Jess Baker Consulting
CREDIBILITY RESET
Targeted coaching for sustainable leadership resilience
Emotional Intelligence Gap
Emotional intelligence is expected from all managers.
But managers can’t keep up – teams go unsupported, and leadership pressure escalates.
HR becomes the default safety net.
You cannot train someone to care
Your strongest leadership potential is invisible to you – they support from the sidelines, never seek credit, work long and hard, and care about the quality of delivery.
You see them as a safe pair of hands. In reality, they have the potential to be strategic leaders.
McKinsey 2025, “Managers are the single biggest driver of retention, advancement, and psychological safety, yet fewer than one in three employees receive consistent manager support.”
Promoting the wrong people
Most senior leaders have been promoted for their technical expertise, not for their ability to lead people well.
Task-focused managers often advance faster than people-skilled leaders.
“The leaders holding your culture together are often the least protected by it.”
One Solution:
THE CREDIBILITY RESET
Targeted coaching for sustainable leadership resilience
The Immediate Risk
Your best people are:
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Over-functioning and at risk of burnout
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Quietly disengaging
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Making clean exists that cost up to 200% of their salary to replace
This is not simply a wellbeing issue, losing these people are a short, medium and longer term risk to your culture and brand reputation.
What It Is
People high in EQ dont need standard leadership training – the tend to lack self-belief, avoid self-promotion, and overly worry when under-pressure.
The Credibility Reset is built around the 7 Credibility Levers, evidence-based areas of development:
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Boundaries – expressing what they do and do not want to happen
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Authority – being decisive, not just supportive
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Responsibility – knowing their remit, and delegating for efficiency
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Voice – speaking with clarity rather than cushioning or over-explaining
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Recognition – being recognised for strategic impact, not just effort
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Presence – staying visible; calmly and confidently leading the way
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Judgement – leading with emotional steadiness when pressure rises
Rapid, Long-lasting Improvements
Senior leaders typically report:
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Faster, more confident decision-taking
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Clear communication that holds authority and builds trust
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Managers delegating effectively; colleagues develop quicker in their role
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Visible role-modelling that strengthens culture and brand reputation
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Reduced sickness and burnout-related absence among leaders
How It Works:
- Identify empathic individuals (using targeted diagnostics and selection)
- 12 – week delivery (online or in person)
- Review results
Optional individual coaching for senior or high-risk leaders
When Will We See Results?
Within the first few weeks. Because we work with leaders who already have the psychological foundations for effective leadership, change happens quickly.
Clients include …
FAQs
What's so special about the Credibility Reset?
Unlike traditional leadership training, high-EQ individuals require targeted coaching to:
- Extend their influence so empathy benefits the whole organisation
- Increase engagement, retention, and performance
- Build visibility and leadership presence
- Strengthen boundaries and resilience so authority is sustainable
How much time does this require?
The Credibility Reset does the heavy lifting, so participants stay engaged without disrupting workload.
During the 12 weeks, each participant would invest:
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Attend 6 group training and coaching calls – 60 minutes, fortnightly
- One private coaching call – 60 minutes
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Learning and development practical – on the job, no additional time
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Suite of audio insights and and meditations – optional
Managers and HR sponsors have only minimal touch points – for example, a briefing at the start and a check-in mid-way.
Who is NOT for?
The Credibility Reset programme is not for:
- People who do not want to be better leaders
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People unwilling to reflect, grow, or build on feedback.
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Organisations content to keep firefighting attrition, burnout, and disengagement.
The Credibility Reset is for organisations ready to find their empathic people and help them to take the lead.
How does it work?
- Identify empathic individuals (using targeted diagnostic tools)
- Deliver 12-week programme (online or in person)
- Review outcomes and impact
Other benefits:
A targeted and therefore cost-effective leadership development programme.
Group coaching builds trust and collaboration across teams
Practical tools applied directly to real work situations
How is this different from other leadership or EQ training?
Built on twenty years of leadership coaching with global brands, this programme delivers rapid, lasting results by focusing where the true potential already exists in your workforce.
Most programmes take a one-size-fits-all approach, teaching generic leadership behaviours to every manager. The reality is that you cannot train everyone to have higher EQ.
The Credibility Reset identifies your people who already have empathy, self-awareness, and influence potential – then develops them into impactful leaders who deliver measurable results.
We already use OPQ/ MBTI / DiSC , does this help?
Yes. Our Empathy in Leadership diagnostics can overlay with existing data to accelerate identification of hidden talent. Any profiling tools you already use will speed up this part of the process.
