Most leadership training feels generic because it is. Slide decks recycled from MBA programmes, role-play exercises designed for middle managers, feedback models that ignore the political realities of a boardroom.

Leadership Breakthrough exists because senior leaders deserve better. We design training around the actual tensions you face: misaligned executive teams, strategic drift after rapid growth, and the quiet erosion of trust that happens when leaders avoid difficult conversations.

This page is structured as a comparison guide. Scroll to see how our three programme formats differ, check whether your situation fits, read real scenarios from past participants, and request a confidential conversation if something resonates.

Executive Leadership Training — three formats, compared honestly

Dimension	Boardroom IntensiveMost popular	Strategic Catalyst	1-to-1 Executive CoachingConfidential
Duration	3 consecutive days, residential	6 half-day sessions over 10 weeks	8 sessions, 75 minutes each, scheduled around you
Group size	6–10 participants from the same organisation	12–16 cross-industry peers	One leader, one coach
Best for	Executive teams that need to reset how they work together	Individual directors wanting fresh perspective from outside their sector	Leaders facing a specific high-stakes transition or conflict
Core method	Live case dissection using your own strategic challenges, facilitated confrontation, structured candour exercises	Cross-sector problem clinics, peer advisory rounds, structured reflection journals	Diagnostic conversation, targeted skill-building, rehearsal of real upcoming situations
Follow-up	Two 90-minute virtual check-ins at 30 and 90 days	Alumni peer group access for 12 months	Email access to your coach between sessions
Investment	From £14,500 per team	£3,200 per participant	£6,800 for the full engagement
Where	Your premises or a residential venue in Northern Ireland	Central Belfast, quarterly cohort starts	Virtual or in-person at our offices

What the numbers look like after training

Repeat engagement rate: 73%of organisations book a second programme within 18 months
Average participant rating: 4.7 / 5across 29 cohorts since 2019
Completion rate: 96%participants who complete every session
Sectors served: 14from pharma to public sector to fintech

Fit check — which format matches your situation?

You lead an executive team that avoids real disagreement

Meetings end with polite nods but no genuine alignment. Decisions get revisited in corridors. People agree in the room and resist afterwards.

Boardroom Intensive is designed for exactly this pattern
We surface the unspoken tensions on day one
You leave with explicit agreements, not vague commitments

You are a director who feels isolated at the top

Your direct reports look to you for certainty. Your board expects results. There is no safe space to think out loud or admit doubt.

Strategic Catalyst gives you a room of peers who understand that weight
Cross-industry, so nobody is a competitor
Chatham House rules apply to every session

You face a specific high-pressure moment

A merger integration. A restructure announcement. A board presentation where the stakes are personal. A relationship with a chair or co-founder that has deteriorated.

1-to-1 coaching lets you rehearse, adjust and prepare
Sessions flex around your calendar within 48 hours
Everything discussed stays between you and your coach

You are not sure yet

That is fine. A 30-minute diagnostic call costs nothing and commits you to nothing. We listen, ask a few questions, and suggest whether any of our formats would genuinely help, or whether something else would serve you better.

No sales pitch. Honest assessment.
Call +44 28 1733 0114

Executive team in a facilitated boardroom discussion during a Leadership Breakthrough training session — Boardroom Intensive, residential venue near Belfast, spring 2024

One-to-one executive coaching session at Leadership Breakthrough offices — Coaching session, our Belfast office

Strategic Catalyst peer advisory cohort in session — Strategic Catalyst cohort, Q1 2025

Real scenarios (anonymised) from recent participants

The silent board

A technology company with a seven-person leadership team. The CEO spoke for 80% of every meeting. Other directors had stopped preparing because their input rarely changed outcomes. After the Boardroom Intensive, the CEO committed to speaking last in every strategic discussion. Six months later, two directors described it as the most significant shift in their careers.

The reluctant successor

A family-business MD who had been appointed because of lineage, not ambition. Through 1-to-1 coaching, she identified which parts of the role she genuinely wanted and which she needed to delegate. She restructured her top team and hired a COO within four months.

The merger friction

Two NHS trusts merging their leadership structures. We ran a modified Boardroom Intensive with both executive teams in the room. The first morning was uncomfortable. By the end of day two, they had agreed on a shared operating rhythm and identified three redundant governance layers.

The lonely CFO

A CFO in a fast-scaling fintech who felt her peers saw finance as a blocker. She joined a Strategic Catalyst cohort and heard similar frustrations from leaders in completely different sectors. The peer group helped her reframe her internal narrative and change how she opened budget conversations.

On the Boardroom Intensive

"I have attended leadership programmes at London Business School and IMD. This was more useful than both, because it used our actual problems instead of case studies from companies I will never work at."

Director of Operations, logistics firm, 240 employees

On the Strategic Catalyst

"The peer group challenged me in ways my own team never could. One question from a participant in the charity sector completely changed how I thought about stakeholder communication."

Managing Director, architectural practice, Belfast

Start with a confidential conversation

We respond within one working day. If your situation does not fit our programmes, we will tell you directly and suggest alternatives where we can. Reach us by email at [email protected] or call +44 28 1733 0114.

28 Darnell Parade, Kihn-over-Keebler, Northern Ireland, OI31 2XG

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Cancellation terms: Boardroom Intensive bookings cancelled more than 28 days before the start date receive a full refund. Cancellations within 28 days incur a 50% charge. Strategic Catalyst and 1-to-1 Coaching cancellations follow the same 28-day policy per session or cohort start date.

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Disclaimer

Outcomes described on this site, including participant testimonials and scenario narratives, reflect individual experiences and are not guarantees of specific results. Leadership development depends on many factors including organisational context, individual commitment and external conditions.

While we take care to ensure accuracy, we do not warrant that all information on this site is complete or current. Professional advice specific to your circumstances should be sought where appropriate.