About
Carl Sharperson Jr. is a Leadership Innovation Strategist, speaker, author, executive coach, and organization consultant. He specializes in taking leaders from mediocre to maximizing their potential in work and personal life. He is passionate about this message because he understands that most people are working at only 50% capacity due to lack of clear leadership, development or job fit. He transforms his audience and coaching clients through his proprietary Sharp Leadership coaching process as well as drawing from his unique experiences as a division 1 football athlete, military officer, corporate executive and as an entrepreneur.
A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, and a former United States Marine Corps pilot with a BS in Engineering, Carl documented those experiences in the books Short Rations for Marines, For My Son’s and Brothers, and most recently Sharp Leadership Overcome Adversity To Lead With Authenticity, which is a life changing book.
Born in Washington, DC, in an all – black environment, Carl moved to Spotsylvania, VA during the same period as the movie, “Remember the Titans”. His experiences were very similar to the movie’s depiction of segregation in the south, as he integrated Spotsylvania high school where he was an outstanding football and baseball player. Following his graduation of the US Naval Academy, and his service in the US Marine Corps, he went on to hold several senior sales and operational positions with Frito Lay, Procter & Gamble, and Colgate Palmolive. In fact, he was the Vice President of Manufacturing for an international sports company, when he felt the tug towards entrepreneurship. He then launched Sharperson’s Executive Leadership in 2000, where he has worked with executives at companies/nonprofits including: Harley Davidson, GlaxoSmithKline, Sara Lee, BMW,
Edward Jones, Houston Independent School District, Vets Helping Vets, Upstate Warrior Solution, Lockheed Martin, Honeywell, University of North Carolina, business owners, Clemson National championship football team, and Chick-fil-A, just to name a few. Carl has been a professional recruiter for the last 15 years as he identifies and connects top talent to forward thinking and progressive companies, that realize that people are our most valuable resource.
Carl was a key leader in successfully starting up a state of the art, high performance work team culture, while employed by Proctor and Gamble in Albany, Ga. This manufacturing facility was the most diverse and multiculturally inclusive facility in the entire company, at every level of leadership, at that location. Strategic planning, team building, and talent development were critical skills that were developed in this unique and challenging environment. This operation was the best performing facility in the entire company’s paper making system, at that time.
As a speaker, Carl has traveled nationally with the Navy’s Speaking Bureau, inspiring students to investigate the military service option, as well as sharing his message of leadership innovation with colleges, churches, conferences, and corporations. Additionally, Carl was trained by the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, NC, as an adjunct trainer, where he specialized in executive coaching, leadership, and organizational development. Meeting with leaders in various stages of life inspired him to create Sharp Leadership Academy. In the academy, he develops leaders through group coaching, VIP one-on-one coaching, and downloadable resources. His most requested coaching programs and speaking topics are, “How to Use Diversity as a Competitive Advantage”, “Servant Leadership”, and “The Gift of Adversity”.
Carl recognizes the value of giving back and works on several community and faith – based initiatives, serving as a mentor and a resource to maximize the potential of youth today. Carl and his wife make their home in the Clemson area of SC, and they are the proud parents of an adult son and daughter. He enjoys golf, sports, traveling, and helping others in the church/community.
Education, Certifications, and Boards:
- BS, United States Naval Academy
Annapolis, MD - Certified and trained coach by The Center for Creative Leadership
Greensboro, NC, The Looking Glass Experience program - Diversity Leaders Initiative (DLI)
The Riley Institute at Furman – Fellow - Mentor for P.A.W. Journey
Clemson National Championship Football teams - Honorary “Call Me Mister”
Clemson University - ML King Award
Clemson University - Experienced in various 360 instruments and assessments