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Touchline Coach®

Strategy and Performance Insights to Help Chairs, CEOs, NEDs, and Portfolio Managers Drive Results from the Touchline.

Real-world insights for those who shape direction, influence performance and steer outcomes at the highest level. Whether you’re setting the course as a CEO, guiding governance as a NED, or driving value as a portfolio manager, Touchline Coach® brings sharp thinking with a practical edge.

Strategy – Operations – Leadership

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Series 1: From the Touchline – Leading Without Playing

This series explores what it truly means to lead from the touchline – that critical space where board members, Chairs, NEDs, and investors shape performance without directly controlling it. It examines the art of strategic influence, intelligent restraint, and perspective maintenance. Through practical disciplines and real-world insights, the series provides a framework for non-executive leadership that creates rhythm, clarity, and direction while maintaining the unique vantage point that allows leaders to see what others miss.

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Series 1: From the Touchline – Leading Without Playing

Series Introduction

From the Touchline – Leading Without Playing Series Introduction Not every leader belongs on the pitch. Some of the most decisive impact happens from the touchline, watching closely, listening carefully,…
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Series 1: From the Touchline – Leading Without Playing

You don’t need the ball to change the game

You don’t need the ball to change the game. Part 1 in the “From the Touchline” series The most effective leaders, Chairs, NEDs, Portfolio Managers, and often CEOs, aren't the…
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Series 1: From the Touchline – Leading Without Playing

When to Step In, and When to Stay Out

When to Step In, and When to Stay Out Part 2 in the "From the Touchline" series The hardest part of leading from the touchline isn’t keeping out of the…
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Series 1: From the Touchline – Leading Without Playing
For NED’s Playing the Long Game
Man and woman looking at a screen within a stadium for the article leading without playing
Series 1: From the Touchline – Leading Without Playing
The Confidence Gap
Man and woman looking at a screen within a stadium for the article leading without playing
Series 1: From the Touchline – Leading Without Playing
Series One Wrap-Up – From the Touchline

Series 2: Strategy Without Illusion – Cutting Through False Alignment

When growth plans fall apart, it’s often not because the idea was weak, but because alignment was false. This series addresses how strategic confusion creeps in, energy fades, and execution stalls despite everyone initially nodding in agreement. It offers practical approaches for non-executive directors, Chairs, and portfolio managers to challenge alignment without undermining trust, distinguish between financial plans and real strategic direction, and establish the right rhythm of strategic check-ins that transform delivery and cut through wishful thinking.

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Series 2: Strategy Without Illusion – Cutting Through False Alignment

Why Most Board-Approved Plans Never Deliver

Why Most Board-Approved Plans Never Deliver Series: Strategy Without IllusionMany boardrooms mistake agreement for alignment, and planning for strategy. This series explores why so many growth plans unravel and how…
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Series 2: Strategy Without Illusion – Cutting Through False Alignment

Strategy Without Illusion: A Series for Leaders Who Want More Than a Budget

Series Introduction Strategy Without Illusion: A Series for Leaders Who Want More Than a Budget Series Introduction - Strategy without illusion.  The numbers stacked up. A few tweaks, and the…
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Series 2: Strategy Without Illusion – Cutting Through False Alignment

You Don’t Need a New Strategy — You Need Follow-Through

You Don’t Need a New Strategy — You Need Follow-Through Part 2 in the "Strategy Without Illusion" series The moment targets are missed, someone suggests a new strategy. It’s a…
Viaduct with hills in the background for the article strategy without illusion
Series 2: Strategy Without Illusion – Cutting Through False Alignment
When Strategy is Clear but Performance Lags
Viaduct with hills in the background for the article strategy without illusion
Series 2: Strategy Without Illusion – Cutting Through False Alignment
Three Questions Every NED Should Ask Before Signing Off a Growth Plan
Viaduct with hills in the background for the article strategy without illusion
Series 2: Strategy Without Illusion – Cutting Through False Alignment
Strategy Without Illusion – Series Wrap-up

Series 3: Portfolio Performance – From Drift to Direction

For portfolio managers facing investments where performance is drifting, forecasts are being missed, and progress seems elusive. This series provides a measured, deliberate approach to implementing effective change without disruption. It examines how to identify real operational blockers, provide support that strengthens rather than sidelines management, build credible recovery roadmaps, and manage stakeholder expectations during underperformance – ultimately delivering a complete framework for portfolio intervention that restores performance without creating unnecessary noise.

