Leadership Team Coaching and Development at Texas Christian University
Strengthening capability, culture and cohesion in complex times
Discover how the Dean of the College of Fine Arts empowered her leadership team and gained valuable insights to navigate the challenges of higher education today.
The Challenge
Amy Hardison Tully is the Teresa Ann Carter King Dean of the College of Fine Arts at Texas Christian University (TCU). In early 2025, Amy sought to provide targeted leadership development and coaching for her team of six, three of whom were new to TCU. The team faced complex challenges in the rapidly changing landscape of higher education, while also balancing intensive teaching demands with administrative leadership.
Amy’s goals were to:
build understanding of the team’s strengths and opportunities for growth
offer structured support in a safe environment to help individual leaders succeed and to enhance collective leadership capacity
build team culture and cohesion across established and new team members
The Solution
The Academic Leadership Group collaborated with Amy to develop a blended program of leadership development and coaching to address both shared departmental goals and individual needs. The expert team brought decades of experience of working with leaders in higher education to address complex challenges and unlock the potential of individuals, teams, and entire institutions.
The overarching goals of the program were to:
develop future-focused goals for both the leadership team and individual participants
provide new tools, frameworks, and perspectives to strengthen the leadership capabilities needed to achieve those goals
support individuals to develop their own authentic leadership styles while also building team cohesion.
Introductory workshop
The program began with a two-hour virtual workshop, co-created with Amy, to address three key topics:
Goal setting
Prioritization
Difficult conversations
This workshop provided a foundation of shared goals and collective learning for the team. It also introduced valuable leadership tools and frameworks to help build leadership skills.
Individual coaching
Coaching formed the core of the program, offering a personalized approach that helped each participant to develop their own authentic leadership style. It also focused on acquiring the skills and mindset to accelerate growth and achieve lasting change.
Participants described the opportunity to assess and examine their leadership and communication style as "critically important.” They were enthusiastic about the opportunities for “constructive and valuable feedback" and viewed coaching as “a great way to stay motivated and inspired.”
Each participant engaged in a one-to-one coaching experience with an expert Academic Leadership Group coach over several months, comprising four one-hour sessions. The coaching provided a safe and supportive space to explore individual leadership goals and challenges in more depth.
Confidentiality was a central principle of this coaching program and individual coaching conversations were private. Helpfully, participants agreed that key themes and developmental insights could be shared with Amy as team leader so she could gain an understanding of the collective benefits as well as further opportunities for growth. Questionnaires completed by participants at the end of the program not only helped them to reflect and embed new learning: key trends were also captured in ‘impact and reflection’ report which was shared with Amy. These valuable insights deepened her understanding of the team’s strengths and achievements as well as highlighting ongoing development needs.
The Outcome
The team reported significant benefits from the program, including:
Greater self-awareness: Deeper insight into individual leadership styles and interactions
Improved communication and decision making: Participants are more intentional in their approach, leading to more effective decision making and an enhanced ability to engage others
More authentic leadership: Coaching encouraged participants to embrace authenticity in their leadership style, resulting in more openness and positive engagement
Better team cohesion: More shared understanding and a more cohesive team culture, particularly given that half the participants were new to the team
Stronger culture of continuous improvement: Participants emphasized the value of having a sounding board and safe space to refine leadership approaches.
Comments from individual coachees on the differences this program has made to them include:
“I now approach challenges with a broader perspective, integrating feedback more effectively and making decisions with greater confidence and strategic foresight."
"The changes in my leadership style have encouraged a more collaborative and psychologically safe environment. My team feels more empowered to voice ideas, take initiative, and engage in productive problem-solving."
" I am more relaxed in my job and I think that is helping my program connect with me and my style."
One coachee summed up the value of the differences the program has made as: "Increased efficiency, improved student engagement, and improved faculty morale directly enhance productivity, recruitment of new students, and departmental impacts."
The program has laid a robust foundation for continuous leadership development. For Amy, it has delivered both individual benefits for her team as well as creating a positive shift in both team culture and departmental leadership capacity. Crucially, it deepened her understanding of the team’s strengths as highlighting opportunities for further growth which has enabled her to lead and support them more effectively. Overall, participants are better equipped to succeed in their roles, effectively balancing teaching responsibilities with a renewed commitment to visionary and inspiring leadership.
If you’d like to know more about how coaching can empower your leadership team to navigate the challenges of higher education today, please get in touch. We’d love to talk to you.