Senior Leadership Development and Coaching to Support Cultural Change

Context

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) is Scotland’s national food body, employing over 300 people and operating in a complex, highly regulated environment. In 2021, FSS sought to strengthen leadership capability across its senior population and support the embedding of a clear, values-led culture aligned to organisational purpose and strategy.

Taylor Clarke was engaged to design and deliver a Senior Leadership Development and Coaching programme for leaders across the top three layers of the organisation. 

Programme Objectives

The programme was designed to:

• Strengthen leadership self-awareness and effectiveness

• Build alignment between organisational purpose, strategy and culture

• Support leaders to lead others through change with confidence

• Create shared expectations of leadership across the organisation

• Embed learning through coaching, peer support and practical application

Approach

Taylor Clarke worked in close partnership with Food Standards Scotland to co-create the programme. Initial design activity included structured conversations with the Executive team and a representative group of leaders to ensure relevance, ownership and sponsorship.

The programme was delivered virtually across three cohorts and facilitated by a dedicated team of facilitator-coaches, supported by individual executive coaches and led by a Taylor Clarke Project Manager. Regular design reviews and team check-ins ensured consistency of approach and allowed emerging insights to shape delivery in real time.

Alongside group learning, each participant received individual coaching and structured feedback, enabling leaders to reflect on their impact, strengths and development priorities in a safe and supportive environment.

Programme Structure

The leadership programme combined a series of core workshops with complementary development interventions:

Leadership Workshops

The workshops focused on:

• Leadership purpose and expectations

• Self-awareness and strengths

• Strategy, alignment and culture

• Leading and engaging others

• Bringing learning together and defining future leadership expectations

The programme culminated in a face-to-face session bringing all cohorts together to consolidate learning, build shared understanding and agree next steps for embedding culture across the organisation.

Complementary Interventions

• 360-degree feedback with facilitated feedback sessions

• Individual strengths-based development

• Peer learning groups and learning buddies

• One-to-one coaching for all participants

These elements reinforced learning and supported application beyond the workshops.

Evaluation and Impact

Feedback gathered throughout the programme highlighted increased clarity, confidence and alignment among senior leaders. Leaders reported stronger self-awareness, improved collaboration and a clearer understanding of their role in shaping culture and delivering strategy.

The combination of leadership development, coaching and peer learning helped create shared leadership language and expectations across cohorts, strengthening consistency at senior levels of the organisation.

Insights gathered through coaching and facilitated discussions informed ongoing cultural development work and shaped the next phases of support with Food Standards Scotland.

Ongoing Partnership

Taylor Clarke continues to work with Food Standards Scotland to support the embedding of leadership behaviours and cultural change. The programme has laid a strong foundation for sustained leadership development, enabling leaders to operate with greater confidence, alignment and impact in a complex public-sector environment