JS International

Thank you to everyone who joined us last week for our ICF UK webinar on “From Team to Team of Teams – Coaching for Organisational Transformation.”

It was a rich and energising session, exploring the shift from focusing on individual team performance to enabling collaboration and effectiveness across whole organisational systems.

A special thank you to the UK ICF for hosting and to Paul J Barbour and David Kesby for co-leading such a thoughtful and engaging conversation. Your insights on extra-dependency, systemic coaching, and the real tensions of organisational transformation made this both practical and deeply relevant.

During the webinar we shared a case study from our client of ours. A big thank you to you too (I have kept it confidential here). Your innovation, trust and tenacity continue to inspire me!

What really stood out was the level of engagement and reflection in the group — and a shared recognition that the real struggle is how well teams work together across boundaries.

As coaches and leaders, this invites us to shift our focus: from improving the performance of individual teams, to enabling alignment, shared purpose, and collaboration across the wider system.

For those who’d like to explore this further, I recommend: Edmondson, A. (2012). “Teaming: How Organizations Learn, Innovate, and Compete in the Knowledge Economy.” This book offers a powerful lens on how people collaborate across boundaries in dynamic environments — closely aligned with our discussion on moving from teams to teams of teams.

Certified coaching course

Choosing the right coaching qualification is not a small decision. There are plenty of programmes out there. For us, the starting point was simple: if we were going to design an ICF accredited course, it needed to develop the person, not just teach a toolkit and also focus on the human domain embracing AI. We believe human intelligence (HI) can be harmonised with AI.

Our Certified Coaching Course 2026, "Personal Mastery in Coaching and Mentoring", is accredited by The International Coaching Federation. It’s designed for leaders, HR professionals and aspiring coaches who want depth, rigour and real practice – not just theory.

A few things that matter to us:
We don’t tie you to one methodology. You’re exposed to different approaches so you can make informed choices about how you want to work as a coach.
We focus on who you are being as a coach – not only what you’re doing.
We cover the psychological underpinnings of coaching, not just models and tools.
Diversity, equity, inclusion and transcultural awareness are integrated into the learning.
There’s real mentor coaching and feedback built in – aligned with the latest ICF competencies.

All of programme is delivered live online, because coaching virtually is now part of professional reality and we train accordingly.
The programme is facilitated by two Master Certified Coaches with nearly 20 years’ experience working in global organisations. It’s interactive, challenging and reflective by design.
If you’re considering formal ICF accreditation in 2026 and want a programme that balances academic rigour with real-world application, I’m happy to have a conversation.
No pressure. Just a proper discussion about whether it’s the right fit for you. Please contact me: [email protected] for an introductory conversation.

Looking Ahead to 2026: What Leaders Really Need to Prepare For
As 2025 comes to a close, I’ve found myself reflecting on the year the disruption, the acceleration of AI, the pressures on teams, and the moments of clarity that emerged despite all the noise. Like many, I'm looking ahead to 2026 with a mix of optimism and realism. And the latest research on leadership trends gives us plenty to think about.
One report that stood out to me was Hult Ashridge’s Leadership and Development Forecast for 2026. It paints a picture many of us are already living and a couple of points stood out for me that uncertainty is the new normal and leadership is becoming a team sport more than ever. (Link to full report: https://lnkd.in/eifUuj7c)
These resonate deeply with what I’m seeing in organisations right now. But as I dug further, I also found credible perspectives that challenge or nuance this outlook. For example:
🔹 Korn Ferry warns of a shrinking leadership pipeline.
🔹 DDI highlights a burnout crisis among leaders.
🔹 McKinsey points to a readiness gap.
🔹 Korn Ferry also suggests that AI isn’t just a tool — it’s becoming a teammate.
🔹 Broader L&D research emphasises that “power skills” aren’t soft at all.
Empathy, adaptability, psychological safety, and trust remain the foundations of performance and may matter even more as AI scales across organisations.
Reflecting on all of this, I think the real story is not just about emerging trends it’s about our readiness to meet them and 2026 will test leadership in new ways. Could it be that 2026 we need leaders who:
✔ combine strategic clarity with human-centered leadership
✔ invest not only in AI capability but in team resilience
✔ translate vision in to actional goals that engage others
✔ treat learning as ongoing, personalised, and embedded in work
✔ build strong pipelines, not just strong presentations
✔ stay curious, reflective, and adaptable especially when the path ahead is unclear.
More than anything, 2026 could be the year where leadership maturity at individual, team, and organisational levels becomes the differentiator.
Not the loudest leader.
Not the busiest leader.
But the most intentional one.
As we close 2025, I’d love to hear: what leadership capabilities do you believe will define success in 2026?
Here’s to a year ahead filled with growth, clarity, and meaningful leadership.
hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag

Announcing: Team Coaching in Action — A New Webinar Series for 2026

I’m excited to share that, starting this January, I’ll be hosting **Team Coaching in Action**, a three-part webinar series exploring how team coaching is evolving — and what practitioners can do to stay ahead in a rapidly changing landscape.

