Women in Financial Services
E2W senior leaders programme
katie.robertson / 12 Feb 2024
Senior Leaders Circle - a group coaching programme for experienced women leaders who want to work with a small group of like-minded financial services peers to develop their leadership.
Registration is now open for a start date in Q2 2024
A 6 month group coaching programme with no more than 6 members, designed to help grow leadership capability and provide an intellectually challenging, safe environment to try out new behaviours and strategies.
The programme will be particularly effective for leaders who will be navigating change during 2024 – perhaps the firm is restructuring, you’re moving into a new role/ your role is expanding or you’re leading a critical transformation activity or programme. You know that this year will be a continued test of your leadership and you’re looking for 1) leadership strategies and tools to navigate this context and 2) a peer group community where you can access immediate expertise and support.
The programme is designed for experienced leaders, typically >15 years into their career who have held a couple (or more) leadership roles. You’ve attended management or leadership training in the past and have the core skills – this is the next step where you’re further integrating the tools that work for you into your leadership style, you’re more sophisticated in how you approach your team members and team culture and you aspire to continue developing your leadership capability towards a C-suite role.
The Senior Leaders Circle will cover leadership areas like:
- A re-set: Who do I want to be in my current or next leadership role – what can I leave behind, what can I bring forward and what new capability/ experiences do I want to create?
- Better understanding what drives our behaviour and how to manage imposter thoughts or confidence gaps. Trusting our intuition (alongside the data)
- Values-based leadership – navigating high profile roles with high pressure while still keeping a strong sense of self and ‘what I stand for’. Being in personal integrity while also leading congruently with company-wide messaging
- Leading through change – re-setting a team vision, changing the structure/ roles, launching a new product/ service or transformation programme. All create a critical leadership moment to bring the team on the journey
- Working strategically – taking a step back to think, reconnect with my own/ the organisations mission and prioritise team goals. Clearly communicate these with the team and invite conversation about what we need to stop working on.
- Challenging difficult stakeholders – ways to provoke behaviour change amongst peers and key stakeholders to make working relationships easier and free up your teams to deliver
The Circle will be facilitated by Executive Coach Kat Hutchings who will introduce a strategic theme for the month, bring useful models and techniques that create insight for the group and encourage the sharing of experience and ideas. At this level we know that you get more insight from peers and active discussion than lecture style training content. There will be opportunity for hot seat coaching on live challenges.
Kat has suggested 6 leadership topics based on conversations with C-suite and senior leaders – these topics are not fixed. We will discuss as a group which topics will make most meaningful impact to your leadership roles. Each month we will agree the topic for next month.
Format & detail
A 6 month programme for up to 6 senior women leaders starting in Q2 2024.
A 90 minute monthly group coaching call.
Ongoing dialogue between calls to hear successes and challenges throughout the month, share ideas and build a supportive peer group.
One private 60 minute 1-1 coaching call with Kat at a time of your choosing during the programme.
The monthly group coaching call will include:
- A leadership topic the group has agreed will be impactful and valuable e.g. leading through change
- Kat sharing 1-2 tools that you can test and weave into your leadership style that directly address this topic
- Individual reflection on thought provoking questions related to the topic and leadership tools
- Open forum for hot seat coaching – share live challenges, questions, examples and get Kat and your peers input on ways to move forward
- Tracking emerging themes and proposing the leadership topic for next month – the group will vote and agree.
Investment
£3500 + VAT per person.
For those who act quickly, there is an early bird rate available, please enquire for more information.
Booking your place
If you would like a conversation with the Lead Coach Kat Hutchings, please click here and we will arrange.
If you want to book, please click here.
FAQs
Who is the programme for?
Experienced women leaders who care deeply about their impact and want to build connections with peers as they continue to develop their leadership capability.
This is for leaders who are change makers in their organisation and are working in a positive way to disrupt the status quo and lead authentically through moments of change for individuals and the organisation. We know it’s hard to continually think differently and change the organisation from within – particularly if women are underrepresented at senior levels.
This group programme creates a safe and thought-provoking space for experienced women leaders who are in senior leadership roles and working towards C-suite. You likely have >15 years experience.
This programme is not for women who are in their first leadership roles.
If you’re unsure whether the programme is a good fit for you, we’re happy to speak with you.
What will be covered on the group coaching calls?
