Books and Articles
Access to Books and articles
In this section I will be adding information about my books and articles You will be able to read the introductory paragraphs. If you like them feel free to join the reader list and email for the whole work.
coming events
Coming events will be announced here.
Soon to be published:
Yet: The Power of Belief and a Growth Mindset
If you’ve ever wondered what it truly means to develop a growth mindset, Yet is the book for you. Written in a clear, accessible style, it combines simple, practical exercises with powerful insights to help you strengthen your mindset and move closer to the goals you’ve been working toward.
Articles
Academic Writing
The Need for Supported Female Leaders
I’ve led teams, managed budgets, and delivered results. Yet when I first became Head of Department, I quickly realised what was missing: I’d had no real preparation for leading people.
The in-house support was helpful, but not enough—so I invested in a management diploma and used it to transform how I led.
Fast-forward to today: the data shows many women still don’t get the structured support they need at the moments that matter. That’s where tailored coaching comes in.
The Market Reality for Women Leaders
- Progress at the top is fragile. The FTSE Women Leaders Review (2025) reports women now hold 45.7% of leadership roles across FTSE 350 Executive Committees and their direct reports—a slight decrease on last year.
- Executive pipelines have slipped. Women Count 2024 shows women hold fewer than one-third of Executive Committee positions—the first decline in eight years.
- The “broken rung” persists. Globally, for every 100 men promoted to manager, only ~89 women are promoted, with worse outcomes for women of colour.
- Pay gaps remain—and widen with age. UK mothers earn substantially less than fathers each week, and the graduate pay gap emerges within five years of leaving university.
- Macroeconomic stakes are high. PwC’s Women in Work 2025 highlights that raising female participation and progression would significantly boost UK productivity.
“Even as board representation improves, the leadership pipeline remains leaky and uneven. Women face headwinds at every stage.”
Why Tailored Coaching Works
Coaching isn’t a perk—it’s a performance intervention. Research shows workplace and executive coaching improves leadership behaviours, goal attainment, engagement, and wellbeing.
- A 2023 meta-analysis reports significant positive effects on organisational outcomes like performance and goal achievement.
- Executive coaching studies consistently show moderate, reliable effects across multiple trials.
- Organisations that embed coaching cultures see wider benefits in retention and performance.
“Well-designed coaching tied to clear goals delivers measurable results—for leaders and for the organisations they serve.”
What Women Leaders Need from Coaching
- Mastering the first step up – Breaking through the “broken rung” with skills in delegation, feedback, and strategic thinking.
- Strategic visibility without burnout – Gaining recognition while managing workload sustainably.
- Negotiation and influence – Building confidence to secure resources, pay equity, and influence.
- Career-life design – Protecting momentum during maternity, caring, and perimenopause transitions.
- Resilience and energy management – Preventing burnout in high-stakes, visible roles.
How Tailored Coaching Works in Practice
- Diagnostic clarity – 360 feedback and measurable goals.
- Personalised leadership plans – Linking habits directly to business outcomes.
- Evidence-based skill sprints – Negotiation scripts, sponsorship asks, boundary-setting.
- System alignment – Engaging sponsors and managers to embed change.
- Measured impact – Tracking promotions, pay movement, team engagement, and wellbeing.
What This Means for Organisations
- Protect the pipeline by investing at first-line management and mid-career inflection points.
- Pair coaching with systemic levers such as flexible work and sponsorship.
- Measure what matters—promotion rates, retention, and pay equity progress.
“Without tailored coaching, organisations risk losing female leaders at the very moments that shape the diversity of their future leadership.”
Summary
The Market Reality:
- Gains in women’s leadership remain fragile.
- The “broken rung” still limits early-career promotions.
- Pay and progression gaps widen with age and motherhood.
Why Coaching Works:
- Evidence shows coaching improves leadership, performance, and wellbeing.
- Tailored programmes prepare women for transitions and prevent burnout.
- Organisations benefit through retention, stronger pipelines, and measurable ROI.
Bibliography
- FTSE Women Leaders Review (2025). UK Government / Hampton-Alexander successor review.
- The Pipeline (2024). Women Count 2024: Holding Women Back.
- McKinsey & LeanIn.org (2024). Women in the Workplace.
- Office for National Statistics (2024). Gender Pay Gap in the UK.
- Financial Times (2025). Graduate earnings gap analysis.
- PwC (2025). Women in Work Index.
- Jones, R.J., Woods, S.A., & Guillaume, Y.R.F. (2023). Meta-analysis of workplace coaching effectiveness. Journal of Occupational & Organisational Psychology.
- Grover, S., & Furnham, A. (2021). Executive coaching outcomes: A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology.
- CIPD (2022). Coaching and Mentoring in Organisations.
About Me
Like many women stepping into leadership for the first time, I had to build the toolkit on my own. Today, tailored coaching provides that toolkit by design—so women don’t have to “figure it out alone,” and organisations don’t lose momentum (or talent) at the exact moments that determine the diversity of their future leadership.
If you’d like a focused conversation about your context—whether you’re a woman leader preparing for your next step, or an HR/OD leader building a stronger pipeline—I offer targeted 1:1 programmes and cohort-based sprints aligned to your goals and metrics.
Contact: info@bjsandiford.com