EXECUTIVE COACHING FOR LEADERS

WHAT IS EXECUTIVE COACHING?

Welcome to a transformative journey of self-discovery and Leadership growth through Executive Coaching. Executives and leaders must navigate complex challenges that demand a unique set of skills and perspectives. Executive Coaching is a personalized and confidential partnership designed to empower leaders, providing them with the tools and insights tailored to the specific needs and goals of each individual.

Leslie’s creative, practical, straight-forward approach focuses on development of competencies that helps Senior Leaders stretch, grow awareness and skills, and achieve real and lasting results.

Through a series of coaching conversations, awareness-building assignments, and coaching practices, Leslie will guide you in developing a clear vision for real and lasting change, appropriately scaled to specific leadership needs. This collaborative process involves in-depth conversations, clarity and goal-setting, and actionable strategies to enhance leadership effectiveness. As an experienced Executive Coach, Leslie is dedicated to helping to unlock a leader’s full potential, help them navigate professional transitions, and cultivate a leadership style that inspires excellence and drives high performance organizations.

COACHING SENIOR LEADERS ACROSS SECTORS

Over the past two decades, I’ve coached senior executives and rising leaders across Canada and internationally. My clients come from a wide range of sectors, including:

  • Health care and hospitals

  • Financial services and insurance

  • Public sector and government

  • Energy and utilities

  • Technology and innovation

  • Education and EdTech

  • Aviation and transportation

  • Logistics and delivery services

  • Professional services and engineering

  • Non-profit and fundraising organizations

  • Law enforcement and public safety

These are leaders navigating growth, complexity, and change, often at pivotal points in their leadership journeys. From newly promoted vice-presidents stepping into visibility, to seasoned executives expanding their influence across the enterprise, I work with clients who are ready to lead with greater clarity, confidence, and strategic presence.

Examples of the leaders I support include:

  • Senior Vice Presidents and Executive Directors navigating complex organizational change and external visibility

  • VPs and Directors in Human Resources, Risk, Finance, and Operations building influence and trust across diverse stakeholder landscapes

  • Police and public service leaders managing high-stakes decision-making, accountability, and team resilience

  • Founders and Chief Officers refining strategic communication and inspirational presence

  • High-potential directors and emerging executives stepping into broader mandates, visibility, and leadership identity

Common coaching topics include:

  • Communicating with clarity, conviction, and strategic impact – especially in high-stakes or unplanned moments

  • Regulating emotional intensity to lead with intention, composure, and inner calm

  • Building executive presence while untangling the inner critic and outdated self-perceptions

  • Developing confidence to speak up, take up space, and lead with authentic strength

  • Reclaiming joy, pace, and perspective as foundations for sustainable leadership

  • Building trust-based relationships by shedding defensive habits and re-authoring leadership narratives

  • Strengthening political savvy, relational awareness, and enterprise thinking

  • Owning your personal leadership brand – and learning to see what others already do

  • Leading with self-compassion, courage, and a deepened sense of purpose

Each coaching engagement is tailored, grounded in real business demands, and focused on lasting, embodied leadership growth.

WHAT EXECUTIVE COACHING OFFERS

  • To work with you on a topic that deeply matters to you, that you may have also had difficulty making and/or sustaining progress in to date (eg: what's getting in your way of the 'ideal state' you’re seeking?).

  • An approach focused on development objectives, and growth of key competencies that enable and sustain your results.

  • A customized coaching program tailored to meet you where you are, with cycles of development that progressively enable you to make meaningful progress on you topic.

WHAT TO EXPECT DURING YOUR COACHING PROGRAM

Your coaching program will be custom-designed around your unique needs and developmental objectives. It typically includes:

  • A defined coaching topic that reflects a meaningful leadership challenge or goal

  • One-on-one sessions every 2–3 weeks (usually 60 minutes)

  • Daily and weekly coaching practices between sessions

  • Tools, reflection exercises, and feedback loops designed to support lasting change

  • Optional check-ins with your leader at the beginning, midpoint, and end of the program – focused on alignment, not content

  • Full adherence to ICF ethical standards and confidentiality

Coaching works best when you’re willing to look inward, experiment with new ways of thinking and leading, and show up with curiosity and commitment.

