Culture, an intriguing concept, holds the transformative power to shape how people come together to achieve a shared goal. While it may be intangible, the impact of a highly engaging and empowering culture is palpable, just as the toxicity of a culture can be felt.
It’s essential to recognise that culture is a mirror of our values and behaviours, a barometer of how we treat each other, and how we act when no one is watching. It’s the essence that makes a team or business unit appealing to someone.
There is no right or wrong culture; it is the one that best suits the individuals within the team. I know people whose values conflict with a team culture and have moved on as a result. I have known people who feel so uncomfortable, bordering on unhealthy, working in a culture, yet they stick it out. In my early career, I changed organisations and felt so uncomfortable that I considered leaving on several occasions; however, I quickly moved to another branch and felt completely different. It’s funny how one leader can make you feel so uncomfortable and another make you feel so wanted.
This webinar is all about culture, where you will: Learn four different types of culture, Discover what makes culture toxic, Understand why culture matters, and what high-performing cultures have in common.
Leave with five practical steps for a high-performing culture.
Your speakers are: Graham Field and Ricky Muddimer, Leadership and Culture experts, helping organisations build high-performing teams.
At Thinking Focus, our aim is to provide practical strategies to boost resilience for themselves and their teams. Every attendee was invited to download our free resilience toolkit, and you can, too.:
Why the manager is still your most scalable lever for performance—and how to rebuild the role so people want it.
We’ve all felt the shift; fewer people see management as an aspirational path, and even those who step up often feel overwhelmed. Recent research in the UK highlights the scale of this: over half of employees in middle-manager roles and below don’t aspire to management; 40% see it as necessary but unappealing; 12% actively avoid it. The top reasons for these stats are stress (54%), not enjoying people management (42%), and a pay premium that doesn’t feel worth the load (30%). Meanwhile, the work of management hasn’t disappeared – it’s just getting done unevenly, or not at all.
The uncomfortable truth: if we don't look after and develop managers, there'll be no one left to play the roles that turn strategy into results, no one to take on the roles of developer, coach, mentor, supporter, champion, challenger and engager. AI won't do it, org charts won't do it, and HR alone can't do it.
Your managers are the most scalable lever you have for culture, engagement and performance. Treat them as a critical system, or watch value leak out through avoidable attrition, slow execution and disengagement.
The manager role has expanded and become less attractive
There are many reasons why management roles have changed, and why people increasingly feel that moving into management doesn’t have the appeal it once did, including:
Scope creep. Today’s managers are asked to deliver numbers and steward wellbeing, balance hybrid routines (their own and their teams’), inclusion, change adoption and AI experimentation – usually with the same bandwidth. The result is a permanent cognitive overload.
Conflicted signals. “Be empowering and developmental… but hit this stretch target by Friday and keep the compliance plates spinning.” Mixed messages create risk aversion and decision paralysis, and how many managers have had the right training, at the right time, to help them?
Time poverty. Calendars fill with status meetings, tool updates and approvals. What should be the core work of management – coaching, prioritising, clearing blockers – gets squeezed into the remaining scraps of the week.
Ambiguous career value. Many see more stress without clear growth, recognition or pay. If there’s no visible upside, rational people will opt out.
So what? Capable people sidestep the role; accidental managers inherit teams; and the organisation pays twice – first in execution drag, then in preventable churn.
What high-performing organisations do differently
They treat management as an operating system (OS), not a title. They make it:
Doable: Right-size capacity and remove friction before training anyone.
Teachable: Build mindset and skill through tiny, frequent practice on real work.
Valuable: Make the manager premium visible in rewards, recognition and mobility.
Below is a practical blueprint you can apply without a reorg or a 12-month transformation.
The Manager OS: Seven roles, one clear standard
Give managers a simple, shared playbook. One approach that can be used is this “Seven Hats” model, where each hat has a purpose, a core behaviour, and a simple tool.
Clarity Setter
Purpose:People know what matters this week, what “good” looks like, and how we’ll measure it.