Will this duplicate what we’re already doing?
The Credibility Reset – turning empathic people into credible leaders – enhances other employee initiatives:
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Wellbeing & Burnout Prevention: Empathic leaders reduce stress and absence by modelling resilience and creating psychologically safe teams.
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Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging (DIB): Empathic leaders make people feel heard and included, increasing the impact of your DIB strategy.
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Engagement & Retention Programmes: Empathic leaders directly boost engagement (up 25%) and organisational commitment (up 20%), multiplying the effects of your investment.
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Talent & Succession Planning: The Credibility Reset develops the hidden, overlooked talent already in your workforce – broadening your pipeline without costly external hires.
Can you scale this across my business?
Yes. Jess Baker Consulting works alongside a trusted team of associate psychologists, facilitators, and coaches. Together they bring depth of expertise, diversity of perspective, and the capacity to deliver Credibility Reset programmes at scale – ensuring consistency, quality, and tailored support for every client.
What if we can’t guarantee a promotion at the end?
That’s not a problem. The goal of the Credibility Reset isn’t to promise a job title – it’s to prepare people so they’re ready when opportunities arise.
Participants leave with greater confidence, influence, and resilience, which benefits their current teams immediately. Promotions often follow because leaders become more visible and effective, but the ROI also comes from higher engagement, stronger retention, and reduced burnout — outcomes every organisation values, regardless of role changes.
Can we call it something else internally?
Yes! We call it the Credibility Reset programme. But when we work with you, you can name it whatever fits your culture. The framework and methodology are ours. The branding – and the results – are yours.
Sounds great but how do I pitch this internally?
We love that you get it! But we know not everyone will see the obvious value. Words like empathy and Emotional Intelligence can put some people off. As a Business Psychologist I know how to successfully sell into lots of different industries. it usually starts with the internal pitch before a call or meeting with me is set up. So I’ve had an idea…
To help make your initial internal conversations go smoothly, I’ve crafted the perfect pitch. It’s got a script, and your choice of a slide deck presentation (Canva or MS ppt, Google doc, PDF). I’ll walk you through this on a video call and together we’ll discuss specific FAQ so that you are fully prepared to talk about the Credibility Reset with confidence.
What's the biggest cost?
Doing nothing.
Sorry to be blunt, but ignoring this ongoing problem will cost you more than dealing with it now:
- Attrition: As well as usual attrition costs, you’ll also be losing your highest worth individuals (the empathic ones) who’ll end up working for your competitor.
- Absenteeism: People leave because of their manager, and if your managers are not good at people skills, absenteeism will rise.
- Customers leave: Poor internal relationships kills client experience.
- Tribunal risk: A single ER case can cost you more than a Credibility Reset pilot.
- Brand erosion: If you’re not known for having great managers, your recruitment costs will soar.
Even a small pilot pays for itself many times over. Keep just one of these potential leaders and the savings alone outweigh the cost of the programme.
Credibility Reset ~ Packages
Small Cohort
A small group of highly empathic people will be taken through the programme at the same time. As well as individual coaching, they’ll get to know and support each other through the group calls. They’ll become a catalyst for change, and benefit every part of the organisation.
The Cohort Model
In this scalable model, individual cohorts run in parallel. This means that participants benefit from the intimacy of small group training, while the organisation benefits from being able to scale it.
Bespoke 1:1 Pathway
Tailored private coaching for individuals who would like professional development.
Webinar Series
A light-touch solution for larger cohorts, that guides the audience through the 7 Credibility Levers to strengthen leadership presence.
About Jess Baker
Jess Baker is a Chartered Business Psychologist, leadership coach, and author specialising in developing empathic leaders into confident influencers. With over twenty years’ experience working with global brands, national charities, and MBA students at Cambridge Judge Business School, she brings psychological depth and practical tools to leadership development.
Her award-winning book, The Super-Helper Syndrome, has been translated into multiple languages, and her thought leadership has been featured in publications including The Telegraph, The Times, HR and Business magazines, and national media outlets. Jess has spoken to audiences of up to 15,000, delivering keynotes on imposter syndrome, resilience, and leadership.
At the heart of her work is the belief that empathy is not a weakness but a competitive strength. Through the Empathy Powered Leadership Academy, she helps organisations identify overlooked talent and transform them into confident, influential leaders who deliver measurable results.
Jess works alongside a trusted team of associate psychologists, facilitators, and coaches. Together they bring depth of expertise, diversity of perspective, and the capacity to deliver EPL Academy programmes at scale – ensuring consistency, quality, and tailored support for every client.
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