If you're a new Director of Communications, this guide is for you
Stepping into your first Director of Communications or Head of Comms role is both exciting and challenging. This free guide - an essential part two to my series on success as a senior communications leader, shares five hard-won lessons from 20+ years in board-level roles, helping you avoid common early mistakes, build credibility fast, and lead with confidence from day one. Part two covers all the stuff you need to know once you're IN the Comms Director role.
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Louise Thompson,
leadership coach and former board Director of Communications
The Reckoning - what you REALLY need to know as a new Director of Communications
Stepping into a new Director of Communications role is exciting, but it can also feel like a leap into the unknown. And three years on from my first guide on your first 100 days as a Comms leader, the reality of that leap has changed.
After leading Communications in very different organisations, from Silicon Valley startups to the National Health Service, and then coaching more than 100 senior comms leaders through the same transition, I have learned what actually makes or breaks those first few months in a Director of Comms role. Not in theory. In practice.
Part One of this guide was about how to prepare. This one, Part Two: The Reckoning, is about what actually happens when you get there. Consider it your pragmatic, strategic companion to your 90 day plan.
Inside, you'll learn:
✅ Why you'll almost certainly walk into a crisis in your first weeks, and how to make it the thing that builds your credibility rather than the thing that undoes you.
✅ Why the perfect line manager rarely exists at this level, and how to define, agree and advocate for what success really means in your role.
✅ What it takes to lead in a matrixed organisation, where your influence, judgement and stakeholder skills matter far more than your job title.
✅ Why the shift from doing to leading is the hardest move most comms leaders make, and how to make it without feeling like you've stopped adding value.
✅ How to build a role that's sustainable from the start, so you're still standing (and thriving) at month six, not burnt out.
Whether you're about to step into a new senior communications role or you're already in one and finding it tougher than you expected, this guide will help you lead with clarity, confidence and credibility from the very start.
Get your free guide:
PART TWO: Your First 100 Days as a new Director of Communications
Why I created
this guide
This is the guide I wish I'd had as a new leader
Hi, I'm Louise Thompson, leadership coach and former board-level Director of Communications.
I've led Communications for more than 20 years, from high-growth startups to national public services including the NHS. It wasn't always easy. Coaching is what transformed my confidence, my credibility and my impact as a senior comms leader, and it's why I do what I do now.
Today I coach Communications leaders to make the shift from overlooked operator to indispensable strategic adviser, the trusted voice their organisation can't do without.
Recognised as a LinkedIn Top Voice and followed by more than 95,000 people on TikTok, I make leadership development for comms professionals practical, relatable and real. I'm also a speaker on leadership and communication.
“Investing in coaching was the second best decision I made last year, the first was choosing Louise to work with. Like many of us, I put a lot of pressure on myself to do well at work, which can turn into self-sabotage. I realised I needed some extra support to be at my best in a new role and gain some perspective.
Louise brings insight, compassion and curiosity. Her deep understanding of the communications profession and what makes us comms pros tick is invaluable, and pretty rare in the coaching field."