In conversation with Joanna Dawson

In this interview, we speak with Joanna Dawson, interim head of AoEC for Business, executive coach and organisational development specialist. Joanna reflects on her journey into coaching, the evolving role of coaching in organisational strategy, and the cultural and structural challenges leaders and teams are navigating today. Drawing on her work across leadership development, coach development and organisational change, she shares her perspective on building connected, capable and future‑ready organisations - and the shift towards more conscious, people‑centred leadership that she hopes her work will help make possible.

Can you share the story of how you first stepped into the world of coaching, and what inspired you to make it a central part of your work?

I was fortunate to experience effective coaching long before I recognised or labelled it as “coaching.” In my early career, I had line managers who genuinely coached me, and I worked at the Whitbread Group during a time when an enabling leadership and “performance-through-people” philosophy was deeply embedded in the organisation.

This experience powerfully demonstrated what is possible when coaching is at the core of leadership, rather than being treated as an ancillary skill.

I transitioned into roles in learning and development (L&D), collaborating with various departments. Later, I moved into international operations, talent management, and, more recently, consulting - often in challenging markets and cross-cultural environments where deep listening and understanding were essential.

My coaching skills became my tool for navigating complex projects and large-scale business transformations, helping leaders and teams align, unlock, and take ownership of their potential.

Over time, I realised that coaching was not just a useful skill set; it was how I wanted to present myself to the world. For me, coaching is something you embody - a way of being with people - rather than merely a necessary add-on competency.

You describe your work as helping organisations “navigate complexity, strengthen their culture, and unlock growth through their people.” From your vantage point, what are the biggest cultural or structural blockers organisations face today?

From what I see, many organisations are not short of intent; they are unsure what to do and are not really listening to each other. Egos are not always left at the door; people slip into working in silos, and important voices or perspectives get missed.

Hybrid and virtual working, dispersed teams and multiple geographies have amplified this: it is simply harder now to keep people connected, motivated and aligned when you rarely share the same room.

The real challenge – and opportunity – is that leaders have to make a conscious decision about how they will sustain engagement, energy and trust over time, not just rely on structures or processes.

My work is often about creating the space and discipline for those honest conversations, so leaders and teams can hear each other differently and make clearer, more joined up choices about how they work together.

Your work sits at the intersection of organisational design and human development. How do you approach balancing structural change with the human side of leadership and culture?

When organisations go through structural change, my focus is on making sure the human side is not squeezed out – especially when leaders are under pressure and time feels tight.

I work with them to get really clear on the practical shifts (roles, reporting lines, decision rights), while also asking, “What will this feel like for people?” and “How are you going to stay present to that?” Communication is KEY!

In coaching, we look explicitly at how they show up during change: their default reactions under stress, the signals they send, and the conversations they might be avoiding.

I help them plan and rehearse the critical conversations, so they can communicate honestly, listen well and stay connected to their values even when decisions are tough.

The aim is that structural change brings clarity and focus, without losing trust, dignity and motivation along the way.

AoEC for Business is evolving its B2B proposition. What are the most important shifts you believe organisations are looking for in coaching and leadership development right now?

Organisations are increasingly asking, “How does coaching help us with the real work we have to do?” rather than seeing it as a nice to have perk for a small group.

They want coaching that is connected to strategic priorities – transformation, growth, inclusion, wellbeing, succession – and that builds internal capability, not just relies on external experts.

I see more interest in team and systemic coaching, in building coaching skills into leadership and management, and in programmes that combine individual and collective development over time.

At the AoEC, our internal coach training, Practitioner Diploma in Executive Coaching and advanced team coaching programmes are all responding to that need for deeper, more joined up capability in organisations.

You work with senior leaders, emerging talent and teams navigating transition or growth. What patterns do you notice across these different groups, and how do their developmental needs differ?

Across all three groups, the common thread is that people are carrying a lot – complexity, ambiguity and competing demands – with very little protected time to think. They all need honest feedback, psychological safety and support to experiment with new ways of working.