Behaviour: Translate strategy into 3–5 team priorities and 1–2 weekly focus outcomes.
Tool:A one-page Team Priorities Summary that answers: “What are we trying to achieve? Why now? What are the first three moves? How will we know?”
Example:Monday stand-up starts with “Top Two for the week,” not a status round-robin.
Coach
Purpose:Capability grows faster than workload.
Behaviour: Short, frequent conversations; questions before advice; clear next steps.
Tool:Ask questions using the four C’s for: Clarity: define issue/goal, Creativity: ideate, Critical Thinking: evaluate, Commitment: take action
Script Starter:“What outcome do you want? What’s in the way? What’s one move you’ll test before Thursday?”
Connector
Purpose:Work flows across functions without friction.
Behaviour: Map dependencies; proactively align decision-makers; share context, not noise.
Tool:Dependency Map (who we rely on, what they need from us, escalation path).
Example:Before a launch, run a 30-minute “pre-mortem” with Sales, Ops, and Legal to surface and solve the top three cross-team risks.
Challenger
Purpose:Standards rise; performance conversations are clean and fair.
Behaviour: Separate person from behaviour; use evidence; agree on next steps and follow-up.
Tool:Purposeful Feedback: What (happened), So what (impact), Now what (next steps)
Example:“In yesterday’s client call (S), you interrupted twice (B). It confused roles (I). Going forward, you’ll lead discovery, and I’ll handle pricing (E). How does that land (C)? Let’s review Friday (N).”
Champion
Purpose:The team gets credit and resources commensurate with impact.
Behaviour: Make outcomes visible; tell the story in business terms; ask clearly.
Example: “Reducing onboarding from 30→18 days saved £X this quarter. To sustain, we need one L&D license and 0.5 FTE analyst time.”
Change Leader
Purpose:Strategy converts to team-level action and habits.
Behaviour: Explain the why, define the first two moves, measure adoption, not attendance.
Tool:Change Card (why, what changes for us, first two moves, measure we’ll watch).
Example:When introducing a new CRM step, track “% opportunities with next action logged” weekly, not just the training completion rate.
Culture Shaper
Purpose:Psychological safety and accountability coexist.
Behaviour: Ask for dissent; normalise learning; keep promises.
Tool:Team Operating Agreement (how we give feedback, decide, escalate, and reset).
Ritual: End meetings with “What did we learn? What will we do differently next time?”
Make the role doable: redesign the work before you train
Training can’t fix a broken job. Start with the job design.
1) Protect a Manager’s Time
Help your managers ring-fence at least 25–35% of each week for management: 1:1s, feedback, planning, and helping them to overcome blockers and obstacles to team success.
Why it matters:
No coach time = confused team, slow progress, and stressed people.
How to do it (three quick moves):
Check the calendar: Mark each meeting as “IC” (individual contributor – doing the work yourself) or “M” (managing/coaching). If “M” time is under 25%, that’s a problem.
Shorten meetings: Make internal meetings 35 minutes by default. Use the saved minutes for coaching and 1:1s.
One in → one out: If you add a new project, pause another. Otherwise, time magically disappears.
Example:
Coach has 40 hours. Protect 10–14 hours weekly for 1:1s, feedback, planning, and fixing blockers. That’s “Coach Time.”
2) Kill Busywork Drag (Reduce Admin Drag)
Busywork = work that doesn’t help the team win (like typing the same info into three systems or waiting for tiny approvals).
Why it matters:
Busywork eats coaching time and makes everyone slower.
How to fix it:
Status lives in a dashboard: Don’t hold a meeting to read updates. Put the numbers in one place, people can check anytime.
Simple approvals: Small spends should need 1–2 clicks, not five signatures.
One template for asks: Use a one-page “Impact Brief”: What’s the problem? What did we try? What did it do? What do we need now?
Example:
Instead of a 45-minute “update” meeting, the team posts updates in the tool. The manager uses those 45 minutes to coach someone who’s stuck.
