Coaching for the first months of a bigger role.
For Directors through C-suite leaders who have been promoted, hired in from outside, or handed a larger scope. Sponsored by their organization or self-funded. Primarily virtual, for leaders in the US and internationally, with in-person sessions by arrangement.
Early decisions shape how a new team, new peers and a new boss read a leader. Coaching gives those months structure while there is still room to choose how to lead.
Claudia Beck, MCC · Former SVP, Tory Burch · Former VP, Burberry · 6,000+ coaching sessions
The role has changed. The habits haven’t caught up yet.
The difficulty shows up in the calendar, in meetings, and in who keeps bringing decisions back to the leader.
Promoted from within
The leader now runs a team of former peers and still reviews the work they used to do themselves.
Hired from outside
A new company, a culture the leader can’t read yet, and a team watching every early decision for signals.
A larger scope
More functions, regions or people, and the same hours in the week. What worked at the last level now takes too long.
A seat at the executive table
More time with the CEO, the board or the executive committee, where the standard for a short, clear point of view is higher.
A move to a new country
Leading from a new headquarters, or leading people whose working norms differ from the leader’s own.
An inherited team
A team assembled by someone else, with history the leader didn’t create and decisions nobody clearly owns.
Where the coaching puts its attention.
The development plan names 2 to 4 priorities for each leader. In a transition, these are the areas the work looks at first.
Reading the new system
Who decides what, which relationships carry weight, and what the organization expects in the first year. The 360 adds the views a new leader can’t easily get directly.
Letting go of the previous job
Which work moves to the team, and what the leader stops reviewing.
Decision rights
Who owns which call, and which decisions belong with the team.
Peers and the boss
Influence across functions, and an agreement with the boss on what success looks like.
The executive voice
Shorter, clearer positions in rooms with the CEO, the board or senior peers.
The same seven stages, timed to the transition.
Transition coaching follows the engagement process set out for sponsors. The alignment meeting with the new boss happens within 2 weeks of the kickoff, while expectations are still forming.
Kickoff
A 90-minute session to agree the objectives, the cadence and the people to interview.
Alignment meeting
The leader, the boss and the coach confirm the objectives. HR joins if requested.
360
Confidential interviews with colleagues, or the Leadership Circle Profile. The report goes to the leader only.
Development plan
2 to 4 priorities and the specific behavior shifts that would show progress.
Coaching sessions
Weekly at the start, then every 2 weeks, typically over 4 to 12 months.
Onboarding a new executive?
When the organization sponsors the coaching, it sees the development priorities and takes part in three touchpoints led by the leader: alignment, midpoint and wrap-up. Sessions and the 360 report stay confidential.
How company-sponsored engagements work, what sponsors see and what stays private.
Coaching from someone who has made these moves.
Claudia Beck, MCC spent 25+ years in global business before coaching. At Gap Inc. she worked in San Francisco, Tokyo and Shanghai, then became VP at Burberry in London and SVP at Tory Burch in New York. She is an ICF Master Certified Coach and has led more than 6,000 coaching sessions since 2019. More about Claudia →
Before you start.
The short answers. The first conversation covers the detail.
Can the organization sponsor it?
Yes. Many engagements are sponsored by the leader’s organization. How sponsored engagements work.
Can I start privately?
Yes. Some leaders work with Claudia directly and fund the coaching themselves. Coaching & Advisory.
How long does it run?
Typically 4 to 12 months. Sessions are weekly at the start, then every 2 weeks.
Does location matter?
No. Coaching is primarily virtual, with in-person sessions by arrangement. Claudia has lived and worked in Austria, the United States, Japan, China and the United Kingdom.
Starting a new role, or bringing someone into one?
Start with a thirty-minute conversation about the role, the context and what the first months need to achieve. Or write to claudia.beck@bettertogethergroup.co.
Planning for a leader in your organization? See For Organizations.