Free Resources
Practical articles, downloadable guides, and professional insights from the Ascent team — freely available to support your development journey.
Leadership presence is often cited as a key differentiator between good leaders and truly great ones — but what does it actually mean, and can it be developed? This in-depth article from our Principal Coach Dr Margaret Hale explores the science behind executive presence and offers five practical strategies for developing yours.
Drawing on over 20 years of coaching senior leaders, Dr Hale breaks down the three core pillars of leadership presence — gravitas, communication, and appearance — and explains why the first is far more important than the other two.
From the Blog
Practical, evidence-based articles written by our coaches and mentors on topics that matter to UK professionals.
Carol Dweck's research on growth mindset has transformed how we think about learning and development. But how do you actually build one? We share seven evidence-based practices that our coaching clients use every day to shift from fixed to growth thinking.
Resilience isn't about bouncing back — it's about bouncing forward. In this article, we explore the latest psychological research on resilience, bust common myths, and share the practices that our coaches consistently recommend to clients under pressure.
What makes someone a compelling leader? It's rarely technical expertise alone. In this article we break down the three pillars of executive presence — gravitas, communication, and authenticity — and explain how each can be deliberately developed.
A mentoring relationship is only as good as the preparation and investment both parties bring to it. This guide covers how to set clear goals, prepare effectively for every meeting, and navigate the moments when the relationship feels stuck or stale.
Stress is inevitable at senior levels — but chronic stress is not. We explore the neuroscience of stress, explain why some high-performers seem immune to burnout, and share the strategies our coaches recommend for sustainable high performance.
Most organisations claim to value feedback — few have genuinely embedded it into their culture. This article explains the key conditions required for a real feedback culture to thrive, and shares practical tools that leadership teams can implement immediately.
Free Downloads
Practical, research-backed guides developed by our coaching team. Free to download — no email required.
A comprehensive set of coaching tools, frameworks, and reflection exercises used by our coaches with clients at every level.
Everything you need to know to get the most from a mentoring relationship — for both mentors and mentees at every stage.
A validated 50-question self-assessment covering 10 dimensions of leadership effectiveness. Includes a scoring guide and development recommendations.
A structured workbook for professionals navigating a career change. Covers values clarification, skills audit, goal setting, and action planning.