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Leadership coaching

Great leaders aren’t born—they develop!

In a world where strong leadership is a key to success and agility and vision are paramount for organisational success, leadership isn’t just about managing teams. It’s about inspiring, influencing, and driving real impact.

From future leaders looking to develop their skills, to established managers needing help to inspire their team, our expert leadership coaching empowers you to lead with confidence, clarity, and purpose.

At Donovan Training Associates, we provide bespoke, results-driven, one-to-one leadership coaching designed to grow your leadership skills, enhance decision- making, and unlock your full potential.

Based in Oxfordshire, we work with professionals from across the UK, helping them cultivate the mindset, resilience, and strategies needed to lead in an ever evolving landscape.

Understanding Leadership Coaching:

Leadership coaching is often misunderstood, surrounded by myths and misconceptions, so let’s briefly clarify what coaching is not…

Coaching is not consulting.

  • A consultant is typically hired to provide expertise and solve a specific problem—like a financial consultant brought in to help a company manage a cash flow crisis. The role of a consultant is to diagnose, advise, and implement solutions based on their expertise.
  • A coach, on the other hand, is not there to give answers, but to help leaders find their own. The coach acts as a facilitator; through insightful questions and active listening, coaching creates the space for leaders to reflect, gain clarity, and tackle challenges with confidence, and free from judgment.

Gain the confidence to grow and overcome:

Subjects covered in coaching sessions are wide and varied, but to give you a feel, here are some typical challenges that may be discussed:
  • Succession planning
  • Future acquisitions or growth plans
  • Prioritising and managing the time expectations of others
  • Wrestling with imposter syndrome
  • Leading through change
  • Key decisions that need to be made within the Organisation
  • Personal growth and development, i.e. communication skills
If that all sounds a bit vague, let’s visit the benefits of executive coaching and the demonstrable evidence that shows how impactful leadership coaching can be.

Benefits of Leadership Coaching:

Benefits of leadership coaching include:
  • Improved work performance
  • Worthwhile and significant ROI
  • Increased self-confidence
  • Enhanced employee engagement
  • Improved leadership team strength
  • Head space to think and map out your own ideas
The context for you and your organisation is of course situational but regardless of the reason why you choose to invest in leadership coaching, it is important that you sit down with your coach and work out in advance what a return on your investment (ROI) looks like.

Who is Leadership coaching best suited for?

Leadership coaching can be invaluable for a number of different stages of a career path including people who fall into one of the following categories:
  • Mid-level executive
  • Senior level executive
  • Transitioning into your first leadership role
  • People navigating a particularly challenging period of your career
  • Entrepreneurs and business owners
  • Existing leaders facing specific challenges
Regardless of where you are in your leadership journey, leadership coaching can provide you with an external perspective and non-judgmental support.

Why Donovan Training Associates?

  • Qualified - We are MCIPD (Chartered Member of the Institute of Personnel and Development) Certified
  • Experience - We are very picky with which coaches we choose to work with. All of our leadership coaches have lived experience with relevant coaching qualifications to match.
  • Flexibility - We recognise that in an ever-changing landscape, it is not always easy to predict the future. We don’t insist on long term tie ins and messy contracts. You can turn the coaching on and off like a tap whenever you need it. All we ask is for sufficient notice if you need to move a session. Some people prefer to work with us on a fortnightly basis, others monthly. The duration and cadence are entirely up to you and your specific needs.
  • Accountability – Whilst we are nice people (honest!) your leadership coach is not here to become your best friend. Sometimes you will need to be challenged with robust questions and confronted with difficult scenarios. Your leadership coach will hold you to account and expect you to put in the work necessary to achieve the ROI you are looking for.
  • Confidentiality – This should be a given with any professional leadership coach quite frankly but something we are very serious about. Our up front caveat is very simple. If you tell us something which puts you and/or your business at risk, we cannot guarantee that we will not need to escalate this professionally. Outside of this scope, everything you share will be kept in the strictest of confidence, unless you explicitly request that we feed this back to somebody.

  • Peace of Mind Guarantee - We are so confident in our coaching that we offer not just one, but two guarantees. See our FAQ section below for more information.

Meet our coaches:

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Anthony Donovan

Anthony has over 25 years of learning and development experience. A chartered member of the CIPD, Anthony also achieved a distinction in his British learning foundation coaching diploma.

Learn More about anthony
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Sharon Strickland-Clark

With over 20 years leadership experience, Sharon is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) accredited by the International Coaching Foundation (ICF) and is currently working towards Master Certified Coach (MCC) having accumulated over 2000 hours of professional coaching.
Learn More about Sharon
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Adrian Towell

With over twenty years’ experience in learning and development, Adrian is a qualified practitioner of the JCA Emotional Intelligence Profiling which he links into group-based workshops and one-to-one coaching.
Learn More about Adrian

Our Approach:

At Donovan Training Associates, we make our leadership coaching as easy as 1, 2, 3….