Each session brings together *leading thinkers and practitioners* who will dive into three powerful frontiers shaping the future of team coaching:
✨ **AI in Team Coaching**
✨ **The Outdoors as a Catalyst for Team Development**
✨ **Systemic Team Coaching in Practice**

I’m thrilled to be joined by an exceptional line-up of guest speakers, including:
Sam Isaacson • Colin Cosgrove • Dr Rob Kemp • Jonathan Passmore • Ellie Lloyd-Jones • David Kesby PCC EIA ESIA • Paul Jefferies • Paul J Barbour • Dr Claire Dale

These are voices shaping our profession — and this series is a chance to learn directly from their insights, experience, and emerging practice.

Whether you're a team coach, OD practitioner, learning professional, or simply curious about where the field is heading, this series will offer:
🔹 Practical tools
🔹 Future-focused perspectives
🔹 Rich discussions about real-world team coaching in action

📅 **Starts January**

Book your place here: https://lnkd.in/eU7n73xJ

I’d love for you to join us and be part of the conversation about the future of team coaching.

Certified Coaching Course
I’m really happy to share that enrolment is now open for our 2026 Certified Coaching Course, a programme that is incredibly close to my heart.
For almost 20 years, Jan Versteeg and I (we are both Master Certified Coaches and hold a MSc in executive and team coaching from Hult Ashridge in the UK) have been developing coaches across the world, and every year I’m reminded of just how powerful this work can be. Coaching isn’t just about techniques. It’s about who you are when you sit with another human being. It’s about presence, courage, curiosity, and creating the kind of relationship where real change can happen. That’s exactly what this programme is designed to nurture.
What makes our course special?
Because we don’t teach “one way” to coach. We expose you to different methodologies, psychological frameworks, and reflective practices so you can develop your own authentic style. We go deep into what you do, what you know, and who you are as a coach. And we have a lot of honest conversations, laughter, challenge, and discovery along the way.
Our programme is accredited at ICF Level 1. You can work towards ACC or PCC status (later if you decide to continue the journey to Level 2) with full support. And whether you’re joining us as a leader, HR professional, or aspiring coach, you’ll be met exactly where you are.
The learning takes place online. The groups are warm, intimate, and full of people who support each other in ways that often surprise them. Past participants have described the course as transformational, energising, and a “unique learning experience.” Their words, not mine, and I cherish them.
🗓️ Dates for 2026
Level 1 starts 30 April 2026
Full details are in the brochure.
If you’re curious, considering a change, or simply want to deepen your impact as a leader or coach, I’d truly love to speak with you.
Please feel free to reach out directly:
📩 [email protected]

I hope to welcome some of you into our next group, it’s always a privilege to be part of someone’s development journey.

Celebrating an Inspiring Week and 20 Years of NLP Excellence!
Last week we had the privilege of guiding an extraordinary group through our 7-day accelerated Practitioner in NLP & Neuroscience course and we’re proud to say that every single participant passed.
What stood out most was not just the commitment to learning, but the curiosity, connection, and depth of insight each person brought into the room. It was truly inspiring to watch this group stretch beyond old patterns, embrace new thinking, and apply powerful NLP and neuroscience-based tools with skill and heart.
This year is especially meaningful to us as 2025 marks 20 years of running our NLP Practitioner training, which is now accredited by the International Coaching Federation.
Two decades of refining, expanding, and evolving the programme…
Two decades of integrating the latest thinking from neuroscience…
Two decades of witnessing transformation, growth, and breakthrough moments from thousands of participants.
To last week’s participants: thank you for your energy, openness, and courage to learn at pace. You honoured the work, you honoured each other, and you made our 20th year feel extra special. And a special thank you to Cora Kreijkamp (MSc, ACC) who worked with us and this special group guiding and coaching them too.
Here’s to everyone's continued growth and to the next 20 years of helping people create meaningful change.

A milestone reached — and a journey deeply lived. 🎓

After several years of learning, reflection, and many moments of doubt and discovery, Jan Versteeg and I are proud to share that we’ve both completed our Master’s degrees with Hult Ashridge. We received the news this week after another profound learning experience during our practicum day.

Jan has earned a Master’s in Executive Coaching, whilst I have earned a Master’s in Team Coaching.

Between us, we’ve written tens of thousands of words exploring our own strengths, weaknesses, coaching practice and expanding our knowledge of these respective fields. Yet the real learning wasn’t in the word count, it was in what those words represented: hours of reflection, honest conversations, challenge, and growth.

There were many times we questioned whether to keep going. And now, standing at the other end, we can see that this was not just an academic programme, it was a journey of becoming. We learned as much about ourselves as we did about team and executive coaching, and that learning will stay with us for life.

We are deeply grateful to Erik de Haan for his exceptional supervision and teaching. His clarity, depth, and humility guided us through both the complexity of the theory and the vulnerability of the practice. Our thanks also goes to the excellent faculty for their wisdom and support too: Simon Cavicchia, Charlotte Sills, Ann Knights and David Birch.

We also want to acknowledge and thank our fellow learners (too many to mention here) an extraordinary community of peers who challenged, supported, and inspired us along the way. The learning conversations, shared vulnerabilities, and honest reflections made this experience richer than words can capture.

