Supporting early managers.
Evidence-based, strengths-led coaching.
Why this work exists
Many early and first-time managers are promoted before the internal shift to leadership takes root. In hybrid and remote environments, quiet pressures and unseen strains can make this transition uniquely challenging.
Supporting leaders at this stage helps cultivate resilience, confidence, and thoughtful leadership before unhelpful patterns set in. This practice exists to offer that grounded support—evidence-based, heartfelt, and effective.
Annemarie Plas
Developemental Coach
The approach
The Within Leadership Practice delivers developmental leadership coaching programmes that support early managers during critical transition periods. The approach is evidence-based and strengths-led, integrating neuroscience-informed practice, CliftonStrengths®, practical management tools, and self-regulation techniques that help leaders navigate pressure and complexity.
Programs typically run between 3 and 12 months, offering continuity and depth rather than one-off intervention. They can be delivered as stand-alone coaching journeys or alongside existing leadership programs, supporting managers as they apply learning in day-to-day leadership contexts.
Engagement formats:
(examples)
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Transition Sprint: 4 sessions over 9 weeks (spacing between session recommended)
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Early Manager Journey: 8–12 sessions (3–6 months)
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Cohort Coaching: small groups (6 sessions)
The challenge early managers face
Many organisations expect confidence to follow promotion. Yet early managers—often leading hybrid or remote teams—must navigate new responsibilities, higher expectations, and increased emotional pressure at the same time, often with limited structured support. Without the right guidance, this transition can quickly lead to overwhelm and reactive leadership patterns that affect both performance and team experience.
Common patterns: over-control, avoidance, and people-pleasing.
Who this work is for
Early managers, HR and People teams, and senior leaders who want to support leadership development without adding unnecessary pressure.
This work is designed for leaders in the first three years of their managerial journey, when expectations rise quickly but support is often limited. The approach focuses on preventative, developmental leadership support that strengthens capability and confidence early—rather than remedial coaching once challenges have already escalated.
What begins to change
Greater confidence and internal calm, even across distance
Clearer leadership identity and boundaries
Stronger delegation and more meaningful conversations
Less reactivity and decision fatigue
Greater ease in handling difficult conversations
For organisations and People teams, this often shows up as healthier teams, faster leadership readiness, and reduced attrition risk—particularly during early management transitions.
Your Coach Annemarie Plas
With over 20 years of experience in commercial and global workplaces, Annemarie Plas brings a deep understanding of organisational life into her coaching. Over the past three years, she has supported early managers and individual contributors across Fortune 500 organisations, as well as the private and public sectors worldwide.
Working remotely from Portugal, she supports leaders and teams across geographies and time zones. She works as a thought partner, offering a calm, confidential space where people can think deeply, name what feels complex, and move forward with clarity and confidence. She works in both English and Dutch, supporting leaders in international and cross-cultural contexts.
ICF ACC & Strenghts Coaching Certified
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Contact Me to Transform a Manager's Experience