
Essential Skills for Leadership Impact
As careers progress, people often move into leadership roles because they excelled in their previous position. The catch? The skill set for effective leadership differs from the skills that made you an effective individual contributor. This course was created to help you and your team learn the essential skills needed to make the transition and scale your organisation.
Backed by research, these practices positively impact team learning, growth and productivity, enhancing relationships and performance. As leaders grow in confidence and competence they:
- Build effective leadership knowledge, skills and practice
- Develop team relationships
- Improve productivity
Leading Effective One-to-Ones
One-to-one meetings are frequently raised in my coaching conversations with founders, co-founders and leaders at every level. They are the engine room of effective organisations. Done well, they build trust, establish clear expectations, clarify roles and accountability, and help people do their best work.
This practical course explores how to maximise these conversations, strengthening relationships, individual performance and team effectiveness.

Prefer to work through it one to one? I also offer executive coaching.
What leaders say
Working with Helen has been a transformative experience. She has a gift for creating insights and reflection that changed my view of the world and greatly increased the impact I can have. Through our conversations, she pushed me to question my assumptions and consider new perspectives, which has been incredibly valuable for my personal and professional growth.
Alexander VolzFounder and CEO CoachThe integrity and professionalism Helen stands for helps everyone deliver at a higher level. It has clearly helped her develop an impeccable reputation over the years, which along with her excellent knowledge has helped us forge valuable partnerships.
Oren CohenCCO, Zen EducateHelen's expertise in leadership development combined with her warmth and easy to talk to nature makes her an excellent coach. Her person-centred approach has really resonated with me and has enabled me to think differently, setting practical actions that I have embedded into my daily work.
Joanna Czutkowna FRSACEO, 5THREADMore for education leaders
The Beyond Headship programme, my chapter on ontological coaching, what education leaders say and a hub of articles, all in one place.

Thinking
Reading on leadership

Beyond Problem-Solving: Why Ontological Coaching Invites a Deeper Kind of Learning
Much of what is in popular discourse as coaching - in organisations, leadership programmes, or performance conversations - is grounded in models…
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‘Burnout is the New Baseline.’ Really?
Yet another “genius” subject line arrives, uninvited, in my inbox: ‘Burnout is the new baseline – are you ready to coach it?’…
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From Skills to Habits: Making Leadership Stick
Many of us leave leadership programmes inspired, energised, and full of good intentions. But if we’re honest, how often does that inspiration…
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The Subtle Art of Noticing Slippery Requests: A Leader’s Guide to Boundaries and Communication
Have you ever found yourself saying yes to something and then wondering how exactly you got there? You didn’t explicitly agree, and…
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“Why Don’t They Just Do What I Asked?” (And What Did I Miss?)
You’ve built a great team. You value their commitment, trust their capability, and enjoy working together. But there’s a frustrating puzzle you…
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What Jane Austen Can Teach Us About Mood, Meaning & Leadership
Ever found yourself stuck, brimming with potential yet hesitant, or wondering why a team member just won’t engage? The answer may lie…
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When Things Don’t Go to Plan – How Disruptions Shape Our Leadership
Some of my most memorable (and let’s be honest, character-building) moments have happened when life veered wildly off script. A sudden change in…
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Leadership Blind Spots: When Our Assumptions Masquerade as Truth
One of the easiest mistakes any of us can make, especially as leaders, is believing we are right. Thinking we see the…
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The Art of Curiosity: How the Questions We Ask Shape the Future
Anyone who has spent time with young children knows their insatiable appetite for asking questions. Their curiosity is boundless, their desire to…
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Why ‘Just Think Positive’ Misses the Point for Success
Why “Just Think Positive” Misses the Point We often hear that positivity is the key to success: “Just think positive.” “Good vibes…
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The Myth of Imposter Syndrome: What if You’re Just Accurately Self-Aware?
Last week I received an unsolicited invitation to pay for a webinar on supporting coaching clients with ‘Imposter Syndrome.’ The promotional materials…
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Navigating Moods and Emotions and the Peril of Positivity
I recently read an interview with James Taylor where he talked about ‘the precarity of our emotional lives’. Nearly twelve months into a global…
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The Power of One-on-One Meetings: Building Communication and Productivity
The Power of One-on-One Meetings: Building Communication and Productivity One to one meetings are the foundation, the engine room of our business.…
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Why learning to pause helps you be a more effective leader
I recently worked with a team of 30 first time leaders. They’re keen, energetic, all have good track records of being successful…
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Why listening lies at the heart of impactful leadership
Being a leader who listens Leadership life is busy, really busy. We talk about our heads ‘buzzing’, ‘multi-tasking’ and ‘managing distractions’. We…
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Are you who you want to be?
I’ve had good reason to reflect today and gone back to a question I was asked a few years ago by a…
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Leadership and learning are indispensable to one another
“Leadership and learning are indispensable to one another.” John F. Kennedy neatly lands his point. Why? Well, because the success organisations and…
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New year, new term, time for a new habit?
I recently saw Steve Huffman co-founder and chief executive of the online discussion forum Reddit sharing three tips for success. ‘Really the job is…
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Good Reads: The Heart Aroused by David Whyte
The Heart Aroused is a great read for anyone grappling with what it means to keep humanity in the daily experience of…
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VP of People – The First 100 days: Using a Design Process for Planning
Earlier this year I was asked by Slava Kremerman, CEO at Zen Educate to be their new and first VP of People.…
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A Team Leadership Journey: Developing Leadership Capacity at Bolton School
Authors:Helen Woodward – Helen MG ConsultingHelen Brandon – Deputy Head, Bolton School Leadership development programmes are in good supply with government funding…
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Good Reads: The Art of Innovation
The Art of Innovation by Tom Kelley with Jonathan Littman. Jono Hey, Chief Product Officer at Zen Educate mentioned this book during…
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Five Books I Wish I’d Read Before Leading a Team
Successful leadership is about the impact we have on those around us, and the extent to which we enable those we…
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Why global connections and overseas professional development matter
There’s a Chinese saying; ‘Because the fish are the last ones to know about the sea’. The writer alerts us to the…
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Strategic or scenario planning? Which do you need when?
Someone wise once said, ‘We can be certain of two things, you will die and you will pay taxes.’ Not quite everyone…
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Speaking at a TEDx – the learning, wonder and joy!
A message popped up on LinkedIn from Amir Zeid, Professor of Computer Science at the American University of Kuwait. ‘I’m the curator…
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Off the Beaten Track: What School Improvement Looks Like in the Mid-Hills of Nepal
A Message from the Mountains The text message from Kamal, a headteacher in rural Nepal, read: “I couldn’t send you a message…
ReadLet’s talk
If you’re navigating growth, change or complexity, I’d be glad to hear what you’re working on.