You've chosen the right person. Now the job changes.

For Organisations

You've made the investment. Now give them the support to make it count.

You may have promoted someone who consistently delivers, knows the business inside out and has earned the confidence of the people around them. But perhaps they're still carrying too much themselves, struggling to step back from the detail or finding that their approach doesn't always land as intended with senior colleagues.

Rather than starting with a generic leadership development programme, I work to understand what's happening for that individual. That can include confidential conversations with the people they work with, exploring not just what others think, but the specific behaviours behind their feedback.

Together, we identify what needs to change, what that would look like in practice and how we'll recognise progress. We then work with situations the leader is actually facing, giving them opportunities to try different approaches, reflect on what happens and gather feedback on what others are noticing.

For Individuals

You don't need to become somebody else to lead at this level.

Perhaps you're still the person everyone turns to for answers, even though you're now responsible for developing people who can make decisions without you. Or you're finding it difficult to contribute in senior meetings when you're outside the area you know best.

You might notice yourself taking control when you're under pressure, avoiding a conversation you know you need to have, or working harder and longer because that's always been how you've demonstrated your value.

Coaching gives you the opportunity to understand what's behind those responses, how they affect you and the people around you, and what you could do differently.

We work with situations you're actually facing, so you can try different approaches, see what happens and develop your own way of leading without losing the qualities that got you here.

How I Work

Leadership development needs to make a difference beyond the coaching conversation.

We start with a self-audit, looking at how the leader sees themselves, what they do well and what their role now demands of them. Where useful, I also speak confidentially with people they work with. What are others noticing? Where do their views differ? And what does that tell us about where development is needed?

Together, we work out what needs to change, what that looks like in practice and how we'll recognise progress.

Then we get on with the work, using the decisions, conversations and challenges already filling their working day. We look at what they can realistically do differently, taking account of the pressures they're under and what is within their control.

We return to those changes throughout, looking at what's working, what isn't and what others are noticing. Because if we're saying something has changed, we should be able to point to what's actually different.

From operational expertise to influential leadership

When I began working with a senior leader with a strong record of operational delivery, they were highly regarded for their discipline, reliability and ability to get things done.

But the approach that had served them well was also creating difficulties.

They were direct, sometimes to the point of bluntness, and could be quick to dismiss perspectives that differed from their own. Their communication was often transactional, and they struggled to adapt their approach to different people and situations. As their responsibilities grew, these patterns were affecting their relationships and ability to influence across the wider organisation.

We began by exploring how they saw themselves alongside how others experienced their leadership, drawing on 360-degree feedback and a Lumina Spark assessment.

Our coaching then focused on what those findings meant in practice. We explored what happened when they felt challenged, why they responded as they did and how small changes in their behaviour might produce different responses from others.

That meant working with real situations: pausing rather than interrupting, listening to perspectives they might previously have dismissed, adapting their communication to different stakeholders and learning to delegate without retaining control. Over time, the changes became visible to the people around them.

Feedback from peers and senior colleagues described a leader who listened more attentively, communicated with greater consideration and had become more open and collaborative.

They were also operating at a more strategic level, trusting their team with greater responsibility and spending less time immersed in operational detail. Colleagues reported improvements in the motivation and autonomy of those around them.

The difference wasn't simply that the leader understood themselves better. Other people could see the changes in how they led.

“Kim is incredibly adept at getting straight to the root cause of any professional anxieties. Whenever I am overthinking a strategy or navigating tricky client dynamics, Kim helps me get out of my own head. She guides me to establish firm, highly professional boundaries with clients while keeping my projects on track.”

Jacqueline George

Contractor

You don't need another person in the room pretending to know your job better than you do.

I'm Kim Cutler, founder of Storm McQueen and an ICF PCC Executive & Leadership Coach.

I've spent nearly 30 years working across different industries, including more than a decade in finance and business operations. Along the way, I completed my psychology degree part-time while working full-time. For the past nine years, I've worked with leaders across organisations and sectors.

I understand competing priorities, workplace politics, difficult decisions and the reality that there isn't always a perfect answer. I don't need to be an expert in your field to work effectively with you. You already know your job.

I'll ask questions, sometimes uncomfortable ones. I'll challenge your thinking when I believe it's needed, but you'll also find someone who's direct, compassionate and doesn't take herself too seriously.

Storm McQueen is deliberately founder-led. If you work with Storm McQueen, you work with me.