Paul Starbuck & Associates

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Paul Starbuck & Associates Certified B Corp. 2025 National Coaching Award winner for Coaching Business of the Year and Investors in People Awards 2026 finalist.

Executive coaching, ICF-accredited coach training and leadership development, delivered internationally.

Leadership development works best when it is built around the real context of the organisation.That means taking time to...
21/10/2026

Leadership development works best when it is built around the real context of the organisation.

That means taking time to understand what people are experiencing day to day, where communication could be stronger, and how leadership behaviours are shaping the wider culture.

This case study shows what can happen when development is practical, relevant and connected to what is actually happening inside the organisation.

It is not just about delivering a programme.

It is about creating space for better thinking, stronger conversations and more useful leadership behaviours in practice.

Because meaningful development is not measured by activity alone.

It is measured by what starts to shift.

Read all about it in the carousel below.

Thinking about your first non-executive role?Our six-week NED Transition Programme starts on Tuesday 3 November, with si...
19/10/2026

Thinking about your first non-executive role?

Our six-week NED Transition Programme starts on Tuesday 3 November, with six weekly live sessions online through to 8 December. Paul Starbuck, ICF Master Certified Coach, works with you on what a board needs from its members, how to influence without authority, and how to make sound judgements on governance, risk and finance.

By the end you will have a clear picture of the board you want to join and a plan for getting there. Places are limited, so book via the link in the comments.

By October, plenty of leaders have already had the September burst of motivation and discovered which new routines actua...
19/10/2026

By October, plenty of leaders have already had the September burst of motivation and discovered which new routines actually survived a busy few weeks.

The difficulty is rarely knowing what to do. It is making the behaviour survive a genuinely busy week.

The September edition of COACHED Magazine explores the Fogg Behaviour Model, habit loops and the idea of anchoring new behaviours to routines that already exist.

Instead of asking, “How can I become more disciplined?”, a more useful question is, “How can I make this easier to do and harder to forget?”

That might mean reviewing the week's three priorities immediately after the Monday leadership meeting, using the first coffee of the day as the cue for 15 minutes of strategic thinking, or taking two minutes after each one-to-one to capture one observation or follow-up.

Small changes attached to reliable prompts create far less dependence on willpower. A leadership routine that works only when the diary is quiet is not really a routine yet.

What is one useful leadership habit you could attach to something you already do?

Good coaching needs more than a good conversation. It needs clarity around what the work is actually there to achieve.Th...
16/10/2026

Good coaching needs more than a good conversation. It needs clarity around what the work is actually there to achieve.

That is especially important when coaching takes place inside an organisation, where the individual, coach and sponsor may each be bringing different expectations into the relationship.

Without enough clarity at the beginning, coaching can gradually become vague. The purpose becomes less defined, boundaries become blurred, success becomes difficult to measure and assumptions begin replacing explicit conversations.

Our Contracting Compass is built around four areas worth establishing, and revisiting, throughout the work.

Purpose: What is this coaching actually for?

Boundaries: What belongs inside this work and what sits elsewhere?

Measures: How will we know whether anything has changed?

Relationship: How will coach and client work together when the conversation becomes difficult?

Contracting should not be treated as an administrative exercise completed before the "real work" begins. It is part of the work.

And when circumstances, priorities or relationships change, the contract may need to change with them.

Clarity at the beginning creates stronger conditions for everything that follows.

Which part of the contracting conversation is most likely to get skipped in practice?

The first few days after a break can reveal a great deal about how an organisation is working.When leaders return with a...
14/10/2026

The first few days after a break can reveal a great deal about how an organisation is working.

When leaders return with a little more distance from the day-to-day, they often notice things that constant activity can make easy to miss.

A meeting that no longer feels useful.

A decision that moved forward without needing escalation.

A process that has become heavier than it needs to be.

Or a pattern that only becomes visible once there has been enough space to step back.

That is why returning well matters.

The value of a break is not only in the rest itself. It is also in the perspective it can create afterwards.

For leaders, that first window back can be a useful opportunity to ask:

What worked well while I was away?

