Leadership. It’s often blamed when things go wrong—and expected to fix everything at once. A paradox we keep circling around.
When we don’t scale up (which only 1% of start-ups do) it is leadership to blame. Those organisations that do not meet their ambitions (90% don’t), it is leadership’s fault, right? And the solution, by the way, is also… leadership.
You’ve likely heard some of these before:
“This management team should be a dream team—but somehow, it isn’t.”
“We make commitments to change, and then nothing actually changes.”
“Our people feel disconnected from leadership—they tell us that they are lacking motivation and guidance.”
“How do we respond to the many changes in the world/politics/economy, right now, and who keeps track of what is happening?”
“We say we need to do things differently, but in reality, we do things like we have always done.”
“The costs need to come down to be ready for ‘an uncertain future’. How can we ask to do both from our leaders: cut cost -standardise- and create the new -innovate-.
So… what can leadership do?
Let’s take a step back first.
What do we mean by ‘LEADERSHIP’?
The people who define (and redefine) what ‘value creation’ means for their customers and society, and who create the space for others to contribute to that purpose. Leadership is about enabling—not just doing. And that’s a tall order.
To truly lead, you need to be:
a strategist who shapes direction.
a designer of systems and structure.
a developer of people and teams.
a self-aware, authentic motivator.
But here’s the issue: leadership is often approached in fragments. We separate the personal from the professional. We treat team development as a workshop, strategy as a report, and self-awareness as an optional extra.
Leadership development becomes a collection of well-intentioned interventions—rarely integrated, rarely contextualised.
And that’s where things go wrong.
Because real transformation doesn’t happen in parts. It happens when we look at the full picture—the leader in context. Their inner world, the outer world, and the organisation in between.
So let’s ask the more useful question:
What breakthrough needs to happen first?
Here are some examples of situations of where the ‘breakthrough/ the shift’ may need to start:
If you think you need a new strategy…
Start with readiness. Are you, as a leadership team, truly prepared for an honest conversation about where you stand? Are you open to outside-in perspectives? Are you able to engage in real dialogue—where data meets courage, and disagreement is safe?
That may be the first breakthrough.
If you think you need to cut costs or increase productivity…
Start with purpose. What dream do we share? Do we believe in it together—and does everyone know how they contribute to it? What’s spoken and unspoken in our culture—and is that still serving us?
That may be the first breakthrough.
If you want to build psychological safety…
Start with self-reflection. Let’s start with understanding your personal view on conflict, vulnerability, or being wrong? How are your beliefs influencing what you carry into your team dynamics?
That may be the first breakthrough.
💡 Nothing is wrong with leadership when it’s treated as a whole. As a living, evolving, connected practice.
Everything goes wrong when we treat it as a checklist, a title, or a training module.
💡 Leadership is not about having all the answers.
It’s about asking better questions, creating space for others to step in, and learning how to lead from the inside out.
So instead of looking for the ‘fix’, let’s look at what leadership needs to become.
Less about control, more about connection.
Less about perfection, more about presence.
Less about knowing, more about learning.
Less about the parts, more about the whole.
💡 If you don’t align on today, you can’t shape tomorrow.
Developing leadership starts by slowing down—just enough to see clearly. Before you set new direction or define a breakthrough, you need to be brave enough to see and take a closer look at what’s really going on right now.
A. Transformation starts with a shared understanding of today and tomorrow — we help create this picture
Together with you, we first explore the full picture—what is our starting point and what is the movement we need to make?
Whether it’s a light scan or a more in-depth dive, this is not about running an analysis. This is the beginning of the transformation. A shared process of inquiry.
We invite your leadership team to reflect on the organisation’s capacity to grow and create value. Are we aligned on our shared purpose? Are we capturing the value we generate? Do our structures and processes support this? And do we have the culture, the behaviours, and the enablers—like technology and teaming—to bring it to life?
But more importantly:
Do we share this view of reality?
Are we focusing our leadership energy in the right places?
And can we speak about this—openly, honestly, and with care?
Because that’s where transformation truly begins: in the quality of the conversation.
We use our Value Creation Accelerator-methodology, developed in collaboration with Professors Paul Verdin and Amy Edmondson.
B. Connecting Leadership, Strategy and Execution
Leadership is what you do all day, every day. It lives in your daily choices, in the way your team works, in the challenges you face and the dreams you hold.
So we don’t isolate leadership from what’s happening. We work with what’s alive—today.
Maybe you're stuck in habitual thinking, repeating the same solutions. We’ll bring in fresh perspectives.
Maybe you’re speaking, but not understanding each other. We’ll create space for deeper listening.
Maybe your culture avoids conflict—and decisions linger too long. We’ll help build conditions for healthy tension and brave decision-making.
C. From Me, to We, to Us
Transformation doesn’t happen in isolation.
Leadership starts with the inner world: mindset, beliefs, and behaviours. But it radiates outward—shaping team dynamics, decision quality, and talent growth. That’s why we don’t just focus on individuals. We also work with executive teams, because how they relate, decide and communicate, creates ripples throughout the organisation.
And it doesn’t stop at the organisation’s edge.
In today’s interconnected world, your impact stretches across an ecosystem. Partnerships, clients, suppliers, even competitors—are all part of the leadership landscape. So we explore not just me and we, but also us.
When we look at partnerships, we don’t just focus on contracts or deliverables. We look at the dialogue. The beliefs behind the arguments. The trust, or the lack of it. That’s where transformation starts.
D. We build your internal capacity: We Care—and We Dare
We start by walking alongside you. Then, gradually, we step back—leaving you, your team, and your organisation with the internal capability to move forward confidently on your own.
We’re not here to stay.
We’re here to help you go further.
We believe daring only works when it’s rooted in care.
We stand beside you, with empathy and clarity. Sometimes that means coaching, a 360 assessment, or surfacing patterns you didn’t see before. Sometimes it means asking the hard questions, because we care enough not to avoid them.
E. A Hybrid, Human-Centred Format
Every leadership journey is different. So we design a format that fits your reality—geographically, emotionally, and practically.
Some conversations need to happen face-to-face. Others can unfold online, supported by our digital tools, reflective content, and nudges. We blend in-person sessions with app-based follow-ups and webinars—always focused on supporting momentum, not just moments.
What’s wrong with leadership?
Maybe we’ve been trying to solve the wrong problem.
Let’s stop fixing leadership—and start transforming it.