Most executive coaches promise better performance. John Mattone promises something far more audacious: he’ll transform your heart, mind, and soul. In an industry where cautious language and measured expectations are the norm, this bold claim would be dismissed as hyperbole—if it weren’t backed by a methodology that’s changed nearly one million lives across 55 countries and earned him the title of world’s number one executive coach six times in seven years.
Mattone’s journey to the summit of his profession wasn’t a straight line. It was forged in the values of an Italian-American family that overcame adversity through integrity and perseverance, refined through academic rigor, tested in corporate trenches, and ultimately expressed in a philosophy called Intelligent Leadership that refuses to separate professional excellence from personal character.
The Foundation: Character Before Competence
Growing up, Mattone absorbed lessons that would become the bedrock of his coaching philosophy. His family’s story was one of resilience and sacrifice, teaching him early that character isn’t a soft skill—it’s the foundation of everything that matters. This wasn’t abstract philosophy. It was lived experience.
He brought that foundation into his academic work, earning a Bachelor of Science in Management and Organizational Behavior from Babson College with high distinction in 1978, where he also played basketball. He then earned his Master of Science in Industrial/Organizational Psychology with highest distinction from the University of Central Florida in 1980. He pursued doctoral studies at Old Dominion University before making a calculated decision: theory alone wasn’t enough. He needed to get into the arena.
From 1982 to 1986, Mattone worked as a leadership trainer and internal consultant for companies like Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation and Conoco, learning how organizations actually function versus how textbooks say they should. In 1987, he founded Mattone Enterprises, his first leadership training company, beginning a journey through various roles that gave him exposure to succession planning, talent management, and executive development from every angle.
But the real breakthrough came when he started working directly with CEOs who didn’t just want to improve their quarterly numbers—they wanted to become leaders worth following.
Coaching the Icons
The calls that changed everything came from the top. Steve Jobs, Apple’s late founder, brought Mattone in during critical transition periods. Roger Enrico, the legendary CEO of PepsiCo, sought his counsel on leadership challenges at the highest level. These weren’t struggling executives looking for a rescue. They were titans seeking someone who could help them operate at their absolute peak.
What Mattone brought wasn’t a set of tactical fixes. It was a philosophy he’d been developing since his early corporate days, one that finally crystallized in 2010 as Intelligent Leadership. The framework was deceptively comprehensive: it addressed both the inner core—character, values, emotional maturity—and the outer core—strategic thinking, execution, measurable competencies.
The Intelligent Leadership Movement
In 2011, Mattone and his wife Gayle co-founded John Mattone Global. What started as a coaching practice evolved into a movement. The Intelligent Leadership methodology wasn’t just for C-suite executives. It became a systematic approach that could be taught, measured, and replicated. He developed the Intelligent Leadership Code, seven principles that begin with “Think Different & Think Big” and move through vulnerability, courage, and vigilance.
The audacity of Mattone’s approach lies in his guarantee: leaders who commit to six months or more of his program will experience measurable improvements in leadership effectiveness. In an industry notorious for unmeasurable outcomes, this promise is radical. But he backs it up with data, process, and a network of over 750 certified executive coaches he’s personally trained since 2017.
John Mattone Global has expanded into multiple entities: Intelligent Leadership Executive Coaching franchise, Intelligent Leadership Online Academy, and Intelligent Leadership Coaching International. Together, they’ve created 17 registered intellectual property trademarks awarded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office—an industry-leading portfolio that protects not just phrases but entire coaching methodologies.
The Mattone Difference
What separates Mattone’s approach from conventional executive coaching is his refusal to treat leadership as merely a set of competencies to master. His framework demands that leaders develop their character alongside their capabilities. Courage without humility becomes arrogance. Strategic thinking without emotional maturity creates toxic cultures. Execution without purpose breeds empty achievement.
This philosophy resonates particularly with emerging leaders in sectors like cryptocurrency, renewable energy, and space exploration—millennial disruptors who reject the false choice between business success and personal values. They’re drawn to Mattone because he speaks their language: leadership isn’t about perfecting a professional persona. It’s about becoming authentic, courageous, and values-driven in every aspect of life.
The Numbers Behind the Movement
Since 2010, the Intelligent Leadership coaching system has transformed nearly one million lives. Mattone has personally coached and mentored over 750 global executive coaches and 45 of the world’s top CEOs and government leaders since 2017. His client roster spans from Fortune 500 companies to international organizations: Amazon, Apple, Coca-Cola, IBM, the International Monetary Fund, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Economy and Planning, and Oman LNG.
His speaking engagements command premium fees, and for good reason. His presentations at venues like the World Business Forum alongside Richard Branson and Steve Forbes are described as possessing “unmatched” passion, energy, and authenticity. Organizations that book him report he has a unique ability to deliver powerful messages in ways that are simultaneously fun, effective, and deeply moving.
The Ultimate Measure
At the core of Mattone’s work is a belief that might seem out of place in the hardnosed world of executive coaching: “Success has nothing to do with money, titles and possessions; success is only about committing every day to becoming the absolute best you can be.”
This isn’t self-help sentiment. It’s a moral stance. It’s the difference between leaders who achieve quarterly targets and leaders who build legacies. Between executives who manage performance and leaders who transform cultures. Between professionals who succeed and human beings who matter.
Seven consecutive years in the top rankings isn’t just a professional achievement. It’s proof that in an age of artificial intelligence and algorithmic efficiency, what organizations most desperately need are leaders with the courage to lead with their whole selves—heart, mind, and soul integrated, not compartmentalized.
John Mattone doesn’t just coach executives. He challenges them to become leaders worthy of the trust their people place in them. And in that challenge lies his enduring impact.
