Ambitious companies should ask for more than profiling their leaders against generic criteria. By knowing what a company most needs from its leaders, we can provide more valuable judgements about their capability and potential.

The depth and scale of this stage can range from a simple introduction to a project that provides high value in its own right. It starts with a discussion about goals and strategies, and the challenges that these present to leaders.

This stage enables us to identify priorities. It could be to profile individuals. Work may be needed to refine the strategy, or to help the team operate together more effectively. 

Our business experience equips us to explore the operating context in breadth and depth, and to make recommendations about it when this is required.

Leaders at the top have the most influence over vision, strategy, and culture. This magnifies the financial impact when they get things right or wrong. Leadership development usually has the greatest value at this level. 

The process is adjustable and scalable. It can include psychometrics but does not depend upon them; we know their limitations as well as their value. We might start by meeting the leader for up to half a day, in one session or two. Sometimes we include feedback from key stakeholders.

We explore the leader's motivations and values, judgement and decision-making, interpersonal skills, and self-awareness. We identify key leadership strengths and where most development and support are needed. We judge the leader's potential and what this may depend on.

We capture our judgments in a report and a feedback meeting. We explore the practical implications and agree the necessary action, including development planning and other follow up.

We use a similar process when a company is considering an internal promotion or when recruiting from outside. Whatever the hiring decision, we aim to provide a valuable developmental experience.

Whatever the strengths of its individuals, a team should be judged by its effectiveness and impact as a unit. We value an early opportunity to see a team in action because of the insights it provides into group dynamics and how they may be influencing behaviour.

No team can become more effective without knowing and understanding how it operates as a collective organism. We are skilled in helping teams to do this.

If we have already profiled its members we can analyse and report on their likely collective strengths, gaps or weaknesses. Perceptions of the team from one or two layers down can add additional insight, and we can gather the necessary data. 

Being experienced team builders and facilitators, we adjust our style and methods to suit and complement the person in overall charge.

If we think a company should make changes in the team to achieve its goals we will say so and explain why.

We will do the same if we believe other changes are required, for example to strategy, culture, structure or processes.

Our recommendations take due account of practicalities and the resources that are available to a company.

We tailor our continuing support according to a company's requirements and resources. 

A coaching assignment can flow naturally out of profiling leaders but it can also originate independently.

We are highly experienced coaches, going back to our own time as business leaders. We know the value of being empathetic, probing and realistic. We aim to build confidence and self-sufficiency. Acutely conscious of the need to make efficient use of  a leader's time, we welcome it when the benefits of coaching come sooner than planned.