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From High Performers to Executive Leaders

Executive coaching for newly-appointed and promising future directors

The transition from senior manager to director is much more than a title change - it’s a transformation in identity, impact, and strategic scope.

Many high performers come across a roadblock when stepping into a broader leadership role. Not because they lack competence, but because no one prepares them for the shift: from expert to influencer, from delivering to leading.  This programme supports the transition and equips them with the mindset and leadership practices needed to succeed.

What Makes This Programme Unique

In a world where leadership coaching often happens in isolation, this programme stands out by blending deep individual transformation with the power of a shared journey.

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At its core is the cohort experience: up to 6 leaders from the same organisation, all facing the pivotal transition from senior manager to senior leader, move through the programme together.

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Combined with one-on-one coaching and embodied practice, this dual approach delivers not just powerful personal insight through tailored individual sessions, but lasting change from the inside out.

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Unlike most standalone coaching programmes, this cohort model fosters a strong internal network: once the programme ends, leaders remain connected to trusted peers inside their organisation - supporting each other to keep practicing, applying, and growing long after the coaching itself is complete.

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This shared journey creates momentum for transformation. As leaders face the same high-stakes transition together, they benefit from collective insight and shared accountability. Combined with the depth and precision of individual coaching, this dual track enables sharper self-awareness, faster growth, and a leadership presence that is both personally authentic and organisationally impactful.

How It Works in Practice

This is a powerful 8-month in-house cohort programme, bringing together up to 6 leaders from the same company, fully tailored to your organisation and combining:

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  • Individual coaching for deep personal transformation
     

  • Cohort sessions for relevant peer insight, shared learning, and a supportive network that continues beyond the programme
     

  • Embodied practices for deep transformation and lasting behavioural change
     

Leaders challenge outdated behaviours, explore new ways of thinking and acting, and ground their learning through deep self-awareness, peer dialogue on real business issues, and pragmatic embodied practice – both individually and as a group.
 

The result? Faster impact in their new role through sharper strategic thinking, stronger influence, agility in complexity, and boardroom presence from day one.
 

The Coaching Process

It may include the following components.
Collective sessions are organised from step 2 to 5.

1 · BUILDING A RELATIONSHIP

A good relationship with your coach is essential. After all, we can only make positive progress if we trust each other and if our expectations are well matched. In this first stage of your coaching, we make a commitment to the process, defining objectives and conditions of success and agreeing timelines and logistical details.

2 · EXPLORING YOUR SELF

Here we slow down, just enough to build self-awareness. We explore the powerful question “How are my behaviors and mindset enabling or constraining my intended leadership impact and business performance?” Together we uncover the underlying beliefs that silently shape your behaviors. As you gain these insights, they access much higher leverage for transformative change. For this, we use world-class 360° assessments and deep, focused conversations.
 

About the Leadership Circle Profile 360° Assessment

The Leadership Circle Profile™ (LCP) is a 360° tool that reveals how a leader’s internal beliefs drive external behaviours. Ideal for transitions into senior roles, it pinpoints both strengths and patterns that may limit effectiveness. Used at the start and again after 12 months, it tracks growth and sharpens focus.

3 · TAKING A STAND

You develop and verbalize a bold vision for your leadership identity, a vision that is rooted in your new reality: leading more strategically, influencing upward, and staying centered under growing pressure and complexity.  You identify the behaviors and beliefs that will support this new chapter - and consciously let go of the ones that no longer serve you. This clear stand becomes a compass for your leadership journey, helping you act with greater alignment and intention.

4 · PRACTICING YOUR WAY

Clarity isn’t enough: what matters is who you are under pressure, in the room, in the moment.
Together, we design practices tailored to your context: staying composed when tension rises, speaking with impact in executive meetings, saying no without guilt, or leading with presence when all eyes are on you.
Through embodied exercises, centering, and real-time rehearsal, you don’t just “know”—you become the kind of leader your vision calls for.

