The Executive Transition Program

You Earned the Title. Now Own the Role.

3 months of private 1:1 coaching with Ling Abson for Directors and VPs navigating the hardest career transition in tech.

Close the gaps your promotion didn’t prepare you for
Navigate stakeholders, politics, and managing up with confidence
Have the hard conversations you have been avoiding
Build the leadership foundation that makes you effective at this level

Apply Here

You got promoted. Nobody told you it would feel like this.

The promotion was earned. But now you are in a role where the rules have changed and nobody handed you the new playbook.

You are expected to think strategically while everything around you feels urgent.

You are sitting in leadership meetings where you are not sure when to speak, what to say, or whether anyone takes you seriously.

You are working harder than ever and still wondering if you are doing a good job.

And the quiet voice in the back of your head keeps asking: Am I actually cut out for this?

You are not failing. You are in a transition. And transitions require a completely different kind of support than what got you here.

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Are you ready to stop questioning whether you belong and start leading like you do?

I am Ling Abson. I built The Executive Transition Program because I kept seeing the same pattern: brilliant, capable people earning a promotion and then quietly struggling because nobody told them the rules had changed.

They did not need more leadership books. They needed someone who had seen this transition hundreds of times and could help them build the right foundation before the wrong habits locked in.

My coaching is direct, practical, and grounded in real organizational dynamics. I do not give generic advice. I help you navigate the specific people, politics, and pressures in your world right now.

Former Director of Engineering at Fullscript | Former Executive Coach at Shopify | Coached and advised 600+ tech leaders | ICF Professional Certified Coach

Apply Here

Client Results

Ling equipped me with tools and strategies that allowed me to lead with clarity, confidence, and resilience.

She created a space where I felt supported, yet continuously challenged to push beyond what I told myself was possible.

Her thoughtful guidance enabled me to not only overcome obstacles but to grow into a more strategic, self-aware leader.

Kevin MacGillivray

CMO, Pressable

I worked with Ling for 6 months as I was transitioning into a new leadership role with broader scope and additional expectations.

Her coaching played a significant role in the success of that transition.

Ling drew upon a wide range of different frameworks, listen patiently to understand, and was direct and pointed when the situation calls for it.

Sam Zun

VP Legal, Shopify (Ex-Meta)

Ling quickly grasp both individual working styles and company culture, two critical but often overlooked aspects of leadership success.

She helped me navigate the complexities of Shopify’s culture, enabling me to effectively engage with other leaders, and align with company values.

Ling’s coaching accelerated my onboarding and empowered me to contribute meaningfully from the start.

Victor Vuong

Director of Engineering , Shopify (Ex Google, Ex Microsoft)

Program Structure

Month 1 – Foundation (3 sessions)

Take the new role assessment to evaluate where you stand today.
Understand the landscape of your new role and build the base.
We map your key stakeholders, co-create your 90-Day Transition Plan, and tackle the first hard conversation that is already overdue.
You walk away from month one with clarity on who matters, what your priorities are, and a plan for the next 60 days.

We will build: Stakeholder Map, 90-Day Transition Plan, Hard Conversations Prep Sheet

Month 2 – Traction (2 sessions)

Address the delegation patterns keeping you in the weeds.
Refine how you manage up.
Sharpen how you communicate in senior leadership settings.
We revisit your plan, check what is on track, and adjust where things have shifted.

We will build: Updated Transition Plan, communication prep for any upcoming leadership moment

Month 3 – Acceleration (2 sessions)

Zoom out to look at influence, sustainability, and the identity shift that makes everything else stick.
You retake the assessment and we review your before and after.
Complete your Leadership Identity Brief.

We will build: Leadership Identity Brief, final plan with outcomes documented, before-and-after assessment comparison

What Will We Work On

The program is structured around six areas that determine whether a leadership transition succeeds or stalls. These are the same areas measured in the Directors and VPs First 90 Days Assessment.

01 – Leadership Identity and Confidence

Moving from “the best builder” to “the leader who builds the builders.” Addressing the imposter syndrome that almost every newly promoted Director and VP experiences but nobody talks about openly. Getting clear on who you are at this level so you stop second-guessing every decision.

04 – Stakeholders, Politics, and Managing Up

Reading personalities. Building alliances. Understanding what your manager actually needs from you versus what you think they need. Navigating cross-functional politics without losing yourself in the process.

02 – Team Enablement and Delegation

Stopping the pattern of jumping in to fix things. Learning to trust the team, build systems instead of being the system, and let go of the work that is no longer yours to do. The role changed. How you operate needs to change with it.

05 – Strategic Leadership and Influence

Shifting from tactical execution to strategic, org-level thinking. Learning to operate at the right altitude so you are not staying busy while struggling to point to the impact you are having.

