David B. Sarnoff, Esq., ACC

Certified Executive Coach & Director of Strategic Partnerships
dsarnoff@loebleadership.com
(917) 992-0264 | Book a Call →

“I find my work rewarding and impactful. I lead with care and empathy but am no less direct when I believe it will benefit my client.”

Meet David Sarnoff

David B. Sarnoff, Esq., ACC, is an ICF Certified Executive Coach and leadership trainer with Loeb Leadership. As a former attorney, experienced executive search consultant, business owner, and former board of education president, David is uniquely qualified and experienced to understand the mindset, demands and challenges of attorneys, directors, corporate executives, managers, and individual contributors.  

David utilizes his strengths as an executive coach to elevate the professional performance, mindset, emotional intelligence, soft skills, leadership potential and team building skills of his clients. He also counsels high potentials and high performers around leadership skills, raising self-awareness, understanding the impact of words and actions on others and empathy. David is also committed to raising awareness about inclusion and allyship. In September 2020, he was appointed to serve a three-year term on the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee of the New York City Bar Association.  In September 2022, he was appointed as Co-chair of that committee.  Also, in December 2021, David became an Adjunct Instructor at iCoach New York, (n/k/a iCoach Global), a Professional Coaching Program that is affiliated with the Zicklin school of Business at Baruch College.  David is an alumnus of this program. 

David also facilitates workshops and is a frequent speaker at conferences and webinars on a variety of topics including EQ vs. IQ, giving and receiving feedback, time management, setting boundaries at work, generational challenges and solutions, mentorship and allyship, among other topics.

Additionally, David served on the Fort Lee Board of Education for several years and presided as Board President for three consecutive years. In 2015, he received the Archie Hay Award for distinguished service and leadership from the Bergen County School Boards Association. He also served on the statewide NJSBA Mental Health Task Force.

MEMBERSHIPS, ASSOCIATIONS, + CERTIFICATIONS

  • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, New York City Bar Association

  • Adjunct Faculty, iCoach, Professional Coaching Certificate Program, 2022

  • Certified in EQ-i 2.0 and EQ-I 360 Emotional Intelligence Assessment

  • Certified Everything DiSC® Facilitator

  • Smart Collaborations Accelerator Assessment – Accredited Accelerator Coach 

  • Trained in the Leadership Practices Inventory Assessment (“LPI”) and LPI 360 

Honors + Awards

  • Archie Hay Award, Bergen County School Boards Association, recognized for distinguish service and leadership.

  • Appointed to the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee of the New York City Bar Association.

Education

  • BA, Social Sciences, cum laude, Hofstra University, 1986-1990

  • JD, Dean’s List, Rutgers Law School;, 1991-1994

  • Professional Coaching Certificate, iCoach New York, Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College, 2018

Areas of Expertise

  • Emotional Intelligence

  • Allyship

  • Workplace Culture

  • Conflict Management

  • Mentorship

  • Giving and Receiving Feedback

  • Generational Challenges and Solutions

PRESENTATIONS + PUBLICATIONS

  • Association of Legal Administrators 2023 National Conference - ‘No’ Is a Complete Sentence — How Setting Boundaries Promotes Better Relationships

  • Association of Legal Administrators 2023 National Conference - Performative vs. Authentic Allyship

  • NALP Conference 2022, How Remote Work Amplified Generational Divide

  • Association of Legal Administrators 2022 National Conference, Managing for Impact Facilitator

  • New York City Bar Association, Giving Feedback with Equity 2022

  • Practising Law Institute, One Hour Briefing, Building a Workplace Culture That Attracts, Engages and Retains Talent, March 2022

  • Practising Law Institute, One Hour Briefing, Active Listening for Lawyers and Paralegals – A Critical Skill for High Performance, August 2021

  • Practising Law Institute, One Hour Briefing, Mentoring Attorneys in the 21st Century, May 2021

  • Monthly executive coaching column in the Practising Law Institute’s Chronicle: Coach’s Counsel

    • Advocating for Your Attorneys’ Mental Health, May 2022

    • When Met with Opposition, Model the Way, April 2022

    • If You’re Happy and You Know It, Let Them Know, March 2022

    • Is a Lack of Equitable Feedback Hindering Your Path to an Inclusive Workplace?, February 2022

    • Partners, How Patient Are You?, January 2022

    • Holding Your Colleagues Accountable for Destructive Behavior, Nov/Dec 2021

    • Using Communication to Defeat Frustration, October 2021

    • How Can I Better Manage People and Administrative Tasks?, September 2021

    • A full archive can be found here.