And to Jan Versteeg, my partner in life and learning, thank you for your wisdom, perspective, and unwavering support throughout this process. Walking this path together made the experience richer and more meaningful in every way.

To anyone embarking on this kind of journey: it will test you, stretch you, and surprise you, and it may just become one of the most important learning experiences of your life.

Congratulations to our wonderful Certified Team Coaching Course participants! 💫
I couldn’t be prouder of this incredible group who have now completed the Practicum phase of our Certificate in Team Coaching; part of our ICF-accredited programme.
This is not a pass or a fail, it’s a Certificate of Attendance, but what it truly represents is so much more. It reflects commitment, courage, and growth. Each of you has stretched yourselves by taking on a real client assignment, applying your learning in the real world, and showing up with curiosity, professionalism, and heart.
Watching your journeys has been both humbling and inspiring. You’ve supported one another, embraced challenge, and demonstrated what it means to be a team coach who makes a difference, to teams, to organisations, and to the world around you.
Jan Versteeg and I feel deeply privileged to walk alongside you as you grow in this work.
Congratulations again — and thank you for bringing your best selves to this course.

Team Coaching
Last week, our cohort wrapped up Module 2: Navigating Team Dynamics of the Certified Team Coaching course in beautiful Malta! 🇲🇹
We dove deep into:
- Team patterns & power – spotting hidden dynamics
- Psychological safety & trust – building the foundation for open dialogue
- Diversity & inclusion – leveraging different perspectives
- Conflict & reflexivity – transforming tension into learning
But theory alone wasn’t enough and walked into the nearby countryside for a guided reflection walk allowing new insights to emerge when we slow down and connect.
We also celebrated our progress (and the sunshine!) over a shared meal. It was the perfect reminder that team coaching isn’t just about frameworks—it’s about creating space for real human connection, both in session and beyond.
A huge thank you to everyone who brought their curiosity and courage to the experience. Ready for Module 3!

eam Coaching
I’m honoured to share that I’ve been appointed as an Associate Board Member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF) in the UK — a joint role I’ll be taking on alongside the brilliant Nathalie McAree.
Together, we’ll be co-leading the working party to champion Team Coaching, collaborating closely with the rest of the board to advance the broader coaching agenda.
We are stepping into the shoes of the inspiring Lucy Widdowson, who began this journey six years ago and has played a pivotal role in putting Team Coaching on the map in the UK. We’re deeply grateful for Lucy’s trailblazing work and are excited to build on her legacy.
Our shared ambition is to:
Educate organisations on the transformative impact of Team Coaching — especially how approaches like "team of teams" can drive real organisational change.
Add meaningful value to our UK ICF membership.
Start a conversation with all of you — about what’s working, what’s needed, and how we can co-create the future of Team Coaching together.
We’re looking forward to this next chapter and welcome any thoughts, ideas, or collaborations.

I am sharing a really valuable resource about AI. This is about something that really interests me in terms of the future of organisations. Thank you to @ Claire Mifsud for sharing this with me. The link to the full report is below. In short and, yes, I did ask AI to help me summarise this:
2025: The Year the Frontier Firm Is Born
According to Microsoft's newly released 2025 Work Trend Index, we’ve entered a new era of work—where AI isn’t just a tool, but a teammate.
82% of leaders say this is a pivotal year to rethink operations and strategy. The data shows that AI agents—intelligent digital coworkers—are already helping organisations expand capacity, scale innovation, and unlock new ways of working.
The shift is happening in three phases:
1️⃣ AI as assistant – enhancing productivity
2️⃣ Human-agent teams – redefining roles
3️⃣ Human-led, agent-operated orgs – reimagining business workflows
Key insights:
80% of the global workforce feels stretched thin.
45% of leaders prioritise expanding capacity with digital labor.
Only 40% of employees are familiar with AI agents, compared to 67% of leaders.
For leaders and HR, the mandate is clear:
✅ Start hiring and onboarding your first AI agents—treat them like team members.
✅ Invest in AI literacy across the org—every employee is becoming an agent boss.
✅ Shift from pilot mode to scale—change won’t wait.
AI influence is now the most in-demand skill of 2025. If you're not upskilling, you're falling behind.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/2025-the-year-the-frontier-firm-is-born

🎉 Congratulations to our Certified Team Coaching Cohort! 🎉

We’ve just completed the final module of our Certified Team Coaching Course – (Certified by the International Coaching Federation) a journey that’s taken our participants from foundational knowledge, through the intricate landscape of team dynamics, and now into the real-world application of their skills.

This last module was all about putting learning into action – with rich opportunities for practice, reflection, and supervision. We were especially privileged to welcome an intact team from a major multinational organisation, giving our participants the rare chance to coach a live team and experience the real power (and challenge!) of team coaching in action.

Through role plays, live practice sessions, and supervision, each participant demonstrated their commitment to this work and their growth as a team coach.

👏 Huge congratulations to everyone who completed the programme – we’re excited to see how you take this learning forward and continue to support teams to thrive!