SEBASTIAN LITTLE
FOUNDER, LEADERSHIP AND PERFORMANCE COACH
Sebastian is the founder of SLP where he partners with high-performing leaders and teams to optimize culture, close performance gaps, and unlock leadership potential. He has worked with clients across professional sports, non-profit, and corporate spaces. Sebastian’s coaching approach consists of a mix of ontology, positive psychology, and mental performance.
Sebastian worked as a consultant at the McChrystal Group, a management consulting and leadership development firm in Washington, D.C., founded by retired 4-star general Stan McChrystal. He is a graduate of Yale University and former varsity football athlete. During his Yale tenure, he partnered with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence as both a student and an intern, creating a curriculum on emotionally intelligent leadership. He received his PCC credential through the International Coaching Federation and his ACCC professional coach certification through the Accomplishment Coaching training program.
A coach’s job is to say the thing you don’t want to hear, see the thing you don’t want to see, and ultimately… help you become the person you want to become. Our approach combines principles of ontology, positive psychology, and mental performance.
In another life, I’m pretty sure I was a…
A Mascot. Without question.
If I were a superhero, my superpower would be…
Telekinesis. I’d go around lifting things in the air and muttering, “the force is strong with this one”.
The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is…
“Do the next thing”. In moments of overwhelm and stress, this is something I’ve consistently come back to. It is a reminder that I can take small actions within my control to continue moving forward.
My favorite book that I’ve read over the last year is…
Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday. This is a bit of a cop out since I try to read this every year… but it remains a book of timeless wisdom about the importance of intentionality and slowness.
What advice would you give a candidate who wants to join our team of superstars?
Be you and bring you. It’s a bit cliché, but it’s how we operate on our team everyday. When we embrace our quirky gifts, intuitive habits, and refuse to discount on our brilliance, the world benefits.
My top 5 Clifton Strengths are:
Arranger, Responsibility, Significance, Communication, Activator
MY JOURNEY
Hi, I’m Seb -
I’m a Performance + Leadership Coach and self-titled Super-achiever (we’ll get there in a second).
Growing up, I never felt like I belonged. I was raised by an incredible mother and grandmother in a household with an absent father. Needless to say, there was plenty of maternal energy as I navigated boyhood at home. As I entered school, it was in first grade that I first noticed my skin was darker than everyone else’s in the classroom. I identify as bi-racial (half-white, half-black) and I often found myself in spaces where I stood out based on the color of my skin, never fitting in completely with the black kids or the white kids. As I moved into high school, sports and school became increasingly important as I set my sights on playing college football. As much as I may have tried, I didn’t quite fit the mold of the typical straight-A student or the macho athlete. While I had tons of social circles, I didn’t fit perfectly in just one.
As I reflect, my upbringing was characterized by living in worlds that I didn’t feel I fully belonged. I blended to fit in, but I was lonely because I stood out. I made the early decision, ‘if I was going to stand out, I wanted to be the very best’. So I performed. I got good grades, was a model community citizen, won leadership awards, played football at a prestigious Ivy League school (Go Bulldogs!), and got a great first job at a boutique consulting firm. The high bar of achievement paid off and my well-developed performance muscle yielded the intended results I had desired.
But enough was never enough. To a Super-Achiever, there were more challenges to conquer and more impact to make. With the constant drive for more came burnout at work, the end of a long-term romantic relationship, and a big ole mess about who I was and what I represented. I realized I was using performance and excellence as a currency for love, acceptance, belonging, and worthiness.
About a year ago, I decided to step off the success path most traveled. During a global pandemic, I made the decision to leave my high-powered consulting job, bet it all on myself, and start the coaching and consulting practice I had talked about for years.
Now, I love what I do, who I do it with, and most importantly, I’ve developed an empowered relationship with myself that’s not dependent upon how many As I got or touchdowns I scored.
It’s great to be with you and I hope to connect soon.
Bring the JUICE,
Seb