The developmental focus then differs:

• For senior leaders, it is about perspective and impact: creating space to think strategically, having the right (often tough) conversations and leading in a way that supports both performance and wellbeing.

• For emerging talent, it is more about identity and influence: building confidence, finding their voice and learning to navigate complex systems without losing themselves.

• For teams, the focus sits in the “in‑between” space: how they communicate, decide, hold each other to account and stay connected and motivated through change, especially in hybrid or dispersed setups.

Your coaching approach emphasises curiosity, challenge and empathy. How does this approach help leaders turn insight into meaningful, sustained action - especially in high‑pressure or ambiguous environments?

Curiosity, focused challenge and empathy are the backbone of my coaching, especially in high pressure, ambiguous contexts.

I start by exploring a leader’s values and motivators, so our work is aligned with what truly matters to them and has real energy behind it. From there, I partner closely with them in their real-world context, constraints and aspirations, rather than in an idealised scenario.

Challenge is purposeful and action oriented: I hold up a clear mirror to patterns or assumptions in service of the change they want and help turn insight into concrete experiments.

Empathy – often with a touch of humour – creates enough safety for that honesty, so leaders are more willing to try new behaviours and stay with change long enough for it to be genuinely transformational.

One of your focus areas is enabling organisations to build connected, capable and future‑ready teams. What does a “future‑ready” team look like to you, and what behaviours or mindsets define it?

A future ready team, to me, is one that stays connected, curious and purposeful in the middle of uncertainty. They know why they exist and what value they create, and they keep returning to that when things get noisy.

Psychological safety and accountability sit side by side: people can raise concerns and admit mistakes, and they also hold themselves to high standards.

Learning is treated as part of the work – ongoing reflection, feedback and experimentation – and there is real attention to relationships and wellbeing, so performance is sustained by teams who are resourced, trusted and able to support each other.

Measuring impact remains a crucial challenge for many organisations using coaching. How do you think about generating visible and sustainable progress, both for individual leaders and whole organisations?

Measuring the impact of coaching is often seen as difficult, but it can be done – and it needs to be agreed upon upfront before any coaching intervention starts.

I look at impact through personal narrative, behavioural change, systems and, where useful, concrete ROI. Coaching helps leaders build trust in their teams – better listening, clearer expectations and more honest, respectful challenge.

We agree on behavioural outcomes linked to organisational priorities, then gather feedback, so progress is visible in relationships, decisions and key measures.

Sustainable impact comes when this is reinforced by expectations, processes and leadership role modelling, so coaching becomes part of the culture and psychologically safe, high trust teams become the norm.

Coaching continues to play a growing role in organisational development and culture change. Where do you see the greatest opportunity for coaching to influence organisational strategy in the next few years?

The greatest opportunity for coaching to influence strategy is in three places:

1. How strategy is shaped – using coaching skills to ask better questions about risk, value and impact on people.

1. How strategy is executed – supporting leaders to have the honest, sometimes tough conversations needed to align and engage others.

1. How strategy is embedded – making people strategy central, so culture, capability and wellbeing are treated as critical to sustained delivery, not an afterthought.

Looking ahead, what change in how leaders, teams and organisations thrive would you most like your work to help make possible?

I want my work to support a shift towards conscious leadership, where how we treat people at work is a core strategic choice, not a “nice to have.”

In that world, leaders are awake to their impact and practise consequential thinking – consistently asking, “What are the ripple effects of this decision on people, culture and performance, now and later?” People can bring more of themselves to their roles, and power is used with care and responsibility.

Coaching is no longer a remedial fix, but a natural part of how conscious leaders and teams think, learn and grow. It doesn’t sit with a few specialists; it is built into how managers and leaders are developed from the start, so coaching shaped mindsets, behaviours and consequential choices infuse everyday conversations, culture and decision-making – and become sustainable and genuinely impactful over time.

Our sincere thanks to Joanna for sharing her expertise and insights into coaching within organisations.