5 · BUILDING A SHAPE

You build a new leadership shape, one that holds under pressure.
Through repetition and embodied practice, the leadership you aspire to becomes second nature: not a performance, but a way of being.
You integrate body, emotion, and intention so that your presence speaks before you even say a word.
Over time, this new shape becomes stable, flexible, and trustworthy, allowing you to lead with impact, even in the most complex moments.

ASSESSING IMPACT

One year in, we run a second 360° to measure your progress. We  reflect on what has shifted—for you, your team, and your organization. Now it's about staying on this path. The outer game of leadership will never be greater than the inner game. This program is just the first, grounded step in your lifelong inner game—a way to cultivate exemplary leadership that meets today’s complexity and helps shape a future worth leading for.​

Who This Is For

This coaching programme is designed for high-performing senior managers on the cusp of directorship or recently-appointed directors seeking to:

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  • Navigate increased complexity.

  • Enhance influence across all organizational levels.

  • Maintain clarity and impact under pressure.

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They want to grow, as leaders and as human beings. And they’re ready to do the real work: engaging their mind, body and emotions to better understand themselves and turn a new leadership vision into powerful and consistant behaviours. 

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With the cohort format, they don’t make this transition alone. Each leader joins a group of peers within their organisation who face the same pivotal shift – creating a shared journey of insight, challenge, and mutual growth that continues beyond the programme itself.

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Note: While the cohort format is central to this programme’s strength, organisations can also choose to offer it as a one-to-one journey for leaders who may benefit from a more individualised path.

What You Will Gain

This programme strengthens the key capacities needed to lead at the next level through a unique combination of individual and collective development.
 

Individually, leaders work on their personal growth journey - deepening self-awareness, addressing unproductive patterns, and developing behaviours that match their leadership aspirations.

 

Collectively, they benefit from exposure to peer perspectives, honest dialogue, and shared accountability within the cohort – amplifying insight and accelerating change. They also gain a trusted internal network, fostered through shared experience, that supports ongoing reflection and growth well beyond the programme itself.

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Because this programme is tailored for each leader, the specific focus areas could vary. These are some of the most impactful outcomes leaders develop during the journey:

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  • Strategic integration: blending strategic vision with operational execution

  • Authentic impact: developing the ability to impact and inspire at every organisational tier

  • Resilient leadership: cultivating serenity and resilience in high-stakes environments

  • Priority setting: mastering the art of clear and effective prioritisation

  • Boardroom presence: embodying a leadership presence that resonates and drives results

How to get started

The Right Partnership

Before launching a new cohort, we always start with a conversation. This ensures the programme is aligned with your organisational goals, and that it's the right fit for the leaders you have in mind.
 

It’s also an opportunity to explore how the coaching dynamic will support both individual and collective growth. Let’s connect to explore what this journey could look like for your team.

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The Next Steps
 

If you’d like to move forward, I’ll be here to support you through every step of the process. From experience, I know aligning agendas can be challenging – but we’ll find solutions together. You won’t be doing this alone.
 

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One Cohort at a Time
 

To ensure the highest quality of support and deep engagement, I only accompany one cohort at a time. This allows me to be fully present with each group and offer the level of attention and care that this transformation deserves.
 

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Timeline & Next Possibilities
 

The first cohort will launch this year. While the exact date is still to be confirmed, it will also depend on the needs and availability of the participating organisation.

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If you're considering this for your organisation, now is a good time to start the conversation and explore how we can align our timelines and priorities.
 

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caroline thomaes.jpg
In just a few hours I learned a lot about myself. I practiced being whole and present to what I care about and now I have the tools to not forget. 
Caroline Thomaes, Vice-President Corporate Sales - Procter & Gamble
 
 
ronny-goossens.jpg
Manu has the extraordinary skill to teach you things just by listening and asking simple questions.
Ronny Goossens, Head of Digital - Aquafin
 
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