What if your ‘difficult team’ isn’t broken, but just ready to evolve?
WHAT IT IS
The Shift is a development experience for senior leadership teams who sense they’re not yet working well enough together, maybe not firing on all cylinders, even if no one has said it out loud.
It’s a six-session, in-person programme that works at the level of identity, trust, and team culture, using the power of story to create deep and lasting change.
Sessions run as three-hour, in-room experiences over six to eight months.
- No slides.
- No pointless icebreakers.
- Just the team, in the room, guided to find their way together.
WHY TEAMS CHOOSE THE SHIFT
Because something’s off, and not just on the surface.
People pull back when things get tense. There are awkward silences where constructive disagreement should be. People avoid each other or clash unnecessarily. Sometimes, it’s hard to say if the team even likes each other.
And while nobody wants another awayday or forced bonding exercise, they also don’t want things to stay the same, even if no one’s saying what they’re thinking.
Here’s what you might notice:
- Trust hasn’t taken root
- Conflict is avoided or becomes unproductive
- Commitment feels half-hearted or performative
- Accountability is dodged or displaced
- Priorities slip or stall; opportunities are wasted
- The same conversations keep happening, impacting morale and beyond.
WHY IT WORKS
The Shift uses the most human and powerful lever for change: story. Not as metaphor, but as structure, as practice, as a way to discover and create shared meaning.
Each session follows a deliberate rhythm: reflection, story, shared insight. It helps teams take small, early steps that then start to shift everything. Circle-based work helps build trust, connection, and cohesion. Because change doesn’t begin with logic; it begins with permission.
Each team member gets a simple Field Guide to help make notes, follow the exercises, and revisit the learning. Between sessions, short and direct assignments deepen the shift and sustain momentum.
Great teams aren’t born – they’re made.
LET’S TALK
If you sense that your team isn’t working well enough together, it might be time to talk. This isn’t a big decision. Just a quiet conversation to explore whether The Shift is the right fit.
Use this link to schedule a time to talk.
WHAT CHANGES
- Team members feel at ease with each other, as real people rather than just roles
- There’s a growing recognition that something needs to change, and that something better is within reach
- The team faces what’s been holding them back and takes responsibility for shifting it
- They let go of rigid habits and lead together in a more open, team-first way
- A strong, shared identity emerges, with rhythms and routines that hold under pressure
- The leadership team becomes a beacon, showing what’s possible for others across the organisation.
WHAT OTHERS SAY
I’m Nick Robinson, author of the best-selling The 9 Types of Difficult People (Pearson). I’ve been developing and delivering team and leadership coaching for over 25 years. Here’s what people say about my work:
“Nick’s approach was insightful and pragmatic. We’ve seen a marked improvement as a team … with quicker decisions and a stronger sense of belonging together.”
CEO, FinTech
“Nick is a deep and empathic listener, a skilled and astute reader of people, and really makes you feel safe and at ease to explore difficult issues. This coaching absolutely changed the game for me.”
Scientist and Senior Team Leader
WHO IT’S FOR
- Senior leadership teams of up to 10 people
- Includes the CEO, Managing Director, Head of Department or equivalent
- 6 in-person sessions, lasting around three hours, once a month over a period of about 6 – 8 months
- This isn’t for leadership teams looking to tick a box
- It’s for those who can sense that something needs to shift – even if no one’s said it out loud yet.
READY TO MAKE THE SHIFT?
If you sense that your senior leadership team could achieve more, but something’s holding them back, then it might be time to make The Shift.
Let’s begin mapping the next chapter in your team’s story; one marked by clarity, confidence, and lasting impact.
Use the button to set up a confidential, no-obligation conversation.
Autumn 2025 intakes now available