Developing Director Presence in the First 100 Days

Sarah had recently progressed from a ‘head of’ role into her first director position. Although she had the experience and capability to succeed, she needed to make an important internal transition: to see herself as a director and allow others to experience her as one.

She wanted to feel more comfortable and assured at the senior leadership table, develop greater clarity about her priorities and increase her visibility across the organisation. She also recognised that succeeding at Director level meant stepping back from some operational detail and building her team's confidence and capacity.

Our coaching focused on helping Sarah develop her director-level presence without feeling that she had to adopt an artificial leadership persona.

Using a Gestalt coaching approach, Ishe was encouraged to pay close attention to what she was noticing, thinking and feeling in key leadership situations.

This helped her become more aware of how she presented herself, the assumptions she was making and the behaviours that might need to change as she stepped into greater responsibility.

One particularly important aspect of the work was helping Sarah see herself through her manager’s eyes. Her boss already recognised her leadership potential, but Sarah had not yet fully internalised that confidence. By exploring what her manager saw in her, she began to recognise the experience, judgement and authority she already brought to the role.

Sarah also kept a diary after significant meetings, recording the insights she had gained, the impact she had made and what she wanted to approach differently next time. This created a practical record of her progress and helped her turn reflection into purposeful action and accountability.

As the coaching progressed, Sarah became increasingly comfortable contributing at the senior table. She gained greater clarity about where she should focus her attention and became more deliberate about the value she brought to senior discussions.

Rather than holding on to work that others could lead, she began building her team’s capability and ownership. This gave her more space to concentrate on strategic priorities and increased her confidence in operating at Director level.

This ultimately led to a broader remit and additional staff within her team.

She also secured greater visibility through her involvement in key organisational projects, allowing colleagues and senior stakeholders to see her contribution more clearly.

However, her ability to manage challenges in meetings and adapt to the information she received gave her the edge she needed and the reputation she subsequently earned for rigour and adaptability.

Sarah moved into her director role with growing confidence, clarity and credibility. She was able to implement:

Supporting a newly appointed director to reach full effectiveness within six months can create value well beyond the individual’s own performance. The organisation benefits from earlier strategic contribution, clearer decision-making, stronger delegation, increased team capacity and reduced risk during a critical leadership transition.

Helping a director become confident, strategically focused and fully functional within six months can represent a significant return on a comparatively modest coaching investment.

Sarah’s experience demonstrates that progressing into a director role is not simply a change of title. It requires a shift in identity, perspective and focus. Coaching gave her the space to make that transition consciously—and to establish her presence during the crucial first 100 days.