  •  Power of Proximity, What Law Firm Partners Miss About Being at the Office 

  • Managing Remote Teams During Difficult Times 

  • Who Really Performs Better: The Perfectionist or the High Achiever? 

  • EQ vs. IQ, What Smart Lawyers and Law Firms Need to Know About Emotional Intelligence, published in PLI Current, The Journal of PLI Press, Vol. 4, No.1 2020  

  • Diversity & Inclusion, Are Law Firms Getting It Wrong? 

Experience

  • Coached an IT leader at a large law firm to increase self-awareness and learn how to adapt communication style to get the results needed from direct reports and colleagues.

  • Coached a Security Executive at a large well-known hospitality center to enhance emotional intelligence leading to game changing impact on the team’s morale. This leader was recognized for enhanced leadership capability.

  • Coached a law firm Partner focusing on business development. Engagement included cultivating and nurturing relationships. Additionally, the client learned how to design, plan, develop goals and successfully execute the business development plan.

  • Coached a law firm Partner to strengthen communication skills to better manage and inspire direct reports, enhance leadership skills, refine and execute on a business development plan.

  • Coached a General Counsel at a non-profit to increase self-awareness and take ownership for interpersonal communication skills so the GC could make intentional decisions to adapt behavior for more favorable relationship building.

  • Coached an IT leader as the leader transitioned into a global role, focusing on communication skills, raising self-awareness and awareness of non-verbal communication, building relationships, managing up and navigating firm politics.

  • Coached a Chief Human Resources Officer of a large non-profit to enhance leadership skills and relationship building while adopting a strategic mindset.

  • Coached a hedge fund executive to increase self-awareness, emotional intelligence skills, conflict resolution and effective communication.

  • Moderator, of multiple Safe-Space Dialogue Panels on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Allyship, for Loeb Leadership  

  • Presenter, Giving Effective Feedback Equitably, DEI Committee of the New York City Bar Association 

  • Presenter, Leading in Adverse Times: The Leadership Challenge, NALP Professional Development Institute Conference 

  • Keynote Speaker, Change Management and Preparing for the Post-COVID Work Environment, Association of Legal Administrators, DC Chapter, Human Resources Retreat 

  • Presenter, Active Listening is a Critical Skill for Attorneys to Practice Law at a High Caliber During Coronavirus and Beyond, Faculty, Practising Law Institute CLE One Hour Briefing 

  • Using EQ as a Tool to Improve Lawyers’ Well-Being and Performance, New York City Bar Association CLE 

  • Generational Challenges Between Law Firm Partners and Associates, PLI – One Hour Briefing 

  • Facilitated a large group Everything DiSC© Assessment workshop at the Lafayette College Leadership Institute 

  • Co-presented at a Leadership Conference for the Native American Leadership Forum

Q+A With David Sarnoff

Describe major career/life decisions that led you to your current role. How have these experiences shaped the way you engage with clients?

I worked at a law firm for nine years as a paralegal and attorney, and spent 17 years in executive search in the legal profession.  That experience uniquely positions me to understand the challenges and opportunities that my clients may face in their positions.  It also allows me to be an effective coach who can relate to their circumstances and collaborate on effective strategies for better outcomes.

 What are a couple of your biggest successes?

I coached an executive known for being difficult and lacked self-awareness.  At the end of a six month engagement, this executive was leading with empathy, raised his self-awareness and cultivated a high trust team.

 ADDITIONAL INSIGHTS + RESEARCH