Step 1 - Book Your Free Initial Consultation

We will contact you to book in your initial free (no obligation) 60-minute consultation
Book Now

Step 2 - Initial consultation and discovery call

During this call you will explore what you need specific help with, and you will have the opportunity to meet with a couple of coaches, enabling you to identify who you feel most comfortable with

Step 3 - Private 1:1 Leadership Coaching Sessions

The coaching itself can either be provided remotely, or in person at our Oxfordshire offices,

Maximising a return on your investment

It is important to stress here that you are investing in the outcome of the coaching as opposed to the hourly rate of your session. To this end, our guarantee to you is that if you have not achieved a minimum of three times the return on your investment within six months, then any future coaching is free of charge until this is achieved.

The caveat to this, as you would expect, is that this is conditional on you following up on any agreed actions from your coaching sessions.

Testimonials:

“Leadership can sometimes feel like you’re alone on an island, and having a leadership coach can alleviate that. It’s really powerful to have an “outsider’s” perspective; no bias, no hidden agenda, just an authentic extra pair of eyes and ears to problem solve, challenge your thinking and just chat!

I find that my coach is often my biggest cheerleader; often my ideas are supported but strengthened or challenged where necessary. Anthony has recently been delving into my ideas and strategies around change management & cultural shift, and I have even pinched a few of his creative ideas to implement!

Having a leadership coach can benefit you in whatever way you need it to as a leader. That’s the beauty of a great coaching relationship, but it’s really up to you to shape and get the most out of it.”

Laura Bailes. Logistics Director. JTI. Crewe, Cheshire. UK

“As a senior leader in a fast-growing and ambitious business, it’s essential to recognise that there’s always more to learn—including the unknowns you haven’t yet considered.

Anthony’s objective guidance, fresh perspective, and practical leadership tools have been invaluable in navigating the complexities of rapid change. His ability to identify key challenges and reframe discussions has empowered me to make more effective decisions at both an operational and board level.

His insights have played a crucial role in helping me lead through change, build a high-performing team, and scale the business in a sustainable, strategic way.”

Fran Megson. Operations Director at CPL Software. High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

    Great leaders aren’t born - they evolve! Begin your next stage of development today

    Change doesn’t happen without action so contact our friendly team now to book your free (no obligation) initial one hour consultation.

    Book your free 60 minute discovery call now

    We understand that choosing leaadership coaching is an important time and financial commitment.

    To help you identify if we are the right fit for you, we offer a free, no obligation, 60 minute discovery call.

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    Frequently Asked Questions:

    What is the difference between executive coaching and leadership coaching?

    In short, both are very similar with a great deal of overlap in the skill which you will learn.

    However, the main key differences are that executive coaching is typically geared towards C-suite executives and high-level managers and focuses more on strategic thinking and organisational impact.

    In contrast, leadership coaching is generally suitable for leaders at all levels including mid- level managers and senior managers. Coaching is more geared towards personal leadership development, and further improving emotional intelligence, communication skills for that level of peers, and enhancing your ability to lead and influence others.

    Is leadership coaching the same as leadership development?

    Essentially, leadership development is how a leader evolves as their career progresses, both professionally and on a personal level. Coaching is one of the tools used to support a leader through this process.

    How do I know if I am ready for leadership coaching?

    The fact that you are even asking this question suggests that you probably are ready. Yet going into the unknown can be a scary prospect which is why our initial consultation and discovery meetings with individual coaches are free of charge. The purpose of these meetings is to clarify your exact needs and how to tackle them before you begin to invest any time or money into your leadership development.

    Book yours Today
    What is the difference between leadership training and leadership coaching?

    Rather like gym membership where you can attend classes and/or work with a personal trainer, leadership training and leadership coaching offer two approaches to you attaining the goal of developing your leadership skills.

    • Leadership training is a group-based initiative, enabling you to share ideas with colleagues and learn from each other.
    • Leadership coaching on the other hand, is a one-to-one initiative where you can work through specific challenges that are pertinent to you, with complete confidentiality.
    Is there a minimum contract period?

    No. All we ask for is one month's notice in writing if you decide you no longer wish to continue.

    How long does each coaching session last?

    Each session typically lasts between 60 and 90 minutes.

    It is important to remember, however, that you are investing in the learnings and outputs of the session, not the amount of time somebody is speaking with you.

    How much does leadership coaching cost?

    Leadership coaching is an investment in your personal development and as such, it's important that you balance cost with ROI.

    We have a couple of affordable pricing options starting from just £315 + VAT.

    To ensure you achieve a heathy ROI, we offer two  guarantees for you:

    If you decide after your first session that you won’t benefit from the coaching, that session will be on us, no hard feelings.

    We are so confident in the service we offer, if you have not seen a return on your investment after six months then the coaching will be FREE until this is realised.*

    *subject to you delivering on your action points.

    So with nothing to loose and a guaranteed ROI, why not contact us today.

    How can I be confident I will see a return on my investment?

    We are so confident in out ability to add value via our coaching services, etc we offer not just one, but two peace of mind guarantees:

    • If you decide after your first session that you won’t benefit from the coaching, that session will be on us, no hard feelings.
    • If you have not seen a return on your investment after six months then the coaching will be FREE until this is realised.*

    *subject to you delivering on your action points.