Kat works with senior leaders across financial services and professional services – this gives her insight into the leadership topics occupying leaders thinking. She has collated 6 topics to form the basis of this programme - these are not fixed. When we gather as a group for the first time and hear everyone’s intentions for the programme we have an opportunity to choose areas to cover that create the most value for participants. We also have the flexibility to dive into live challenges each month based on your current context – this could be anything from strategies to manage a specific issue/ opportunity through to how to manage feelings of overwhelm. The programme will evolve and deliver what the group needs.
What is hot seat coaching?
There will be time on each of the monthly calls for a couple of leaders to have coaching on a live opportunity or challenge. It’s an opportunity for Kat to positively disrupt your thinking and your peers to contribute ideas. It’s for you to receive individual support when you want it.
Is this a training programme?
No.
Each month Kat will share 1-2 leadership tools or models to help challenge participants thinking in relation to the chosen topic, but this programme is for senior leaders who will have attended leadership training programmes in the past and have experience in their current and previous leadership roles. It is about further growing this capability amongst a peer group by provoking deeper thinking, creating more space for strategic thinking and taking bold leadership action.
This is not about following a management textbook – it’s about utilising existing skills and experience (and some new ones!) to increase leadership impact and develop the experience needed in a future C-suite role.
What will I gain from this programme?
- New leadership tools and techniques and support applying them in your specific context
- A supportive environment where you can ask questions and raise challenges knowing that the group wants to help and not judge or compete with you. A space where you can test your new ideas before taking them to your boss or the Board
- A positive environment where your agency for change is embraced and you realise you’re not alone in your desire to do the right thing, think long term and create an inclusive, progressive approach to creating value for clients
- An opportunity to create long-lasting relationships with peers at a similar career stage in other financial services organisations. The ability to get their input and ideas
- A Coach (Kat) in your pocket. As well as the group calls, the programme includes a private 1-1 coaching session with Kat and a WhatAapp group where we can share quick thoughts on live challenges and share progress
- Increased confidence in your personal leadership style – a clearer articulation of what this is and encouragement to test and adapt leadership methodologies so they feel authentic and impactful for you
- Quantifiable business results will very depending on your current context and could include points like:
- Retaining talent during a restructure leading to better customer service (NPS) and protecting staff engagement (engagement survey results)
- Increased revenue for those in roles with P&L ownership based on you re-setting team vision, goals and results tracking or changing how you coach and support your team to convert prospects
- Launching a new product or service in a way that appeals to clients and sets your team up for success. Working collaboratively with stakeholders across the organisation
- Cost reduction for those in P&L or operations roles based on reviewing resources, changing plans or the structure of teams
- Embedding of a new tech platform or change of process by understanding the human aspect of change, the science of behaviour and leveraging this for a more seamless transition.
Tell me more about the Coach leading this programme
Kat coaches Executives and senior leaders to develop their leadership capability, build high performing teams and create a culture that motivates and delivers. She works with them to identify their unique contribution and lead in a way that's aligned with who they are.
Her background as a corporate banker and leader in Financial Services means Kat is quickly able to understand the coaching context, including a firm’s strategy, vision and drivers. She works supportively and professionally with individuals and the wider company to create positive outcomes for all parties. As a former Head of Coaching for the London & South East region of a FTSE 100 organisation, Kat is well versed in staff development programmes – their design delivery and embedding through coaching.
Kat is an accredited Professional Executive Coach with the Association for Coaching and a Master NLP Practitioner. She has studied neuroscience, mindfulness and resilience, often bringing these insights to her coaching. Combined with her experience as a leader in Financial Services, Kat’s clients find her to be commercially minded, knowledgeable and positively challenging.
Kat is on E2W’s panel of recommended coaches and works with clients in 1-1 programmes and group programmes.
When does the programme start? When will the calls be held?
This 6 month programme starts in Q2 and runs through until end of the year (we’ll take a break in August).
The 90 minute monthly group call will be held on a Wednesday morning (unless a different day/ time is mutually agreed by participants and Kat). You’re encouraged to attend calls live to actively participate in the discussion and hot seat coaching, but where you miss a call a recording will be shared with you.
We won’t schedule a group call in August when many business leaders choose to take time away from work.
How do I arrange for my company to pay the investment?
Contact accounts@e2w.co and they will arrange for an invoice you can share with your business. Let us know if you have any questions that will support your business case
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