The Challenge
England Athletics wanted to strengthen the effectiveness of its senior management team and ensure strong leadership capability across the organisation. They needed a partner to provide objective, evidence-based insights into leadership potential, and to support development through coaching and tailored interventions. Over the last decade, JAM People Consulting has partnered with England Athletics on a variety of projects — from executive assessment to coaching and team development.
Our Approach
We designed a series of integrated programmes to meet different leadership needs:
- Senior Management Team Development – Each SMT member completed a psychometric personality profile and a 360-degree feedback exercise, followed by an individual coaching session to translate insights into action plans .
- Executive Assessment – Psychometric profiling and structured assessment reports were used in selection for senior roles, giving evidence-based recommendations on strengths, risks, and fit .
- Team Development – Sessions using team profiling tools built awareness of preferences, improved collaboration, and supported more effective decision-making.
- Area Managers Development – Following success at SMT level, the process was cascaded to Area Managers, combining assessments, coaching, and feedback to embed leadership capability more widely .
The Impact
- Increased leadership self-awareness and clarity on development priorities.
- Stronger collaboration and alignment across the senior management team.
- Evidence-based assessment processes that provided confidence in high-stakes executive appointments.
- Leaders equipped with practical strategies to influence effectively, manage performance, and build resilient teams.
- A consistent approach to leadership development, cascading from the executive team to area managers, embedding capability across the organisation.
Why it Matters
In a competitive, high-performance sporting environment, strong leadership is vital for both cultural strength and organisational success. By investing in leadership assessment, development, and coaching, England Athletics has built a more confident, aligned, and capable leadership team — ready to meet today’s demands and prepare for tomorrow.
