How we work

Becoming a great leader is a journey that we believe starts with self-awareness. So this is where we always start. Our model for leadership and change challenges people to examine and explore their own stories and beliefs, so that they can understand themselves and others better. It then equips them with the skills and insight to build trust, encourage creativity and innovation, and lead through tough changes and uncertain times.

Our leadership & growth programmes

We have four core programmes that we use as the basis for our leadership development work with organisations. They are thoroughly researched and have been tested for impact across multiple contexts and sectors. Evolve is a leadership development programme that can be adapted for leaders at all levels. Excite (the art of connecting), Enhance (the art of creating) and Exist (the art of living) each focus on further building specific skills and mind-sets critical to great leadership. Depending on the challenges your organisation is facing and what you want to achieve, we’ll combine elements from the different programmes to design a unique learning experience specifically for you.

In all of our work, we encourage leaders to think systemically and to learn on multiple levels so that the difference they make reverberates around the organisation.

The Evolve Programme

Rather than being a chalk and talk programme, Evolve is a process that challenges you to rethink your approach to yourself and to others, showing you how you can make a powerful and positive difference to your teams, organisations and communities.

Evolve starts with the individual and builds outwards.

You can only lead well if you can empathise and connect with others, and this is only possible if you first understand your own strengths, weaknesses, values and motivations.

Armed with this self-awareness you can build the skills you need to make bold decisions, grow from your mistakes, and find creative ways to move those apparently immovable obstacles. You can inspire and challenge those around you to achieve more, and share in what you have learnt.

The Evolve journey explores eight concepts at the heart of good leadership:

Conversation and Character

Good leaders lead with good character. They are mindful of how their choices affect others and use their power to help people flourish. They must master the art of having meaningful conversation – the kind of conversations that move people and situations forward.

Passion and Purpose

Good leaders focus on how to apply and develop their strengths to ignite passion in others. They are energised by a cause greater than themselves and are adept at inspiring others to find purpose in their own life and work.

Courage and Curiosity

Good leaders make bold decisions and have the courage to challenge the status quo when they believe a better outcome is possible. Their curiosity and belief in the potential of others means that they are never defensive or arrogant, and can lead people to be all that they can be.

Reflection and Resilience

Good leaders have the self-belief and strength of mind to navigate ambiguity and maintain the course during adversity. They reflect on setbacks and aggravations and help their teams to learn from mistakes, maintaining faith in their ability to overcome the issues they face.

Evolve is a process that challenges people to rethink their approach to themselves and to others and shows them what powerful and positive difference they can make.

A programme will usually include initial assessments, a series of workshops, one-to-one coaching sessions and an evaluation.

We’ll meet with you first to discuss exactly what you need though.

The Excite Programme

Engage, inspire, persuade

Human beings are suckers for stories. They’re how we’ve always communicated. From the myths of ancient times, to modern legends created by popular culture and advertising, stories inspire us, guide us, create order out of chaos, and help us to connect and find meaning.

So why would you not use stories to address organisational and leadership challenges?

Our favourite stories often have values that are important to us, and their characters have a purpose that we can relate to. They resonate with us on a deeper level. By being very clear on your purpose and values as an organisation and as a leader, you can use the power of stories to build trust and better relationships, to inspire people, and to change hearts and minds.

From change and uncertainty, to scenario planning, marketing or delivering tough messages about market risk, narrative is a tool that every leader should have in their box.

By taking part in Excite you learn to:

Distil the essence of your own brand story or the story of your vision for change

Tell memorable stories that build trust and belief

Create a meaningful connection with your audience in any situation where you are presenting, whether the board room, client meeting, or a public event

Go beyond facts and figures and appeal to people’s values to build trust and change minds

Find your voice and your own unique style as a leader – one with which you feel comfortable and confident

The Enhance Programme

Imagine, invent, innovate

Bold ideas and original thinking thrive when the conditions are right, in exactly the same way that seeds sprout with the right combination of water, light and warmth. When people have the right tools and the right mindset, and are working in a curious and encouraging environment, then thinking creatively and evolving unconventional ideas into valuable innovations comes naturally.

Enhance is our tailored creativity and innovation programme which works by changing the way you and your team think about and approach problems. It encourages you to be more curious, to take personal responsibility for generating and developing fresh ideas, and to thoughtfully assess and incubate those ideas. Alongside this it focuses on how you develop relationships and a culture that supports your team in developing their ideas into original products, services or practices that make a real difference to your organisation and your customers.

By taking part in Enhance you learn to:

Understand the creative process and how to develop an idea from an initial spark to an action plan

Engage more fully with your work and projects, building on your creative strengths and uniqueness

Be creative and curious in exploring problems and imagining improvements

Enable sustained creativity in yourself, and encourage it in others

Evaluate ideas honestly and constructively, and develop them into tangible actions and plans

Develop an agile and courageous team culture and a fresh approach to problem solving

The Exist Programme

Living your purpose

We act based on how we perceive the world, and we tell ourselves stories to make sense of our place in it. But are our stories stopping us from living and leading courageously? Could we change our stories? Could we write something more meaningful if we took conscious control of the pen?

Exist is a retreat for senior leaders that is run over three days in exceptional locations. It is an opportunity to go to the very heart of who we are to explore and challenge the way we see the world. It’s about understanding how our beliefs and our preconceptions are sculpted by our culture, our religion, our experiences and what those around us say, do and believe.

Consciously exploring ourselves in this way this takes courage, but it comes with great rewards. By understanding what influences our view of the world, we can shift it and open ourselves to seeing and experiencing a far richer world. We can understand our fears, identify our purpose, make space for new ideas, shift our ‘limits’ and fundamentally change how we live, learn and relate to those around us.

By taking part in Exist you:

Examine and explore what has shaped you and your beliefs about ‘how the world is’

Gain perspective on how you ‘are’ in the world and how that influences your relationships, your aspirations and your approach to life and work

Understand the origin of the fears and the limits you impose on yourself

Relate better to those whose experience and culture may be vastly different to yours

Become more resilient to dealing with change and ambiguity

Identify what is truly meaningful and valuable to you, and how you can make that central to how you live your life.