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Series 3: Portfolio Performance – From Drift to Direction

Portfolio Performance: From Drift to Direction

Portfolio Performance: From Drift to Direction Series Introduction: When Good Investments Need More Than Time When you're responsible for a portfolio company where performance is drifting, forecasts are being missed,…
Big red iron bridge across a river for the portfolio performance article
Series 3: Portfolio Performance – From Drift to Direction

Identifying the Real Operational Blockers

When Good Investments Drift: Identifying the Real Operational Blockers This is the first article in our series on Portfolio Performance: From Drift to Direction The numbers tell part of the…
Big red iron bridge across a river for the portfolio performance article
Series 3: Portfolio Performance – From Drift to Direction

Strengthening Management through Executive Coaching

The Right Kind of Support: Strengthening Management through Executive Coaching This is the second article in our series on Portfolio Performance: From Drift to Direction "We need to bring in…

Series 4: The Lender’s Perspective – Control Without Chaos

This series addresses the challenges faced by relationship leads at specialist lenders when portfolio companies show signs of distress. When cash is tightening, forecasts are changing, and covenants are under pressure, the right kind of operational support becomes critical. This five-part exploration provides lenders with a framework for measured intervention that protects positions without forcing unnecessary distress, bringing stability, transparency, and controlled progress to troubled facilities.

Coming Next

Series 5: Value Creation Through Operational Excellence

For forward-thinking portfolio managers who understand that even the best strategy fails without proper execution. This series explores how to build the operational foundations necessary for investment success, whether in newly acquired companies or during critical transitions. Rather than theoretical frameworks, it offers practical approaches to translate strategic intent into operational reality, identify hidden risks, build resilience, and prepare contingencies without undermining confidence – maximising the probability of investment success through operational excellence.

Coming Soon

What Really Happens

Behind-the-scenes intelligence for business leaders navigating crisis. From someone who’s sat on both sides of the table – as a CEO facing these challenges and as the advisor others call in to assess the damage. This isn’t advice on what you should do. It’s intelligence on what really happens when businesses hit the wall.

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What Actually Happens

What Really Happens During an Independent Business Review

What Really Happens During an Indepdendent Business Review (IBR) So, your bank wants to conduct and Independent Business review. When your numbers are off and you need to restructure banking…

Operational Leadership Articles– Getting things done

This category explores the real work of leading operations when it counts most, not in theory, but in action. Here you’ll find practical insights for leaders who are tasked with delivering results, often under pressure. The articles focus on turning plans into progress, aligning teams around execution, and navigating complexity with clarity and control. Whether you’re stabilising a business, driving performance, or simply trying to keep the wheels turning when resources are tight, this is where we unpack what it takes to lead operationally, and get things done.

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Leadership Articles

The 110% Myth – and the power of 20%

We've all heard (or even said) it before: "I always give 110%!" That's The 110% Myth. This familiar phrase might sound motivational, but it’s fundamentally flawed. You can’t give more…
Navigating Turbulent Waters - Strategic CEO Advisor
Leadership Articles

Navigating Turbulent Waters – The Role of a Strategic CEO Coach

Navigating Turbulent Waters – The Role of a Strategic CEO Advisor instead of a CEO Coach When a CEO is under pressure, the real need often isn’t for a ceo…
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Leadership Articles

Preserving Value and the role of Interim Leaders

A Case for Private Equity Portfolio Managers to Embrace Interim Leaders Preserving Value: A Case for Private Equity Portfolio Managers to Embrace Interim Leaders In the dynamic world of private…
Executive Coaching Alternative
Leadership Articles
Executive Coaching Alternative: Why CEOs Need Cognitive Clarity, Not Personal Development
Business leader considering a CEO coaching alternative during a period of strategic pressure
Leadership Articles
CEO Coaching Alternative: When Coaching Isn’t Enough
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Leadership Articles
When should Portfolio Managers engage with Interim Leaders?

Ready to bridge the gap?

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