What still depended too heavily on me?

What felt clearer when I came back?

And what has become normal that may need to be questioned?

Fresh perspective does not last forever.

But used well, it can help leaders see the organisation with more clarity before the usual rhythm takes over again.

Still smiling about this one. Thank you for all your kind messages since we shared that Starbuck & Associates is a final...
13/10/2026

Still smiling about this one. Thank you for all your kind messages since we shared that Starbuck & Associates is a finalist for The Award for Learning and Development at The Investors in People Awards 2026. They have meant so much to the whole team.

A leader’s ability to step away can say a lot about the system around them.Not because leaders should disappear from res...
12/10/2026

A leader’s ability to step away can say a lot about the system around them.

Not because leaders should disappear from responsibility.

But because healthy organisations should not depend on one person being constantly available.

When leaders find it difficult to switch off, the issue is not always personal.

Sometimes it reflects unclear decision-making.

Over-reliance on one individual.

A lack of confidence in the team.

Or a culture where being available has quietly become confused with being effective.

Rest matters.

But so does what rest reveals.

If a leader cannot take proper time away without the organisation becoming stuck, that is worth paying attention to.

It may be a sign that more clarity is needed.

More ownership needs to be developed.

Or more trust needs to be built into how decisions are made.

Stepping away is not separate from leadership.

Sometimes it is one of the clearest ways to understand how leadership is working in practice.

We have some news to share from Starbuck Academy.Starbuck Academy is now undergoing accreditation with The CPD Standards...
09/10/2026

We have some news to share from Starbuck Academy.

Starbuck Academy is now undergoing accreditation with The CPD Standards Office, and up to 25 of our hubs are going forward for independent assessment.

The CPD Standards Office provides independent CPD accreditation for training, learning and coaching activities. Our hubs will be assessed against their quality standards for relevance, structure and learning impact.

Starbuck Academy is part of Starbuck & Associates. Over the last two years it has grown into an ecosystem of learning and practice for leaders, managers, coaches, boards and whole organisations, with every programme designed by ICF accredited coaches.

Watch this space.

Explore Starbuck Academy: https://hubs.ly/Q04zDpd00

At Starbuck & Associates, customer impact is about genuine, measurable value.Not transactional work.Long-term partnershi...
09/10/2026

At Starbuck & Associates, customer impact is about genuine, measurable value.

Not transactional work.

Long-term partnerships.
Meaningful outcomes.
Practical leadership development.
Healthier cultures.
Better conversations.
Stronger teams.

As part of our 2025–2026 B Corp Annual Impact Statement, we have reflected on the Customers impact area and the work delivered over the past year.

We have continued supporting leaders and organisations across sectors including finance, infrastructure, healthcare and education.

Our work has included executive coaching, leadership development programmes, team effectiveness work and cultural transformation initiatives designed to create meaningful organisational change.

Starbuck Academy has also continued to grow, providing digital learning hubs and tools to support leadership development and coaching cultures within organisations.

We have continued publishing Coached Magazine, sharing practical leadership insights and coaching tools with a growing audience.

This year, our work was recognised externally through Coaching Business of the Year at the National Coaching Awards and Highly Commended for Sustainable Leadership at the Good Small Business Awards.

Joining a board, or already sitting on one and want to feel more sure of your ground?The Effective Board Member is our n...
08/10/2026

Joining a board, or already sitting on one and want to feel more sure of your ground?

The Effective Board Member is our new three-module programme for non-executive directors, trustees and board members. Thursday evenings, 6pm to 8pm, live online:

26 November: In the Boardroom
3 December: Governance, Risk and Assurance
10 December: Finance in the Boardroom

Facilitated by Grenville Page CPFA, an experienced non-executive director, trustee and chair of audit committees from across public and charitable services over the last 20 years.

£399 per module, £699 for two or £999 for all three, all including VAT. Booking links are in the comments.

Sixteen places per module, first come, first served.

Address

Northgate House, Northgate
Sleaford
NG347BZ

Telephone

+441529240355

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