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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.

Leadership Articles

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,…
Leadership Articles

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…
Leadership Articles

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…
Leadership Articles
For NED’s Playing the Long Game
Leadership Articles
The Confidence Gap
Leadership Articles
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.

Leadership Articles

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…
Leadership Articles

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…
Leadership Articles

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…
Leadership Articles
When Strategy is Clear but Performance Lags
Leadership Articles
Three Questions Every NED Should Ask Before Signing Off a Growth Plan
Leadership Articles
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.

Leadership Articles

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,…
Leadership Articles

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…
Leadership Articles

Strengthening Rather Than Sidelining Management

The Right Kind of Support: Strengthening Rather Than Sidelining Management 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

Ready to bridge the gap?

You’ll speak directly with Trevor Parker