Board effectiveness and renewal
Is your Board working as well as it should? Board level executive coaching is designed for when boards need to improve. The implications of an underperforming board will impact the entire business. A board that is off-the-pace often becomes disconnected to the business and therefore becomes ineffective. As a Board, you need to make every effort to be a powerful governing body for your organisation. When board members are busy with other demands, the real risks (commercial, strategic, reputational, organisational) often get squeezed off the agenda.
Being a Board Director of a company, or Trustee of a Not-For-Profit enterprise is a privilege and a significant responsibility too. As a result, leadership and governance of all organisations require, of necessity real commitment, resourcing and time. Consequently, few Boards give the time and attention they need to their health, let alone the organisational health that is their core remit.
Benefits of board level executive coaching
Our board level executive coaching and experienced Board Chairs is designed specifically for those at the very top of the organisation. In addition, our experienced executive coaches will:
- Audit your effectiveness as a Board, and create with you, strategies to bring about performance transformation
- Coach and mentor your Board Members (or your trustees) to help them raise their game
- Create a sensible, practical way of working as a group to ensure the Board focuses on what matters in all its deliberations
- Build a long-term relationship with you to help you shape and craft your Board to be the court-of-last-resort for you, the strategic resource it needs to be
The Board is the business brain of the organisation and Board health, and Board vitality are central concerns of the Chair and the CEO. Our executive coaches understand this and will help build robust Governance mechanisms for you and your organisation.

Executive Chair roles
In addition to their experience working with boards, a number of our team also hold Executive Chair positions. They continue to sit on boards and help shape the strategy and governance of both companies and charities. Nick Isbister is the Executive Chair of Turley, a role that builds on his 25-year relationship he has with them, helping them go from being a young, dynamic, regional player to being the largest Independent Town Planning Consultancy in the UK. Turley is an EO Business. He is also the Non-Executive Chair of a UK Media Charity.
Furthermore, our team do occassionally consider opportunities to join further boards or take on executive chair roles. If you would like to discuss how we can help your board more effective, or discuss us joining your board, please contact us
Virtual coaching sessions
All our coaching sessions will take place online for the time being. While this may be a necessity due to the pandemic, it has the benefit of increased flexibility and convenience. Our coaches have years of experience using online conferencing tools, allowing them to make virtual sessions just as effective as face-to-face ones.
Meet our coaches
‘Nick and Jude are perceptive, impactful and motivational at personal, team and corporate levels. Working with the Listening Partnership for over 20 years in manufacturing and third sector organisations has been a highly valuable experience.’
Stuart Leed
Interim FD – Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
Working with three horizons in mind – shaping new futures
We are living in such uncertain and volatile times. Everyone is searching for some ‘handle’ on the future? We are seeking to see what emerges and how to shape different futures - find a way forward through all the uncertainties and complexities.
Building an anti fragility strategy in these complex times
Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Professor of Risk Engineering, is most famous for his book, The Black Swan: The Impact Of The Highly Improbable (Penguin, 2007). In it, he outlined the concept of ‘black swan events’.
How to lead a company well in an increasingly complex world
The subject of how companies should be run is an enduring one. Business Schools and business gurus peddle endless creative solutions, making a good living at theorising and pontificating about it.
About business ownership and the Founder’s Mentality
We have been privileged to coach many ‘founders’ of businesses. Founders are a special breed. Some we have worked with in the white heat of the early days, some in the mayhem of scaling up, and some in the relative peace of the uplands, once the business has become established and successful. But all of the founders we have worked with are remarkable people whose drive and perseverance have often impressed us.
Black Box Thinking – Own your mistakes and learn from your mistakes!
Black Box Thinking is all about learning from our mistakes. According to the author, Matthew Syed in his great book with the same name, it also links neatly into having a growth mindset.
How to be a Good Chair
Strong, healthy, dynamic organisations need strong, healthy, dynamic relationships, especially between the CEO and the Chair.
How to become an Authentic Leader
As independent coaches, we're often seen as a useful resource to bring in when every other internal remedy has failed, a final port of call for people the organisation is struggling with. They frequently ask us to deal with problem issues.
Recognising the people who give us real confidence
Who gives you confidence? Here’s why trusted advisors help business executives achieve the very best in their game.
