CHRIS JACKSON - STRATEGIC DESIGN LEADERSHIP COACHING
Space to think.
Without consequence.
One-to-one coaching for design leaders navigating complexity, isolation, and the pressure of leading from the middle.
LIMITED AVAILABILITY - Get in touch to discuss.
THE PROBLEM
Design leadership is a lonely business.
You're caught between a senior leadership team demanding results and a design team looking to you for direction, protection, and answers you don't always have.
There's no one in the organisation who fully understands the position you're in. The executives see a design function.
The designers see a manager.
Neither sees the whole picture the way you do.
The most talented design leaders I've worked with quietly absorb that pressure for years. Performing certainty upward. Performing calm downward. And finding very few places to just think out loud.
That loneliness is worth paying attention to. Because it's usually a signal — not that you're failing, but that you've outgrown the support structures around you. The role has got bigger than the scaffolding.
WHAT THIS IS
Part coaching, part thinking partnership, part strategic sounding board.
It's not therapy. It's not a course. It's a structured space to think clearly about the challenges you're facing as a design leader, with someone who has spent the last decade working at the intersection of design, strategy, and organisational change.
We work on what matters most to you. Whether that's clarifying your leadership direction, navigating a difficult organisational situation, building your strategic influence, or simply having somewhere to think out loud without consequence.
Sessions
60 minutes, every two weeks
You set the focus ahead of each session
Clear actions agreed at the end of each call
Impact reviewed at the start of the next
Between sessions
Direct access via email for questions and guidance
Private Miro board to map your thinking
Curated tools and frameworks relevant to your goals
Real-time support when things come up
WHAT CLIENTS SAY
In their words.
“This came at exactly the right time in my career.
Chris masterfully took me on a journey to explore my purpose, and through his deep empathy, curiosity and experience he helped me to not only remember my why, but to back myself and my experience.”
“Chris is a warm, friendly and professional coach.
His feedback is insightful and the processes he uses are very effective at drilling down and discovering your objectives, skills and possible ways forward.”
“Chris has created a structure and flow that distilled what I represent, what I am excited about, and my skills into a single statement, without losing any of the substance.
Within a single hour, I left with something more true to my vision than I’ve ever had.”
FIT
Right fit, wrong fit.
Good fit if you...
Feel isolated at the top of your design function
Are navigating a difficult organisational situation
Want to build strategic influence but aren't sure how
Need somewhere to think without consequence
Ready to invest in your own development
Not the right fit if you want...
A quick fix
A training course
Someone to validate decisions already made
Availability
Coaching engagements are currently limited. I work with a small number of design leaders at any one time to ensure the engagement gets the depth it deserves.
If you're interested, get in touch and we can have an initial conversation about timing and fit.
A note from me.
“Design leadership is one of the most complex positions in any organisation — and one of the least supported.
You’re expected to lead creative people, navigate political complexity, demonstrate strategic value, and develop the next generation of designers. All while delivering work to deadlines and managing up, down, and sideways simultaneously.
Most organisations don’t have the support infrastructure for design leaders that they have for other senior roles. No peer cohort. No dedicated mentorship. No built-in space to think.
That’s what I’m here to provide. Not answers, but a structured space to find your own, with someone who has navigated similar territory and understands the specific pressures of leading design inside organisations.
For some design leaders, this work naturally surfaces what their team needs next. When that happens, we can talk about what that looks like.”
Let's have a conversation.
No commitment, no pressure, just an honest discussion about where you are and whether this is the right fit.