Strategic facilitation for leadership teams
Get your leadership team aligned, cut through the difficult stuff and leave with decisions people can act on.
Getting senior people in the same room is useful. Getting them to have the right conversation is the harder bit. Without a skilled, independent facilitator, away days, strategy sessions and project kick-offs can get pulled off course by pet topics, unspoken tension or the dreaded circular discussion. Everyone has been in one. No one wants another.
Whether you are planning a leadership away day, helping charity trustees work through a strategic shift, or starting a major bid or transformation project, good facilitation gives the room enough structure, neutrality and pace to make real progress.
What I help with
Leadership away days: I design and facilitate focused sessions that help senior teams agree priorities, tackle silos and build momentum.
High-stakes project kick-offs: I help cross-functional teams, partners and external contributors get clear on purpose, roles, risks and ownership from the start.
Strategic problem-solving sessions: I guide teams through knotty operational issues, from customer complaints and service bottlenecks to organisational change.
Governance and board alignment: I support trustees, boards and senior committees to make clear decisions, agree priorities and keep the wheels on after the meeting.
How it works
Every session is designed around your goals, your people and what is actually going on – not a generic workshop template with a new logo slapped on it.
1. Discovery and alignment: We start with a proper briefing call to understand the objectives, the people in the room, the awkward bits and what a useful outcome needs to look like.
2. Custom agenda design: I build a session plan that balances clear thinking, open discussion, practical exercises and decision-making. No padding. No gimmicks.
3. Live facilitation: On the day, I hold the room with calm, neutral direction. I make sure the right voices are heard, tangents are handled and decisions do not disappear into polite fog.
4. Actionable output and next steps: You leave with a clear record of decisions, agreed priorities and named owners, so the energy does not vanish by Tuesday morning.
Optional add-ons
1. Post-session 1-to-1 coaching for leaders
A group session can set the direction. Individual coaching helps leaders put it into practice. 1-to-1 coaching is available for department heads, project leads and executives who want to sharpen their communication, leadership presence and follow-through.
2. Strategic document review and editing
If the session produces a strategic plan, board paper, funding proposal or similar document, I can review and edit it so the thinking is clear, the wording is sharp and the final version is fit to share.
About your facilitator
Jakki Bendell, MBA, ACC is an ICF-accredited executive coach, facilitator and communication specialist with more than 15 years’ experience supporting leaders and teams across corporate and public sector settings. With a background in corporate senior management, trustee experience, an MBA and CIPD training qualifications, she brings calm authority, empathy and a practical commercial eye to the room – helping teams move past noise, sharpen their thinking and commit to action.
Ready to get your team aligned?
If you are planning a strategic away day, board session or project kick-off, get in touch and we can talk through what would be useful.
“Jakki’s support in facilitating The Other Side Gallery’s AGM and strategic planning sessions with the Trustees have been vital in moving the organisation forward over the past twelve months. Jakki gave structure and direction to often complex discussions, ensuring all voices were heard.” – Lillian Ashford, Head of Philanthropy (North America), University of Manchester
“Jakki undertook a series of workshops around internal customer services delivery with three of our Head Office departments. The net result is happier internal customers, happier Head Office staff and a greater understanding of people’s roles within the business.” – Paul Masters, Non-Executive Director, KFH