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SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM DEVELOPMENT
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, or where alignment slips under pressure, 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.
WHEN THIS GOES UNADDRESSED
When senior leadership teams are not working together as well as they could, the effects don’t stay contained within the team. They show up across the organisation, shaping pace, delivery, and results:
- Decisions slow, or don’t stick
Studies by Bain link poor decision effectiveness with weaker business performance and lower shareholder returns - Cross-functional work bogs down
McKinsey reports that around three in four cross-functional teams underperform on key metrics - Change efforts lose traction
Boston Consulting Group found transformations are roughly 44% less likely to succeed when leaders aren’t unified on the rationale and goals - Performance suffers
McKinsey reports that healthier organisations deliver three times the total shareholder returns of unhealthy ones over the long term.
Over time, this creates uneven execution and a widening gap between strategy and day-to-day reality.
The Shift exists because these patterns are common, costly, and avoidable.
When leadership teams face what is really happening between them, organisations move with greater clarity, pace, and follow-through, even under pressure.
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
Real, lasting differences you can expect
- Team members feel at ease with each other, as real people rather than just roles
- There’s a growing recognition that things need to change, and that something better is within their 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
Hear from people who’ve already made the shift
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
“I realised fairly quickly that this was not about fixing a ‘problem team’. It was about us seeing our own part in what was happening. That was uncomfortable at times, but also a relief. Things that had felt stuck for ages began to move once we stopped pretending they were someone else’s issue. It’s made a noticeable difference to how the organisation feels.”
Executive Director, national health charity
WHO IT’S FOR
See if this fits your team’s situation and ambitions
- 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?
The next step to great senior leadership teams
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.
Spring 2026 intakes now available