This session reframes modern leadership through the lens of coaching – why it’s no longer a nice-to-have but an essential capability for driving engagement, trust, and real change. We’ll unpack the core principles of leaders who coach and spotlight the book Coaching as a Leader: How to Coach Individuals and Teams for Improved Performance as our shared foundation. The session will set the stage for the two-day conference, establishing the mindset, expectations, and momentum needed for a practical and transformative experience.

This interactive session is designed to allow participants space to explore the powerful question “Who am I?” as a foundation for authentic and effective leadership.

Many leaders struggle with identity conflict, feelings of ‘imposterism’, or the pressure to fit predefined roles—issues that can hinder confidence and connection with their teams. This session addresses these concerns by guiding participants through some self-reflection techniques that deepen self-awareness and clarify personal values, purpose, and leadership style. Participants will examine how understanding their authentic selves enhances empathy, decision-making, and influence on others.

The session will include guided exercises and peer discussions, generating coaching questions leaders can use with their teams. By the end, attendees will leave with practical tools to align who they are with how they lead – building trust, resilience, and impact. This is ideal for leaders committed to personal growth and cultivating authenticity within their organizations.

As coaches, our expertise can be both our greatest strength and our biggest limitation. In this reflective and interactive session, Ross Hunter explores what happens when we release the need to “know” and instead focus on curiosity, presence, and genuine partnership. Drawing on his extraordinary experience as Head Coach of the England Blind Cricket Team, Ross will share stories and practical insights that challenge assumptions about where value truly lies in a coaching relationship. Expect a blend of storytelling, discussion, and experimentation designed to reconnect you with the essence of great coaching.

Most of us spend the majority of our waking hours with colleagues—often more time than we spend with our own families. Even for those outside traditional workplaces, daily interactions bring us into contact with people of diverse backgrounds, identities, and perspectives. In all these spaces, how we show up matters. Our personal biases, beliefs, values, and sense of purpose shape not only the quality of our relationships, but also whether people choose to stay, grow, or disengage—both in organizations and in our wider social circles.

This session explores what it truly means to adopt a coaching mindset, highlighting the role of unconscious bias in how we lead and collaborate. Participants will discover practical coaching frameworks for setting meaningful goals, learn how to approach performance and underperformance through a coaching lens, and gain holistic tools and frameworks to motivate and develop individuals in ways that strengthen culture, alignment, and overall performance.

This closing session brings together the day’s speakers to distil the most powerful insights and themes from Day One of the conference. Through practical reflection and real-world leadership examples, the panel will surface the top takeaways leaders can immediately apply in their day-to-day work.

The session will also highlight practical ways to continue developing as a Leader Coach through the Association for Coaching’s resources, learning pathways, and community support, helping participants sustain momentum beyond the conference, deepen their skills, and stay connected with a network committed to high-quality coaching practice.

To round off the session, participants will have the opportunity to win a book, offering a tangible way to take the learning forward.