Meet Lance Lanier
I didn’t set out to become a coach. I set out to be a Marine, then a lawyer, then a federal government leader. What I found, through all of it, was that the part of the work I never got tired of was helping people — helping a colleague work through a challenge, helping a new supervisor find their footing, helping someone on my team become someone they didn’t yet believe they could be.
After nearly 20 years with the U.S. Department of Labor — most recently as Branch Chief in the Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation — I retired early. I don’t miss the timesheets or the last-minute data requests. What I missed immediately was the daily opportunity to help someone move forward. That’s why I started Professional Forward.
An Unconventional Path to Leadership and Coaching
My career has taken some unconventional turns. My time in the United States Marine Corps was cut short by a serious injury. With a military career no longer an option, I went to law school, passed the bar in the top 10%, and practiced commercial litigation. I then moved to the federal government and soon found myself in leadership positions managing high-stakes operations, leading multi-agency outreach, adjudicating billions in compensation and benefits, and mentoring the next generation of public servants. Along the way, I co-founded a consulting firm and taught Business Law as an Associate Professor at the University of Akron.
What ties all of it together isn’t a title or a credential — it’s a deep belief that people are more capable than they often give themselves credit for. That belief is the foundation of everything I do as a coach.
Who I Work with and How I Help
I work with leaders, supervisors, and professionals who are ready to move from good to great — people who are competent and capable but know there’s more they want to achieve, more clarity they want to find, or a transition they want to navigate with intention. I also specialize in helping new supervisors — the technical experts who just got promoted and suddenly realize that being great at the job is very different from leading the people who do the job.
I completed my coaching education through the ACT Leadership program at Brown University’s School of Professional Studies and am currently working towards certification as a professional coach. I’m a member of the Federal Executive Institute Alumni Association and Disabled American Veterans, and I remain actively involved in the Twinsburg Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).
My Coaching Philosophy
Coaching isn’t therapy, and it isn’t consulting. I’m not going to tell you what to do. What I will do is give you the space, the structure, and the honest conversation to help you figure it out — and then help you hold yourself accountable for following through.
Current Project
I’m also writing Crafting a Leader, a book that draws on woodworking lessons to help leaders discover and nurture their creative side as they navigate their leadership journey.