New CEO, inherited team
The first 90 days set the tone for years. We run a structured listening sprint with each direct report, then facilitate a candid alignment session where expectations flow both ways.
A comparison-first guide to choosing your leadership development path
Leadership Consulting that starts with the right question, not the right answer
Most firms pitch a programme first and ask questions later. We think you deserve to see how the main approaches stack up before you spend a penny. Scroll through our honest comparison, find the scenario closest to yours, and decide whether a conversation makes sense.
Quick fit check
Four signals that tell you whether external leadership consulting is worth exploring right now.
Your senior team disagrees on direction
When two capable leaders pull a team in opposite directions, the cost is not just time. It shows up in attrition, missed targets, and silent disengagement. An outside facilitator can name what internal politics cannot.
73% of our engagements begin hereA promotion wave is coming
Moving five individual contributors into management roles in the same quarter is a gamble. Structured preparation over eight to twelve weeks reduces early-exit risk and gives each new manager a shared vocabulary.
Feedback scores have plateaued
Engagement surveys that hover at the same number year after year often mean the organisation has optimised for comfort, not growth. A diagnostic review can separate structural issues from perception gaps.
Average plateau-break within 2 review cyclesYou are entering a new market or merger
Cultural integration is the single largest predictor of post-merger value realisation. Leadership alignment workshops, run before day-one, cut integration friction by making implicit expectations explicit.
Compare leadership development approaches
We mapped four common paths side by side so you can see trade-offs at a glance. No approach is universally best; the right one depends on your timeline, budget, and how deep the change needs to go.
| Dimension | Off-the-shelf training | Executive coaching (solo) | Team-embedded consulting | Full diagnostic engagement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical duration | 1–2 days | 3–6 months | 6–10 weeks | 4–8 months |
| Who is involved | Individual attendees | One leader + coach | Intact team + consultant | Leadership layer + cross-functional reps |
| Customisation depth | ✗ Low | ✓ High for the individual | ✓ High for the team | ✓ Highest — org-wide |
| Measurable behaviour change | Rarely tracked | Self-reported + 360 | Observed in live work | Baselined and re-measured |
| Cost range (UK) | £400–£1,200 per head | £6,000–£18,000 total | £12,000–£30,000 total | £25,000–£65,000 total |
| Best when | You need a quick skill top-up | One leader faces a specific challenge | A team needs to work differently together | Systemic patterns are holding the org back |
| Risk of wasted spend | ✗ High without follow-up | Medium — depends on coachee readiness | Low if sponsor is engaged | Lowest — built-in accountability |
We deliver team-embedded consulting and full diagnostic engagements. For the other two, we can recommend trusted partners.
Why comparison matters more than credentials
Credentials prove someone studied. Comparison proves someone thought. When a prospective client asks us "Why should we choose you?", our first answer is always: maybe you shouldn't. The fit matters more than the brand. We have turned away engagements that clearly needed a different kind of help — a therapist for the CEO, a restructuring advisor, or simply a good HR hire.
What we do well is work inside a leadership team for weeks, not hours. We sit in the meetings that matter, observe the dynamics nobody talks about, and build a shared language that sticks after we leave. That is not magic. It is a craft refined over eleven years of doing it across logistics firms, NHS trusts, fintech start-ups, and family-owned manufacturers.
"They told us what we didn't want to hear, and then helped us act on it. Six months later our exec team actually looks forward to Monday mornings."
— Operations director, 220-person distribution company, Belfast
Choose the scenario closest to yours
Each card links a common situation to the engagement shape we would recommend. If none of these match, tell us what does.
Two departments that won't cooperate
Cross-functional friction usually lives in incentive structures and meeting rituals, not personalities. We map the handoff points, identify the three costliest breakdowns, and redesign the interface together.
High performer who alienates peers
Brilliant individuals who damage team trust are expensive in ways that rarely show on a P&L. We pair direct coaching with team-level feedback loops so the person can change in context, not in isolation.
Board wants a succession plan
Succession is not a spreadsheet of names. We assess readiness through live observation and structured dialogue, then build a development roadmap for each candidate with clear milestones.
Post-acquisition cultural integration
Day-one communications set the emotional tone, but weeks three through twelve determine whether people stay. We design and facilitate the integration arc from values alignment to operating-model merge.
Leadership team that avoids conflict
Polite teams make slow decisions. We introduce structured dissent practices — not artificial confrontation — so disagreement becomes a tool rather than a threat.
How an engagement typically unfolds
Scoping call (30 minutes, no charge)
We listen to the situation, ask a few diagnostic questions, and tell you honestly whether we think we can help. If the answer is yes, we outline what a proposal would cover.
Discovery phase (1–2 weeks)
Confidential interviews with key stakeholders, review of existing survey data, and observation of at least one real meeting. We compile findings into a candid brief — no jargon, no 80-page deck.
Design workshop (half day)
We present findings to the sponsor and co-design the intervention with the team, not for the team. This step ensures ownership from the start.
Embedded work (4–10 weeks)
We attend selected meetings, run facilitated sessions, coach individuals in context, and track progress against agreed indicators. Adjustments happen weekly.
Handover and review
A short written summary of what changed, what remains fragile, and what the team can do on its own going forward. We schedule a check-in call 60 days after exit.
What makes our approach different
We do not sell modules. Every engagement is built from scratch around the real situation, not a catalogue. That means the first conversation matters enormously — it shapes everything that follows.
Our consultants have held leadership roles themselves. Two of us ran P&L-accountable divisions before moving into consulting. One spent nine years in clinical psychology before pivoting to organisational work. This mix means we see leadership through operational, relational, and systemic lenses at the same time.
We also believe in short engagements. The longest piece of work we have done lasted seven months. Most are closer to eight weeks. Dependency is not a business model we are interested in.
Ready to compare your options?
Book a 30-minute scoping call. We will map your situation against the approaches above and tell you which path — ours or someone else's — is the best use of your budget.
Request a conversationTell us about your situation
We reply within two working days. If we are not the right fit, we will say so and suggest alternatives.
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