Boards – Passing the baton, getting succession right
Get it wrong and a business can nosedive. Here's some advice about making changes to your Board of Directors positively and professionally.
The Strategic Perspective – Foxes, Hedgehogs and Dragonflies
Does your Board have the right focus? Recognising foxes, hedgehogs and forging their thoughts together to create the acuity of dragonflies can give your Board a powerful strategic perspective...
Board effectiveness and renewal
Is your Board working as well as it should? Board level executive coaching is designed for when boards need to improve. The implications of an underperforming board will impact the entire business. A board that is off-the-pace often becomes disconnected to the business and therefore becomes ineffective. As a Board, you need to make every effort to be a powerful governing body for your organisation. When board members are busy with other demands, the real risks (commercial, strategic, reputational, organisational) often get squeezed off the agenda.
Being a Board Director of a company, or Trustee of a Not-For-Profit enterprise is a privilege and a significant responsibility too. As a result, leadership and governance of all organisations require, of necessity real commitment, resourcing and time. Consequently, few Boards give the time and attention they need to their health, let alone the organisational health that is their core remit.
Benefits of board level executive coaching
Our board level executive coaching and experienced Board Chairs is designed specifically for those at the very top of the organisation. In addition, our experienced executive coaches will:
- Audit your effectiveness as a Board, and create with you, strategies to bring about performance transformation
- Coach and mentor your Board Members (or your trustees) to help them raise their game
- Create a sensible, practical way of working as a group to ensure the Board focuses on what matters in all its deliberations
- Build a long-term relationship with you to help you shape and craft your Board to be the court-of-last-resort for you, the strategic resource it needs to be
The Board is the business brain of the organisation and Board health, and Board vitality are central concerns of the Chair and the CEO. Our executive coaches understand this and will help build robust Governance mechanisms for you and your organisation.

Executive Chair roles
In addition to their experience working with boards, a number of our team also hold Executive Chair positions. They continue to sit on boards and help shape the strategy and governance of both companies and charities. Nick Isbister is the Executive Chair of Turley, a role that builds on his 25-year relationship he has with them, helping them go from being a young, dynamic, regional player to being the largest Independent Town Planning Consultancy in the UK. Turley is an EO Business. He is also the Non-Executive Chair of a UK Media Charity.
Furthermore, our team do occassionally consider opportunities to join further boards or take on executive chair roles. If you would like to discuss how we can help your board more effective, or discuss us joining your board, please contact us
Virtual coaching sessions
All our coaching sessions will take place online for the time being. While this may be a necessity due to the pandemic, it has the benefit of increased flexibility and convenience. Our coaches have years of experience using online conferencing tools, allowing them to make virtual sessions just as effective as face-to-face ones.
Meet our coaches
‘Nick and Jude are perceptive, impactful and motivational at personal, team and corporate levels. Working with the Listening Partnership for over 20 years in manufacturing and third sector organisations has been a highly valuable experience.’
Stuart Leed
Interim FD – Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
‘Nick and Jude are perceptive, impactful and motivational at personal, team and corporate levels. Working with the Listening Partnership for over 20 years in manufacturing and third sector organisations has been a highly valuable experience.’
Stuart Leed
Interim FD – Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
Meet our coaches
Latest articles
Working with three horizons in mind – shaping new futures
We are living in such uncertain and volatile times. Everyone is searching for some ‘handle’ on the future? We are seeking to see what emerges and how to shape different futures - find a way forward through all the uncertainties and complexities.
Building an anti fragility strategy in these complex times
Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Professor of Risk Engineering, is most famous for his book, The Black Swan: The Impact Of The Highly Improbable (Penguin, 2007). In it, he outlined the concept of ‘black swan events’.
Virtual coaching sessions
Our executive coaches work closely with individuals and teams in businesses throughout the UK and beyond. The ongoing Covid-19 outbreak means many businesses are stopping face-to-face meetings and require entire teams to work remotely. This makes it more important than ever to stay coordinated and to have clear processes in place. Our highest priority is the health and wellbeing of our clients. We are able to deliver our coaching sessions virtually, through online conferencing tools. Virtual coaching sessions are a viable and powerful alternative with benefits along the way: we’re more flexible.