03 – Hard Conversations and Communication

Learning how to give direct feedback, push back on peers and leadership, navigate defensiveness, and communicate with clarity and brevity in senior settings. This is the area where most Directors and VPs have the widest gap between where they are and where they need to be.

06 – Sustainability and Personal Leadership

Building a pace that is sustainable beyond the first 90 days. The leaders who burn out are the ones who try to prove themselves by outworking everyone. You need a different approach and this is where we build it.

You are not alone between calls

Most coaching programs give you two calls a month and leave you on your own in between.

The Executive Transition Program includes async voice memo support so that when something comes up, a hard conversation you need to prepare for, a stakeholder situation you are not sure how to handle, a moment where you are questioning whether you are doing this right, you can send a voice note and get a response within 48 hours.

You get a thought partner throughout the transition, not just during scheduled sessions.

What You Walk Away With

This is not just coaching. You leave tools you keep.

Stakeholder Map A one-page strategic view of the people who matter most in your new role: who they are, what they need, and your approach for each relationship.

90-Day Transition Plan A living document co-created in session 1 and updated every session after. Clear priorities, milestones, and success criteria for each phase of your transition.

Hard Conversations Prep Sheets Prep and debrief worksheets used on your real situations throughout the program. By month 3, you have a personal playbook built from your own experience.

Leadership Identity Brief A short articulation of who you are as a leader at this level. Your anchor when the doubt creeps back in.

Before-and-After Assessment You take the Directors and VPs First 90 Days Assessment before we start and again at the end. We review your progress together in the final session.

Apply Here

This program is built for you if …

You were recently promoted into a Director or VP role and the transition is harder than you expected.

You are working harder than you ever have and still not sure whether you are meeting expectations.

Your scope expanded significantly and you are trying to figure out a role that keeps changing underneath you.

You feel isolated in the role and do not have a thought partner who understands what this level actually demands.

You are strong technically but struggling with the people leadership side: hard conversations, delegation, politics, managing up.

You know something needs to change but you are not sure what. You just know that what worked before is not working now.

Common Questions

How much does the program cost?

Investment details are shared on the discovery call once we have established that the program is the right fit for your situation. This is a chance for you to assess if I’m the right fit for you. This is a premium 1:1 coaching engagement, not a course or group program.

Can my company pay for this?

Yes. Many clients use their L&D or professional development budget. I can provide documentation that makes it easy to get approval, including a program overview and expected outcomes that HR and Finance teams typically look for.

What if I am more than 90 days into my role?

The program works for leaders who are within their first year of a new or expanded role. The patterns that form in the first 90 days often persist well beyond that window. If you are still experiencing the challenges described on this page, the program is relevant.

How is this different from other executive coaching?

Most executive coaching is open-ended: you show up, talk about what is on your mind, and hope for the best. This program is structured around the specific transition you are in, with a clear arc, tangible deliverables, and a before-and-after assessment that measures your progress. You do not just have conversations. You build tools you keep.

How do the sessions work?

Sessions are 60 minutes, conducted over video call. Month 1 has 3 sessions (roughly weekly) to front-load support when transition pressure is highest. Months 2 and 3 have 2 sessions each (roughly biweekly). Between sessions, you have access to async voice memo support for anything that comes up.

Your transition will not wait.

The patterns you are building right now are the patterns you will carry for years. The leaders who gain traction fastest are the ones who get the right support before the wrong habits set in.

Apply Here

The Executive Transition Program

You Earned the Title. Now Own the Role.

Close the gaps your promotion didn’t prepare you for

Navigate stakeholders, politics, and managing up with confidence

Have the hard conversations you have been avoiding

Build the leadership foundation that makes you effective at this level

You got promoted. Nobody told you it would feel like this.

The promotion was earned. But now you are in a role where the rules have changed and nobody handed you the new playbook.

You are expected to think strategically while everything around you feels urgent.

You are sitting in leadership meetings where you are not sure when to speak, what to say, or whether anyone takes you seriously.

You are working harder than ever and still wondering if you are doing a good job.

And the quiet voice in the back of your head keeps asking: Am I actually cut out for this?

You are not failing. You are in a transition. And transitions require a completely different kind of support than what got you here.

Are you ready to stop questioning whether you belong and start leading like you do?

I am Ling Abson. I built The Executive Transition Program because I kept seeing the same pattern: brilliant, capable people earning a promotion and then quietly struggling because nobody told them the rules had changed.

They did not need more leadership books. They needed someone who had seen this transition hundreds of times and could help them build the right foundation before the wrong habits locked in.

