Developing Strategic Confidence and Presence at Board Level
The Context
Alice is a Chief Financial Officer operating in a demanding senior leadership environment. While highly capable and respected for her technical expertise, she wanted to strengthen her confidence and increase her strategic presence at board and executive level.
She was particularly focused on:
Feeling more grounded and assured in senior discussions
Challenging more confidently and constructively
Leading her team with greater clarity and consistency
Managing emotional triggers during high-pressure interactions
Coaching Objectives
The coaching programme was designed to support Alice to:
Strengthen confidence and leadership voice
Develop deeper self-belief and express her perspective with assurance and authority.
Enhance challenge and influence
Use thoughtful challenge and questioning to shape higher-quality decision-making at senior level.
Increase team leadership impact
Lead her function with clarity, confidence, and consistency to drive engagement and performance.
Develop emotional regulation
Respond more intentionally and with greater composure during challenging interactions.
The Coaching Approach
The programme combined individual coaching with senior-level sponsorship to ensure impact beyond the coaching room.
7 individual coaching sessions with a senior executive coach
Board-level sponsor involvement at start, mid-point, and end of the programme
Ongoing focus on real-time leadership challenges and organisational context
This structure ensured alignment between Alice’s development goals and the expectations of the wider leadership system.
Progress and Key Shifts
Early phase
At the start of coaching, Alice focused on building self-belief, understanding her value, and finding the right balance between assertiveness and thoughtful influence. Early sessions explored how she showed up in senior conversations and how her internal responses shaped external outcomes.
Mid-point review
By the mid-point, both Alice and her sponsor, Asa, noted clear progress.
Alice reported feeling more able to:
Challenge effectively
Ask more insightful questions
Hold her space with greater confidence
Asa observed that Alice was bringing greater directness and clarity into conversations, standing her ground more often, and demonstrating stronger resilience during a particularly demanding quarter. Her contributions were described as more thoughtful and impactful, signalling a visible shift in confidence and presence.
Later stages
In the latter part of the programme, Alice deepened her awareness of emotional triggers and how her reactions influenced outcomes. Coaching focused on maintaining composure under pressure and responding more intentionally in difficult moments.
By the end of the programme, Alice described feeling significantly more authentic and confident in her leadership role, noting a stronger sense of comfort in “being me” and using her voice with authority.
Impact on Team Leadership
Alice also recognised a positive shift in how her team responded to her leadership. By addressing more challenging conversations directly and leading with greater clarity, she reported improved engagement and alignment within her function.
Both Alice and Asa highlighted that her increased confidence and composure contributed to:
Stronger collaboration
Clearer expectations
More effective decision-making across the organisation
Outcomes and Impact
Alice’s coaching journey resulted in a clear and sustained increase in confidence, clarity, and leadership impact.
Key outcomes included:
Greater certainty and calm in senior-level interactions
Stronger strategic presence and representation of her function
More thoughtful framing of views and responses under pressure
Increased confidence in leading difficult conversations
Improved team engagement and stability
Asa noted noticeable improvements in the way Alice has more confidence in her own conviction, asks more insightful questions, and maintains balance under organisational pressure. He highlighted increased consistency, stronger leadership presence, and a more reflective approach in challenging situations.
Measured Results
Quantitative assessments showed strong progress against the original coaching objectives:
Alice self-evaluation: 9/10
Sponsor evaluation: 9/10
Both reflected significant improvement in confidence, influence, and composure.
Leadership Capability Gains
Leadership Confidence
Alice now speaks with greater assurance, demonstrates stronger self-belief, and shows more comfort stepping fully into her leadership role.
Stronger Influence and Challenge
She offers clearer, more thoughtful challenge in senior discussions, contributing to higher-quality decision-making.
Improved Emotional Composure
Alice manages emotional responses more effectively, responding with calm and measured judgement during difficult moments.
Enhanced Team Clarity and Engagement
Her increased confidence has led to more direct conversations, resulting in better alignment, stability, and performance within her team.
Know a leader who could benefit from this? Our strategic executive coaching programmes are designed for C-Suite, Directors and Senior Leaders, and we also have a tailored programme for future leaders.
Want to talk further? Get in touch with us info@theleadershipcoaches.co.uk or browse our website for more information.
