that could become a business partner for leaders and teams seeking to improve their own performance. We wanted to be able to deliver a meaningful and measurable return on an investment in coaching and training. We want to be a source of truth. We want to help with the hard decisions. We want to work with people who are committed. Ascend's approach to working with clients is grounded in real world experience. We only know it because we've gone through it ourselves.