YOUR COMMITMENT MATTERS

Leadership development isn’t passive. It takes reflection, practice, and the courage to challenge familiar patterns. If you're ready to do the real work of growth – with guidance, structure, and support – executive coaching can help you lead more powerfully and more authentically.

LET’S GET STARTED

Book a free consultation to explore whether coaching is the right next step in your leadership development.

“I have benefited over many years from Leslie’s excellent coaching, training and mentorship. Her knowledge, experience, and calm professional delivery have influenced me to continue to grow and learn in this space.” — S.K.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

  • A: Here are some specific questions to guide your reflection on your Coaching topic:

    What is it that you want to make progress on, specifically? (begin your statement with: "I want to be more able to…")

    Why is this important to you, and why now?

    What have you tried so far? How did it work for you?

    What does your 'best future state' look like? (mindset, behaviours, beliefs, abilities)

  • A: If you find yourself asking the question, "Am I coachable?" you're already demonstrating a key trait of coachability – a genuine openness to self-reflection and a desire for personal and professional growth. Coachability is not about having all the answers; rather, it’s about a willingness to explore new perspectives, receive constructive feedback, and commit to the process of continuous improvement. It involves an ability to listen with an open mind, embrace change, and actively engage in coaching dialogue.

    A coachable Executive is someone who recognizes the value of collaboration, is receptive to challenging assumptions, and demonstrates a proactive attitude towards implementing positive change. If you want to enhance your Leadership skills, navigate challenges, build resilience, and are open to self-discovery, you are undoubtedly coachable and will likely derive significant benefits from an executive coaching program.

    Poor performers and unwilling participants are not usually appropriate for Executive Coaching (remedial Coaching is not typically effective). And individuals whose topics are too broad, undefined, not linked to business objectives, or whose topics would be better served with therapy, are not appropriate for coaching programs.

    Here are nine statements that can help you determine your ‘coachability’:

    1. There is something I want to work on or achieve which I will focus on in my Coaching Program.

    2. I can be relied on to be on time for calls and appointments with my coach.

    3. I will keep appointments with myself to work on my Coaching homework between sessions.

    4. I am willing to stop or change behaviors that are interfering with my progress.

    5. I will give my Coach the benefit of the doubt and I am willing to "try on" new concepts, approaches, or behaviours, to help me achieve my goals.

    6. Coaching is the appropriate approach to help me accomplish my goals (as opposed to a Therapist or training).

    7. I will work collaboratively with my Coach to identify goals and action steps to move forward, and I will take regular actions to help achieve my coaching goals even if I don't see immediate results.

    8. I will be open with my Coach about what I like or don't like about how the Coaching is going.

    9. I will allow the Coach to challenge me, and keep me focused on my goals, no matter what.

  • A: Each Coaching Program is unique, and integrates a variety of activities and practices aimed at fostering professional growth and self-awareness. Throughout our Coaching journey, you can expect a dynamic blend of one-on-one Coaching sessions, Leadership assessments, and constructive feedback tailored to your unique challenges and aspirations. You’ll engage in thought-provoking exercises and reflective practices that encourage introspection, helping you identify and leverage strengths while addressing areas for development. Personalized self-observation exercises, reading assignments, podcast episodes, bold experimentation with new behaviours, will serve as practical applications of the coaching concepts we’ll discuss, allowing you to implement new insights directly into your leadership. We may also explore decision-making models, goal-setting frameworks, change Leadership tools and action plans to ensure progress. This holistic Coaching experience is designed to empower you with the tools, awareness, and mindset necessary for dynamic Executive Leadership.

  • A: Confidentiality is paramount to ensuring a successful Coaching relationship. Rest assured that I hold competitively sensitive information, proprietary information, information concerning specific employees and colleagues, and any other information deemed confidential, to the highest confidentiality standards. No part of our 1:1 coaching conversations will be shared with anyone else, either in writing or verbally.

  • A: Speak honestly to your Coach about what’s working and what’s not. Good Coaches want to make sure the program elements are resonating with their clients, and can make adjustments as you go. In fact, these adjustments typically happen throughout the program, as new practices are building greater awareness and skills. Sometimes, new awareness-building comes with some discomfort, so your Coach can help you determine if it’s part of the process, or the program needs some adjusting.