A guide for the crossing. Not a companion for the whole journey.
Think of Gandalf, he doesn't go to Mordor. His job is to get you ready, walk with you to the edge, and equip you well enough to continue without him. That's what this work is, and it's a considerably more useful thing to offer than a dependency that never ends.
Lastly both the methods & skills used are varied. Examples of methods would be coaching, mentoring, training, facilitation, and consultancy. Examples of skills, would be visioning, storytelling, archetypes, creativity and imagination. I work hard at being the best I can be in these methods and skills. And for me these are all vehicles and we'll use whichever one or one’s will get you across the terrain you need to navigate in order to arrive at your desired destination.
Wondering if we’re right for you? Then let’s have a conversation, there’s no obligation or hidden agenda. It’s the first step in both of us working out if this approach is right for you and knowing how we can help you and add real value.
The approach
We agree the destination first. Then we work out how to get there.
Before anything else, we get clear on your transition or threshold, what you're crossing, where do you want to land, and what being on the other side of it will make possible. The work is designed around that. Not the other way around.
Sometimes that looks like one of the programmes - the Archetypes Programme, StoryPower, Storytelling for Impact, or the Leadership Inside Out Retreat. These exist because certain combinations of work have proven so reliably effective that they've become their own offering. They're not off-the-shelf. They're the distilled version of what works, offered in a form people can actually see themselves stepping into.
Sometimes what's needed is more bespoke, a different combination, a different sequence, something shaped entirely around a specific threshold. That's what the discovery call is for. We work it out together, and we design the right crossing for where you actually are.
1 We get clear on the destination
What does the other side of this threshold look like? What will be different, e.g., in how you lead, how you feel, how you show up? We get specific before we go anywhere. Vague destination, vague journey.
Either one of the programmes, a bespoke combination, or something shaped entirely around your situation. The method always follows the terrain not the other way around.
The work itself is a partnership. You bring honesty and engagement. I bring whatever combination of tools, methods and observations your crossing requires. We go as deep as the threshold demands.
The work ends when you're standing on the other side of your threshold, equipped for what comes next. Not dependent on me. Not waiting for the next session. Ready. That's what success looks like.
The tools
The method follows the terrain.
Coaching, mentoring, facilitation, training, consultancy, these are vehicles, not the destination. I use whichever one, or combination, will get you across the terrain you need to navigate. Sometimes that's one thing. Sometimes it's several things at once, and it gets beautifully interesting.
Archetypes
The Pearson Marr Archetypal Indicator. One of the most powerful self-knowledge tools I've encountered in 25 years. Understanding how all 12 archetypes operate in your life changes everything.
Storytelling
Not some dramatic cliff-hanger type story. We look at the kind of purposeful stories that makes people engage, trust you, and choose to follow. Personal stories, organisational stories, the story you tell yourself.
NLP & Transformation Tools
Getting underneath patterns that have been running the show often without your awareness. The belief and identity level work that changes how you show up, not just what you do.
Visioning & Creativity
I have a very active imagination and I'll encourage you to use yours. Dream first. Entertain multiple possibilities. Play with ideas. Then determine the size of the prize and after that work on the hows.
The Fit
I'd rather tell you this upfront than have us both discover this three sessions in. This work requires a specific kind of readiness, a genuine willingness for you to look underneath things and be open to change.
This probably isn't right if you're looking for....
- A quick fix or a standard programme that everyone else is on
- Someone to tell you what to do rather than help you find your own clarity
- What I lovingly call sheep-dip development, and there's no judgement in that, it's just not what this is
- A surface-level polish rather than real work on what's underneath
And it's absolutely the right fit if.....
You're in transition or at a threshold. You know something has to change, or something is calling you forward, and you're ready to do the work to get there. You don't need to know exactly what you need before we talk. That's what our first conversation is for.
Some people come knowing exactly which programme they want. Others arrive with just a sense that something needs to shift. Both are completely fine starting points. The only thing that's required is honesty with yourself, and with me.