Coaching the Boardroom with Harriet Heneghan

How do you close the gap between the leader you intend to be and the impact you actually have in the boardroom?

In this episode of The Boardroom Path, host Ralph Grayson speaks with business psychologist and executive coach Harriet Heneghan about what really drives boardroom behaviour, why feedback often fails to create change, and how coaching can help board members, chairs, and senior teams perform at their best under pressure.

Harriet explains why people judge others by behaviour but judge themselves by intention, and how this mismatch fuels misunderstanding, defensiveness, and dysfunctional dynamics at the top. They explore the psychological patterns that block self-awareness, the role of chair leadership in creating better board culture, and practical techniques for reading the room without reverting to executive authority.

• (00:00) - Welcome to The Boardroom Path
• (04:09) - Coaching Boards vs Coaching Executives
• (05:45) - Behaviour Change and Communication as a Skill
• (07:23) - Feedback, Self-Awareness, and Personality Profiles
• (08:29) - Why Boards Become Dysfunctional
• (09:44) - Intention Matching Impact in Leadership
• (11:00) - Closing the Gap Between Intent and Impact
• (13:02) - Video Playback as Immediate Feedback
• (15:22) - The Shift From C-Suite Authority to Boardroom Influence
• (17:03) - Psychology Patterns That Block Feedback and Change
• (19:02) - The Chair as Conductor and Coach

Harriet Heneghan: Harriet Heneghan is a business psychologist and executive coach at Sainty Hird & Partners. She began her career in Investment Banking at UBS before moving into communications and leadership coaching. Harriet holds an MSc in Occupational Psychology from Birkbeck, University of London and is accredited in Hogan Assessments and EQ-i 2.0 / EQ-i 360. She works with board directors, chairs, and senior leadership teams to strengthen self-awareness, influence, and group dynamics, particularly during periods of transition, complexity, and heightened accountability.

Ralph Grayson: Ralph Grayson is a Partner in the Board Practice at Sainty Hird & Partners, bringing extensive experience in board-level recruitment, assessment, and advisory services. With a deep understanding of the corporate governance landscape, Ralph specialises in guiding senior executives as they transition into impactful boardroom careers. His thoughtful approach, combined with a passion for developing effective leaders, enables him to facilitate insightful conversations that equip aspiring and newly appointed Non-Executive Directors with the tools they need to succeed. Through The Boardroom Path, Ralph leverages his extensive professional network and expertise to empower listeners on their journey into the boardroom.

Episode Insights:

• Boardroom conflict often comes from a gap between intention and impact, and the habit of judging others by behaviour while judging yourself by intention.
• Coaching works best when the individual genuinely wants change, not when it is imposed from above.
• The chair is a conductor, using questions and structure to bring out better contributions and reduce unhelpful power dynamics.
• Psychological safety and assertiveness are linked: effective board members speak up clearly without dominating the room.
• Video playback and objective tools like Hogan can accelerate self-awareness by showing leaders how they actually come across.

Action Points:

1. Separate intention from impact: When feedback stings, pause to ask what behaviour others experienced rather than defending intent. Summarise back what you heard and test it with a second example before deciding what to change. Treat this as data, not a verdict on character.
2. Build a feedback habit that creates themes: Do not overreact to one-off comments or one awkward meeting. Look for repeating patterns across multiple people and situations. If you can, validate it with structured tools or peer feedback before setting a development goal.
3. Use coaching questions in the boardroom: Replace quick judgements with questions such as What is driving this, and what outcome do we want? This lowers defensiveness and pulls the conversation back towards decision quality. Chairs can model this to stabilise board dynamics.
4. Practise assertive contribution: Prepare one or two clear interventions before meetings and deliver them briefly. Watch the room for signals, then stop talking and invite others in. If you feel ignored, follow up one-to-one rather than escalating in-session.
5. Create space to think before reacting: When the room tips into fight-or-flight, call a short break or pause the decision. Use the time to clarify what is actually being decided and what information is missing. Better pace often produces faster progress.

The Boardroom Path is the essential podcast for aspiring and newly appointed Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) navigating the journey from executive leadership to the boardroom. Hosted by Ralph Grayson, partner at Sainty Hird & Partners, each episode offers insightful conversations with industry leaders, seasoned board directors, and governance experts. Our guests share practical strategies, valuable perspectives, and actionable advice on how to effectively transition into board roles, maximise your impact, and build a rewarding NED career.

Subscribe now, and take your first confident step along The Boardroom Path. Learn more about Sainty Hird & Partners at saintyhird.com.

The Boardroom Path is produced by Story Ninety-Four in Oxford, UK.