Executive coaching

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What to expect

Executive coaching for senior leaders that brings together experience of leading complex organisation with curiosity about the person behind the role.

A conversation, not a formula

There’s no standard coaching programme to work through. We start with what’s happening for you, what you want to understand or change and go from there.

Space to think

Senior roles don’t always leave much room to say what you really think. Our sessions give you space to slow things down, think out loud and pay attention to what otherwise what might get missed.

Curiosity and challenge

I’ll listen carefully, ask questions and sometimes challenge you. We’ll be curious  not only about what’s happening, but also about the patterns, assumptions and relationships that might be shaping how you respond.

Grounded in the real world

Coaching doesn’t happen in a vacuum. We’ll keep your organisational context in the room, the people politics, pressures and competing demands, and explore what is actually within it.

Debbie Porter sitting at an outdoor table.

Who I work with

I tend to work with experienced leaders who are carrying significant responsibility in complex organisations. They don’t usually come to coaching because they need to be taught how to lead. They come because they want somewhere to think honestly and without an organisational agenda about themselves, their relationships and the situations they’re navigating.

Sometimes nothing specific has brought them to coaching: a new role, a difficult relationship, a team that isn’t working as it should, organisational change, a decision they can’t quite resolve, or the particular challenge of leading when there are competing demands and no straightforward answer.

At other times the question is less defined. Things may look successful from the outside, but something doesn’t feel quite right. They may be wondering how they want to lead now, what they want from the next stage of their career, or whether what has worked for them until now still serves them.

What these conversations have in common is a willingness to be curious not just about what is happening, but about the patterns, relationships and assumptions underneath it. Because how we understand ourselves, how we relate to others and how we navigate the organisations we’re part of all shape how we lead.

How I work

We’ll start with an introductory conversation to  talk about what brings you to coaching and whether working together feels right. From there, we’ll agree an approach that works for you including the frequency and number of sessions. Coaching is usually online but can also be in person.

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  • "The quality of Debbie’s attention and genuine interest, combined with her warmth and empathy, enable me to be truly open and honest as I unpick my dilemmas, creating a real sense of a thinking partnership. Debbie’s incisive questions unlock valuable self-awareness, while her presence is catalytic in prompting fresh thinking and new perspectives. I consistently leave our sessions with greater clarity, renewed energy and a sense of possibility."

    Amanda, client

  • "The quality of Debbie’s attention and genuine interest, combined with her warmth and empathy, enable me to be truly open and honest as I unpick my dilemmas, creating a real sense of a thinking partnership. Debbie’s incisive questions unlock valuable self-awareness, while her presence is catalytic in prompting fresh thinking and new perspectives. I consistently leave our sessions with greater clarity, renewed energy and a sense of possibility."

    Amanda, client