Five Leadership Capabilities for
Uncertain Times
When the ground is always moving,
you need 5 things to keep you steady.
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The Antidote is focused on developing these key capabilities to strengthen how you think and lead under pressure.
The Programme
Through our coaching together, you’ll learn to:​
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Take control
Make sense of the systems and pressures you’re operating within – what’s influencing you, what’s within your control, and how to navigate what isn’t without constantly feeling on the back foot.
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Sharpen your focus
Cut through noise and competing demands, so the mental clutter of Slack, back-to-back meetings and constant notifications no longer dictates how you think or decide. You’ll create the space needed to make calmer, more confident judgements.
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Depersonalise the politics
Step back from politics, performance pressure and the unspoken assumption that you’re being judged, so situations feel less charged and easier to respond to thoughtfully rather than reactively.
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Develop optionality
Widen your field of view, spot emerging possibilities and make choices with perspective, even when the context is uncertain and the ground keeps shifting.
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Strengthen self-leadership
Build the capacity to stay grounded, clear-headed and steady over time – so you can lead well as the pressure continues, without losing yourself in the process.
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The result isn’t that the pressure disappears, but that you meet it differently – with more clarity, control and confidence.
FAQs
The Antidote unfolds over 12 sessions across 6 months, shaped around your five core leadership capabilities: control, focus, perspective, optionality and self-leadership.​
What does this look like in practice? Together, we focus on helping you take control of what can be influenced, and develop steadier ways of navigating what can’t. We sharpen your focus, cut through noise and competing demands, and create clarity about what truly matters now. We work to depersonalise challenges that have become overly charged, so you can rise above politics, pressure and assumption, and see situations more objectively. From there, it becomes easier to spot opportunities, make confident decisions, and lead with intention rather than reaction. Over time, this builds self-leadership: your capacity to stay grounded, clear-headed and steady, even as the environment around you continues to change.
How do we track progress? We pay attention to shifts in your capacity to think and lead under pressure. At the heart of the work are your five core leadership capabilities: control, focus, perspective, optionality and self-leadership. Throughout our time together, we return to these and notice how your relationship with each one evolves. You’ll capture moments of insight as they arise, and I’ll reflect back the patterns and shifts in your thinking, deciding and responding.
Rather than move through these in a fixed order, we revisit and deepen them as your context, pressure and priorities evolve. The work is responsive to what’s happening for you in real time, while steadily strengthening how you think and lead under pressure.
What do you get? - 6 months of structured, senior-level executive coaching support - 12 fortnightly one-to-one coaching sessions - Light-touch access between sessions for time-critical issues - Work that is focused on developing your Five Core Leadership Capabilities - Mechanisms to help you assess how you’ve developed in each
What is the investment? Expect to pay £2250 for 6 months of support.
What this gives you as a leader
Clearer judgement when decisions are complex and the stakes are high
A steadier leadership presence through ambiguity, change and pressure
The capacity to respond thoughtfully, rather than react under fire
Confidence grounded in perspective, not bravado
The Shift...
From reacting under pressure → leading with intention
From mental overload → clarity and focus
From feeling buffeted by change → control and perspective
From constant strain → greater steadiness and ease
This is about learning how to lead yourself first, so you can lead others even better in complex, fast-moving environments.
"Working with Helen has given me clarity, confidence and a real sense of direction at a time when I felt stuck and overwhelmed. Her style is warm, thoughtful and genuinely supportive, and she has a brilliant way of helping you see things from new angles while keeping the focus practical and grounded."
Aimee, Wellbeing Lead
What Changes for you when we work together?
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Pressure is still present – but it no longer runs the show
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Thinking becomes clearer, calmer and more deliberate
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Perspective widens, even in complex or political situations
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Leadership feels more intentional and less reactive
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You leave work at work more often than you used to.
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Sound good?
This may not be for you if...
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You’re looking for quick fixes, motivational boosts or surface-level solutions
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You want someone to tell you what to do or give prescriptive advice
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You’re mainly interested in a one-size-fits-all framework
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You’re seeking therapy, clinical support or crisis intervention rather than executive coaching
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You’re not willing to slow things down enough to think properly
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You’re expecting the pressure to disappear, rather than learning how to lead well within it
This work suits leaders who are ready to engage thoughtfully, reflect honestly and take responsibility for how they lead themselves in complex, demanding environments. Does that sound like you?
Do you have a question?
"Helen gave me some much needed clarity and an outside perspective which gave me the confidence I needed to make long overdue changes."
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Bev, Head of Marketing
"Helen has an incredible way of asking key questions that provide much needed insight, and draw out that which I am not able to see objectively."
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Natasha, Director