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Leadership coaching

Leadership development
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Leadership coaching at Tavistock Consulting is a form of role consultancy for leaders facing complex organisational demands. It provides a dedicated space to think about authority, responsibility, relationships and organisational pressures, helping leaders work more effectively with the dynamics that shape their role.

What is leadership coaching?

Leadership coaching is a form of role consultancy that helps people understand how they take up their leadership role within a wider organisational system. Leadership roles involve more than delivering objectives. They require people to work with authority, competing demands, difficult relationships, uncertainty and the emotional pressures generated by organisational life.

Leadership coaching creates a structured space to think about these experiences. It explores how organisational dynamics shape behaviour, decision-making and effectiveness, and helps leaders understand what belongs to them, what belongs to the system, and how they can exercise authority more effectively.

Leadership challenges are often experienced personally but generated systemically.

A systems psychodynamic approach examines the interaction between individual experience and organisational life. Rather than providing solutions, it helps leaders develop the capacity to think clearly, work productively with complexity and make informed choices in role.

If your focus is on the effectiveness of a leadership team rather than an individual leader, see our Leadership team coaching service.

Our approach

Our approach is grounded in systems psychodynamic thinking and informed by more than 70 years of Tavistock practice in understanding organisational life. Leaders rarely operate in isolation. Their effectiveness is influenced by the demands of their role, the expectations placed upon them, the culture of the organisation and the dynamics within the wider system.

Coaching therefore focuses not only on the individual leader, but on the organisational context in which they work. Attention is given to authority, role, relationships, organisational culture and the pressures that can affect thinking and decision-making. Rather than providing solutions, leadership coaching supports leaders to use their own experience as a source of insight. Recurring challenges, difficult relationships, strong emotional responses and organisational tensions can all provide valuable information about what is happening in the system.

The aim is to strengthen a leader’s capacity to think clearly, exercise judgement and work effectively in situations of complexity, change and uncertainty.

Who this is for?

Leadership coaching is for people who want to develop their effectiveness in role through deeper understanding of themselves, their relationships and the organisational systems of which they are part. It provides a reflective space in which leaders can strengthen their capacity to think, learn from experience, exercise authority and navigate organisational complexity and uncertainty.

This includes:

Leadership coaching may be commissioned by an organisation or undertaken by an individual leader seeking support in role.

How it works?

Leadership coaching usually begins with an initial conversation to understand your role, the challenges you are facing and what you want from the work. From there, we agree a focus and rhythm of sessions, delivered online or in person.

Our coaching is built around the PRO (Person, Role, Organisation) model. This supports leaders to think about their effectiveness not only as individuals, but also in relation to the role they occupy and the organisational systems in which they work. Coaching sessions provide a confidential and reflective space to explore current leadership challenges, relationships, decisions and organisational pressures. The work is confidential unless it is agreed in advance that there would be benefit in offering thematic feedback to the organisation.

Particular attention is given to how role is taken up, and how organisational dynamics may be influencing leadership effectiveness. The work draws on current experience, helping leaders learn from experience, develop new perspectives and strengthen their capacity to think clearly in conditions of complexity and uncertainty. The coaching is shaped around the individual and their context rather than following a fixed programme. Regular reviews help ensure that the work remains focused on the role, challenges and development needs of the leader.

Leadership coaching may be commissioned by an organisation or undertaken privately by an individual leader.

If your focus is on the effectiveness of a leadership team rather than an individual leader, see our Leadership Team Coaching service.

Who you could work with?

Coaching is delivered by are experienced consultants and coaches, many EMCC-accredited and all with masters or doctoral level training in the systems-psychodynamic approach. Our staff bring experience from a wide range of leadership roles across sectors, alongside diverse professional and personal identities.

Charlotte Williams woman smiling close up long hair black and white photo

Charlotte Williams, Director
EMCC Senior Practitioner and BACP Senior Accredited, Tavistock-trained in the systems-psychodynamic approach. Coaches NHS chief executives, executive directors and boards, with particular depth in leading at board level under scrutiny. Works bilingually in Welsh and English. Read Charlottes profile

David Sibley, Organisational Consultant

EMCC Senior Practitioner, accredited BACP counsellor and supervisor, and a graduate of the Tavistock Masters. Coaches leaders on sustaining purpose and authority through pressure and change, with a particular interest in identity, difference and the future of work.

Read David’s profile.

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Impact

Leadership coaching does not provide ready-made solutions to organisational challenges. Instead, it helps leaders strengthen their capacity to think, learn and act effectively in role.

The quality of my work has improved through being more focused, confident and a better communicator. My collaborations with colleagues are more engaging and impactful, and those with my team more developmental and challenging.

National sales manager, Global manufacturer

Insights and case studies

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Make an enquiry

Whatever challenge, opportunity or development you’re facing, an enquiry call offers a chance to pause, reflect, and think it through together, without any obligation or pressure.

When you contact us, a member of our team will either address your enquiry directly (if you’re just looking for information) or let you know that a consultant will be in touch to arrange an initial online conversation.

If your enquiry is more urgent, please feel free to contact us on 020 8938 2475.

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