Scruffy Leadership Coaching Services
I am a leadership coach. I focus particularly on supporting engineers that are moving into leadership or management, but am happy to coach anyone in any kind of leadership position.
Individual coaching provides a safe and confidential space for employees to explore their leadership potential, identify development areas, and work towards specific goals. This can include enhancing communication skills, improving decision-making, increasing emotional intelligence, and navigating workplace challenges.
Coaching can be long-term (development coaching) or short-term coaching, dealing with more specific short-term issues. Coaching addresses the unique challenges faced by engineers transitioning (or who have recently transitioned) into leadership roles. It focuses on developing essential leadership skills, such as delegation, psychological safety, team management, strategic thinking, performance management and communication. Coaching is aimed at addressing whatever goals or challenges the individual brings to each session, but coaching can be most effective when the discussions focus on a long-term goal that is discussed over multiple sessions.
My main focus is coaching individuals, but I also offer team coaching. Team coaching facilitates improved communication, collaboration, and alignment within teams. It helps teams clarify their objectives, identify obstacles, develop action plans, and enhance their collective effectiveness. Facilitation services can assist teams in navigating complex discussions, resolving conflicts, and making informed decisions.
My coaching is offered online, through Google Meet.
I offer coaching to individuals and to companies. Please get in touch to discuss what might be most helpful for you.
A note about coaching and mentorship
While I primarily identify as a leadership coach, it's helpful to understand the relationship between coaching and mentorship. Often, mentorship is seen as providing direct advice and sharing from one's own experience, while coaching focuses more on asking powerful questions to help you unlock your own answers and potential. I view these not as a rigid binary, but as a flexible continuum. Therefore, while our sessions will be grounded in coaching methodologies to empower your growth and self-discovery, I will also often incorporate elements of mentorship, offering direct guidance or sharing relevant experiences when it serves your specific goals and development.
“Ben was arguably the best manager I worked with during my 18 years at Google and DeepMind. He led with kindness and a deep respect for individual autonomy, creating the kind of environment where people could truly thrive. I always felt seen, supported, and trusted to do my best work. Ben brought out the best in those around him - not by micromanaging, but by believing in and empowering them. I’m thrilled he’s now coaching others, because his values and approach are exactly what thoughtful leadership looks like.” Co-Founder & CEO, MasteryHive AI "Ben is a transformational leader and someone who I've turned to for advice many times over the years. When I was unsure what to do, Ben's wisdom, deep understanding of the technology industry and human touch, made him the first port of call. I've always left our conversations feeling clearer about the situation at hand, and grateful for his insight and perspective." Senior Staff Research Scientist at Google DeepMind "Ben's mentorship has been incredibly valuable to my professional development. When I began leading a complex initiative on language fairness, Ben's guidance was pivotal in my ability to effectively lead the team and positively influence others. I really appreciate how Ben took genuine interest in my career and spent time getting to know me as an individual. He helped me recognise my strengths as a leader and build confidence." Research Scientist at DeepMind
Obum Ekeke
Ex Head of Education Partnerships, Google DeepMind
Iason Gabriel
Time 100 most influential people in AI 2024.
Lisa Anne Hendricks