Meet Mike Ungar | Business Coach and Executive Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mike Ungar and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mike, what’s your definition for success?
Each person has to define success for themselves. One cannot rely on someone else to do this. Defining success is liberating and empowering. I like to set measurable goals and focus on achieving them. The analogy I use is that of going on a road trip. You don’t leave on a road trip without a destination in mind otherwise you risk going nowhere. That doesn’t prevent you from changing your destination along the way if you decide there is somewhere else you would like to go. It is the same thing with goal setting. If while working towards your goal you learn something that causes you to consider changing them, then so be it. It is likely that you have already achieved much because you set goals to begin with.

I organize goals into four areas: health and fitness, family and relationships, business, and finance. For example, in the area of health and fitness, I have goals about how often I will workout, my weight, and consistently seeing the appropriate health providers. In the area of family and relationships, I want to spend time with my family and cultivate relationships with friends and colleagues. In the area of business, I would like to continue to expand my business coaching and my work with Industry 4.0. With regards to finance, I want to ensure my finances are adequate for my wife and I to be able to enjoy activities we choose in the future.  I haven’t shared the details about my goals here, but it is important to write your goals in SMART (Specific, Measureable, Aligned with your values, Relevant, Time-based) format to help drive accomplishment.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Today I am a FocalPoint Business Coach and Executive Coach helping business leaders achieve their full potential, both personally and professionally. During my 35-year career at Michelin where I held leadership roles in continuous improvement, operations, finance, and human resources, I always enjoyed coaching others whether it was as a manager or as part of my job responsibilities. This passion for coaching led me to become a FocalPoint Business and Executive Coach.

What sets me apart from other coaches is that I want to first understand the needs of the person who is asking for assistance. Once I understand their needs, I can tailor a coaching plan specifically designed to help them. I bring three things together to ensure success for my clients: 1) my 40+ years of leadership and business experience; 2) the FocalPoint intellectual property and network of experienced coaches, and 3) the business leader’s knowledge of their business.

One of the keys to success as a coach and as a leader is the ability to listen and ask questions to fully understand. The priority is always listening to the business leader’s needs. Business leaders typically have challenges in one of four areas:
1. Use of their time effectively and efficiently.
2. Challenges with working with their team to achieve excellent business results.
3. A lack of revenue growth or cash flow challenges.
4. Preparing for the future.
Clearly understanding the business leader’s needs gives a Business Coach the opportunity to work with the leader to quickly overcome the obstacles getting in the way of excellent business results.

Not only do I enjoy my work as a Business Coach, but I also am engaged in supporting Veteran Entrepreneurs and actively assisting others with Career Coaching as the need arises. I feel it is important to give back to the community. When working with a young person about their career, I often do this for a nominal fee and ask that in 20 years when they are successful in their pursuits that they pay it forward to others who might need their assistance.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We have been residents of the Greenville, SC community for almost 40 years. There have been a lot of changes over these four decades. There are several places that we like to frequent and take visitors. In the area of restaurants, we enjoy eating at a local restaurant in Five Forks called Olympian. My wife says they have the best salmon in town. When we go out for a special meal and don’t want to venture downtown, we enjoy eating at ChopHouse 47. The food, wine list, and service are impeccable. There are many great restaurants in downtown Greenville like Hall’s ChopHouse, Soby’s, Rick Erwin’s Westside, and BrickTops. Of course, one can’t talk about restaurants without mentioning the great barbecue we have in town at Lewis Barbecue and SBH.

Beyond the food, Greenville has a wonderful zoo which is worth a visit especially for families and a great children’s museum. We also enjoy the many parks in town, especially Unity Park, Cleveland Park, and Legacy Park. Greenville has several great small theaters where one can go and see a play put on by local and regional actors. Finally, we enjoy getting out of town and heading towards the Smokies with a visit to Landrum or Lake Lure.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

I would like to dedicate this shoutout to everyone who has given me advice over the years. There are too many people to thank each of them individually. And there are individuals that I have had the opportunity to observe who don’t even know that by their actions they were influencing my life.

With that being said, I do have to single out my wife, Mindy, for her support and love over what is now almost four decades. Her support has allowed me to pursue both personal and professional opportunities that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. I also want to highlight my experience as a Cadet at the United States Military Academy. These four years at West Point were pivotal in helping me to learn about myself and about leadership.

Website: www.michaelungar.focalpointcoaching.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-ungar/