My coaching is direct, practical, and grounded in real organizational dynamics. I do not give generic advice. I help you navigate the specific people, politics, and pressures in your world right now.

Former Director of Engineering at Fullscript | Former Executive Coach at Shopify | Coached and advised 600+ tech leaders | ICF Professional Certified Coach

Client Results

Program Structure

Month 1 – Foundation (3 sessions)

We will build: Stakeholder Map, 90-Day Transition Plan, Hard Conversations Prep Sheet

Month 2 – Traction (2 sessions)

We will build: Updated Transition Plan, communication prep for any upcoming leadership moment

Month 3 – Acceleration (2 sessions)

We will build: Leadership Identity Brief, final plan with outcomes documented, before-and-after assessment comparison

What Will We Work On

The program is structured around six areas that determine whether a leadership transition succeeds or stalls. These are the same areas measured in the Directors and VPs First 90 Days Assessment.

01 – Leadership Identity and Confidence

Moving from “the best builder” to “the leader who builds the builders.” Addressing the imposter syndrome that almost every newly promoted Director and VP experiences but nobody talks about openly. Getting clear on who you are at this level so you stop second-guessing every decision.

04 – Stakeholders, Politics, and Managing Up

Reading personalities. Building alliances. Understanding what your manager actually needs from you versus what you think they need. Navigating cross-functional politics without losing yourself in the process.

02 – Team Enablement and Delegation

Stopping the pattern of jumping in to fix things. Learning to trust the team, build systems instead of being the system, and let go of the work that is no longer yours to do. The role changed. How you operate needs to change with it.

05 – Strategic Leadership and Influence

Shifting from tactical execution to strategic, org-level thinking. Learning to operate at the right altitude so you are not staying busy while struggling to point to the impact you are having.

03 – Hard Conversations and Communication

Learning how to give direct feedback, push back on peers and leadership, navigate defensiveness, and communicate with clarity and brevity in senior settings. This is the area where most Directors and VPs have the widest gap between where they are and where they need to be.

06 – Sustainability and Personal Leadership

Building a pace that is sustainable beyond the first 90 days. The leaders who burn out are the ones who try to prove themselves by outworking everyone. You need a different approach and this is where we build it.

You are not alone between calls

Most coaching programs give you two calls a month and leave you on your own in between.

You get a thought partner throughout the transition, not just during scheduled sessions.

What You Walk Away With

This is not just coaching. You leave tools you keep.

Stakeholder Map A one-page strategic view of the people who matter most in your new role: who they are, what they need, and your approach for each relationship.

90-Day Transition Plan A living document co-created in session 1 and updated every session after. Clear priorities, milestones, and success criteria for each phase of your transition.

Hard Conversations Prep Sheets Prep and debrief worksheets used on your real situations throughout the program. By month 3, you have a personal playbook built from your own experience.

Leadership Identity Brief A short articulation of who you are as a leader at this level. Your anchor when the doubt creeps back in.

Before-and-After Assessment You take the Directors and VPs First 90 Days Assessment before we start and again at the end. We review your progress together in the final session.

This program is built for you if …

You were recently promoted into a Director or VP role and the transition is harder than you expected.

You are working harder than you ever have and still not sure whether you are meeting expectations.

Your scope expanded significantly and you are trying to figure out a role that keeps changing underneath you.

You feel isolated in the role and do not have a thought partner who understands what this level actually demands.

You are strong technically but struggling with the people leadership side: hard conversations, delegation, politics, managing up.

You know something needs to change but you are not sure what. You just know that what worked before is not working now.

Common Questions

How much does the program cost?

Investment details are shared on the discovery call once we have established that the program is the right fit for your situation. This is a chance for you to assess if I’m the right fit for you. This is a premium 1:1 coaching engagement, not a course or group program.

Can my company pay for this?

Yes. Many clients use their L&D or professional development budget. I can provide documentation that makes it easy to get approval, including a program overview and expected outcomes that HR and Finance teams typically look for.

What if I am more than 90 days into my role?

The program works for leaders who are within their first year of a new or expanded role. The patterns that form in the first 90 days often persist well beyond that window. If you are still experiencing the challenges described on this page, the program is relevant.

How is this different from other executive coaching?

How do the sessions work?

Sessions are 60 minutes, conducted over video call. Month 1 has 3 sessions (roughly weekly) to front-load support when transition pressure is highest. Months 2 and 3 have 2 sessions each (roughly biweekly). Between sessions, you have access to async voice memo support for anything that comes up.

Your transition will not wait.

The patterns you are building right now are the patterns you will carry for years. The leaders who gain traction fastest are the ones who get the right support before the wrong habits set in.

30-minute call. No pressure. We will talk through your situation and I will tell you honestly if I can help.