The map runs out. That is where I do my best work.
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I help senior leaders work across boundaries, navigate complexity and create meaningful change. Much of modern leadership happens where authority is fragmented, interests compete and nobody can see the whole picture. For thirty years I have worked in those situations as an executive coach, facilitator and leadership educator, as well as someone who has led organisations myself. My work is about helping capable people understand what is really happening, exercise better judgement and find a useful way forward when the answer is not obvious. |
Where hierarchy runs out
Many of the leadership problems that matter most sit beyond the reach of hierarchy. They happen across functions, teams, stakeholders, partners and communities, where progress depends less on giving instructions and more on influence, judgement, relationships and the ability to make sense of what is happening.
If any of these sound like your week, you are in the right place:
| How do I influence without authority? | How do I gain stakeholder buy-in? |
| How do I lead in a matrix organisation? | How do I create alignment across competing priorities? |
| How do I navigate organisational politics? | How do I lead when nobody really knows what happens next? |
How I help
I tend to work where something important is proving difficult to move. Rather than beginning with a predetermined model or programme, I start by understanding the situation: what is happening, who is involved, what is getting in the way and what might create useful movement.
Working across boundariesLeadership increasingly happens across teams, functions, organisations, professions and communities. I help leaders understand stakeholders, build influence, strengthen relationships and create enough alignment to move when formal authority is not enough. |
Navigating complexitySome situations cannot be solved by gathering more data or producing a better plan. I help leaders see the wider system, make sense of uncertainty, distinguish what can and cannot be controlled, and experiment intelligently when the way forward has to be discovered. |
Creating meaningful changeChange becomes real when people begin to think, decide and act differently. I help leaders and teams make sense of what is changing, work with resistance and competing interests, create ownership and turn intention into movement. |
Three ways to start
The right form of support depends on what you are dealing with and how much attention it needs.
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One immediate challenge Leadership ClinicBring one knotty leadership challenge, decision or situation. I spend up to 30 minutes preparing from the context you provide, then we spend 90 focused minutes working it through together. One challenge, one session, no ongoing commitment. |
Something that needs sustained attention Executive CoachingWork with me over time when you are navigating complexity, stepping into greater responsibility, working across competing interests, or want space to examine the decisions, relationships, pressures and patterns shaping how you lead. |
A team or organisational challenge Teams & OrganisationsI work with leadership teams and organisations through leadership development, team development, strategic facilitation and focused work on complex organisational challenges. This can be done face to face, remotely or hybrid. |
A little about me
My working life has taken me from outdoor and experiential education to running businesses, executive education, facilitation and coaching senior leaders around the world. The settings have changed considerably, but one question has followed me through all of them: What do capable people do when they reach the edge of what they already know? That question still fascinates me, and it explains a great deal about the work I choose to do today. More about my background and how I think
Explore my leadership resources
Much of what I learn through coaching, facilitation, executive education and research eventually finds its way onto this site. I write primarily for leaders dealing with the realities of organisational life rather than leadership in the abstract:
Five useful starting pointsIf you are dealing with a specific leadership challenge, these pieces offer a useful place to begin. How do I decide when both options seem right? How to use the Cynefin framework to lead accordingly Leading in complexity: pilots, probes and experiments Estuarine mapping: working with what can change How can I motivate a burned-out team? |
Explore my leadership resourcesI write about the leadership problems I encounter through coaching, facilitation, executive education and research. If you are looking for an idea, framework or practical way into something you are dealing with, these collections are good places to start. Leadership library Leadership questions Matrix leadership Complexity leadership Emotional intelligence Learning agility |
What are you trying to navigate?
You may not yet know whether you need one focused conversation, ongoing coaching, facilitation or leadership development. You may simply know that something important has become difficult to move.
If that sounds familiar, start with the situation rather than the solution.
Leadership Clinic |
Executive Coaching |
Teams & Organisations |