| Layer | What we examine | Typical finding |
|---|---|---|
| Decision velocity | How long routine decisions take from proposal to action | Most teams lose 3–5 working days per decision loop to unclear sign-off chains |
| Feedback architecture | Whether honest upward feedback reaches the people who need it | Middle managers often filter negative signals to protect their own standing |
| Role clarity | Overlap and gaps in leadership responsibilities across departments | Roughly a third of leadership conflicts trace back to two people owning the same outcome |
| Succession readiness | Depth of the pipeline for the next 18 months of promotions | Organisations with no formal readiness plan lose 40% more newly promoted leaders in year one |
| Cultural coherence | Gap between stated values and observed behaviour in meetings, reviews, and crises | The wider this gap, the faster trust erodes between senior leadership and front-line staff |
What happened at the logistics firm
After completing the diagnostic, we identified that the company's core problem wasn't poor individual leadership. It was a promotion culture that treated management as a reward rather than a skill shift. People who excelled at route planning or warehouse throughput were given teams of fifteen without a single hour of preparation.
We designed a 10-week transition programme for newly promoted managers. Each participant worked through three structured modules: running effective one-to-ones, giving corrective feedback without damaging trust, and reading team dynamics before they become conflicts. The modules weren't classroom sessions. They were applied exercises embedded in the participant's actual working week, reviewed fortnightly with a dedicated consultant.
By week fourteen, the company had retained every one of the twelve managers who went through the programme. The previous year, four out of eleven newly promoted managers had resigned within six months.
Capability map: what we bring to an engagement
Diagnostic interviews
Confidential one-to-one conversations with leaders at every level. We ask specific, sometimes uncomfortable questions. The output is a written map of how leadership actually functions day to day, not how the org chart says it should.
Transition coaching
For people stepping into a leadership role for the first time, or moving from managing a small team to leading a department. Sessions run fortnightly over 12 weeks. Each session focuses on one live challenge the participant is facing that week.
Senior team alignment
When a leadership team disagrees on direction but avoids saying so, decisions slow to a crawl. We facilitate structured alignment sessions where the real disagreements surface safely and get resolved with clear commitments.
Post-engagement review
Six months after a programme ends, we return for a half-day review. We measure what stuck, what drifted, and what needs reinforcing. This is included in every engagement at no additional cost.
When six partners couldn't agree on growth
A professional services partnership in the Midlands asked us to help them resolve a strategic deadlock. Three partners wanted to expand into a new practice area. Three wanted to deepen existing specialisms. Meetings had become circular. Decisions were deferred month after month.
We ran individual interviews first. The disagreement wasn't really about strategy. It was about risk tolerance and workload distribution. Two partners were already stretched thin and feared expansion would break them. Once that was on the table openly, the conversation shifted. Within four sessions, the group agreed on a phased approach: one new practice area, launched by the three partners who wanted growth, with ring-fenced resources so existing work wasn't disrupted.
The new practice area generated £180,000 in fees within its first year.
If your leadership team is stuck, we can usually tell you why within a fortnight. Get in touch.
How an engagement typically unfolds
No two engagements follow the same path, but most share a rough shape. The first week is exploratory: a phone call, then a half-day visit. We meet whoever is sponsoring the work and, ideally, two or three people who will be directly affected by it. We want to hear different accounts of the same situation.
If we think we can help, we send a written proposal within five working days. Proposals are short, rarely more than four pages. They describe what we'll do, how long it will take, what it will cost, and what the client should expect to be different at the end.
Fees are fixed for the engagement. We don't bill by the hour. If something takes longer than expected, that's our problem, not yours.
Who this work is for, and who it isn't
We're not a good fit if you need a motivational speaker, a psychometric testing vendor, or a training provider who delivers off-the-shelf modules. We also turn down work when the sponsor isn't willing to hear findings they might not like. Our value depends on honesty, and that only works when the person commissioning the work genuinely wants the truth.
If you're unsure whether we're the right match, the initial conversation costs nothing and commits you to nothing. We'll be candid about whether we think we can help.
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Disclaimer
The outcomes described in our case studies reflect specific client engagements and are not guarantees of future results. Every organisation is different, and results depend on factors including the commitment of participants, the complexity of the challenges involved, and the broader operating environment. Our consulting engagements are governed by individual agreements with each client, not by the content of this website. Nothing on this site creates a contractual obligation. Trust in Leadership Consulting is a trading name registered in England. Registered address: 35 Jannie Place, Davis-Hickle-le-Oberbrunner, England, FT95 7ZH.