Scruffy Leadership

My name is Ben. I am a Leadership Coach. I have worked in the tech industry in the UK and the US for nearly thirty years. My undergraduate degree is in Computer Science (and I have a master's degree in Linguistics), and for the first few years of my career I was a software engineer. Since then, I have spent most of my career managing and leading teams of software engineers and research scientists. In my most recent role I was an Engineering Director at Google DeepMind. I joined DeepMind when it was a fifteen person startup in early 2012 and left after 13 years in July 2025.

I focus particularly on supporting engineers that are moving into leadership or management, but am happy to coach anyone in (or considering moving into) any kind of leadership position.

Individual coaching provides a safe and confidential space for employees to explore their leadership potential, identify development areas, and work towards specific goals. This can include enhancing communication skills, improving decision-making, increasing emotional intelligence, and navigating workplace challenges.

Coaching can be long-term (development coaching) or short-term coaching, dealing with more specific short-term issues. Coaching addresses the unique challenges faced by engineers transitioning (or who have recently transitioned) into leadership roles. It focuses on developing essential leadership skills, such as delegation, psychological safety, team management, strategic thinking, performance management and communication. Coaching is aimed at addressing whatever goals or challenges the individual brings to each session, but coaching can be most effective when the discussions focus on a long-term goal that is discussed over multiple sessions.

My main focus is coaching individuals, but I also offer team coaching. Team coaching facilitates improved communication, collaboration, and alignment within teams. It helps teams clarify their objectives, identify obstacles, develop action plans, and enhance their collective effectiveness. Facilitation services can assist teams in navigating complex discussions, resolving conflicts, and making informed decisions.

My coaching is offered online, through Google Meet.

I offer coaching to individuals and to companies. Please get in touch to discuss what might be most helpful for you.

A note about coaching and mentorship

While I primarily identify as a leadership coach, it's helpful to understand the relationship between coaching and mentorship. Often, mentorship is seen as providing direct advice and sharing from one's own experience, while coaching focuses more on asking powerful questions to help you unlock your own answers and potential. I view these not as a rigid binary, but as a flexible continuum. Therefore, while our sessions will be grounded in coaching methodologies to empower your growth and self-discovery, I will also often incorporate elements of mentorship, offering direct guidance or sharing relevant experiences when it serves your specific goals and development.