Begin with your situation.
Coaching starts with understanding what your role requires and where you want to improve. That might involve stepping into greater responsibility, delegating more effectively or handling a recurring leadership challenge.
The business context matters. A development goal becomes more useful when you can explain how it will help you perform in your role.
Turn the goal into a practical focus.
“Become a better leader” is a starting point. A more specific focus might be “give my managers clear ownership of routine decisions so I can concentrate on our improvement priorities”.
Agree the priorities, the support required and the signs of progress. Relevant diagnostics or a Harrison Assessment can inform this discussion. The assessment is an input to development rather than the end of the process.
Bring real work into the conversation.
Use coaching sessions to explore current challenges and decisions. Bring the context, what you have tried and where you feel stuck. Russ contributes an external perspective, practical tools and constructive challenge.
- Prepare for a difficult conversation.
- Work through a decision with competing demands.
- Review a delegation attempt that did not go as expected.
- Consider how your leadership behaviour is affecting the team.
Apply the thinking between sessions.
Agree actions you can put into practice at work. These could include changing how you brief a team member, testing a clearer meeting structure or making time for a strategic priority.
Momentum calls help maintain focus. Use them to review progress, identify an obstacle and agree the next action. Relevant learning and resources support the priorities you are working on.
Review progress in context.
Return to the outcomes you agreed at the start. Consider what has changed in your behaviour and what you can observe in the work. Progress measures should fit the role and remain realistic about what the executive can influence.
For example, a delegation focus might track clearer ownership, the types of decisions still escalating to the leader and whether the leader is making time for their agreed priorities. These are illustrative measures to discuss rather than standard promised results.
When an employer sponsors the programme.
Before starting, discuss the executive’s objectives alongside the business expectations. Agree the sponsor’s involvement, what information can be shared and how progress will be reviewed. Make the confidentiality boundaries clear in the engagement arrangements.
Agree the arrangements before you begin.
Your tailored proposal confirms the session schedule, momentum calls, assessments, resource access, investment and terms. Discuss delivery and location with Russ.
Prepare for your first conversation.
- What does your role need you to deliver over the coming year?
- Which leadership challenge is making that harder?
- What would you like to do differently?
- What change would you and the business recognise as useful progress?