3) Right-Size the Team & Load (Spans of Control and Individual Contributor load)
A manager shouldn’t have more players than they can coach well, and they shouldn’t be doing so much hands-on work that they can’t coach at all.
Why it matters:
Too many direct reports = rushed check-ins and missed problems.
Too much “doing the work yourself” (IC load) = no time to help others grow.
Easy rules of thumb:
Team size (direct reports):
Manager doing hands-on work (IC load):
Fixes if it’s too heavy:
Add a team lead to help with day-to-day coaching.
Give a coordinator to handle admin and scheduling.
Move a project to another team.
Shrink the scope while the team is new or changing a lot.
Example:
If a manager has 12 new people and a big change project, that’s too much. Reduce reports to 7–8 or add a team lead until the change settles.
4) Make a clear Manager Deal (Before they start)
Write down the rules of the game to avoid any surprises. It’s like a simple contract between the manager, their boss, and HR.
What goes in the deal:
Purpose: One sentence—why this team exists.
Top 3 outcomes: What success looks like this year.
Decisions: Which choices the manager gets to make vs. advise on.
Time & load: Promise the 25–35% coach time and set a limit for hands-on work. Keep the one in → one out rule.
How we work: The Seven Hats (Clarity, Coach, Connector, Challenger, Champion, Change Leader, Culture) with one simple tool for each.
Support: A mentor, a peer group, and a short list of tools/templates.
Rewards: What the pay/praise looks like when they build people and get results.
Boundaries: Quiet hours, meeting-free blocks, and how we cover vacations.
90-day goals: Three clear targets (e.g., 90% of people have 1:1s, blockers get solved faster, one annoying process gets fixed).
Example:
“You’ll have 10–14 hours each week for coaching and planning. If we add a new project, we’ll pause one. You own decisions A and B, and help with C. We’ll measure your success by how your team grows and how fast work moves, not just by raw output.”
Build Skills That Stick
Think of a manager like a team coach who’s also still learning. To get better, you don’t need long classes; you need short, regular practice on real stuff. Practice beats PowerPoints.
1) Tiny weekly drills (15 minutes)
What: One small skill, once a week, for 15 minutes.
Why: Short, focused practice sticks.
How: Pick one drill; try it the same week.
Month 1 example
Week 1 – Purposeful feedback: Tell someone clearly what happened, why it mattered, and what to do next.
Week 2 – Better 1:1s: Use a simple agenda: check-in → priorities → blocker → coaching → feedback → commit.
Week 3 – Set the “Top Two”: Name the two most important outcomes for the team this week.
Week 4 – Remove a blocker: Map who you need help from and ask for a yes/no decision.
2) Manager circles = practice squad
What: 6–8 managers meet for 45 minutes every two weeks.
Why: You learn faster together.
How it works (simple rules below):
One person brings a real problem.
The group uses this week’s drill to help.
The owner picks one action to try before the next circle.
Next time, they share what happened (win or learn).
3) Just-in-time resources (keep them accessible)
What: One-page guides and 2-minute videos.
Where: Calendar invites, CRM notes, project tool, team wiki.
Why: When the moment comes, you don’t have time to search a big manual.
Examples:
“Purposeful Feedback” card (What | So What | Now what)
“Top Two” weekly sheet
“Dependency Map” checklist (who we rely on, what they need, who decides)
“What Would You Do?” is a social space where managers can discuss everyday dilemmas in a safe environment, learning from each other and sharing experiences.
4) Stretch chances (but with a safety net)
What: Small “try it for real” opportunities.
Why: Confidence grows by doing, not by reading.
Examples:
Run one work-experience day or a mini project.
Lead part of a team meeting (e.g., the “Top Two”).
Shadow a tough conversation, then try the next one with support.
Safety net: Agree on the goal, boundaries, and who has your back.
5) Simple reflection = faster learning
5-minute weekly check (write it in the 1:1 doc):
What did I try?
What worked?
What didn’t?
What’s one change for next time?
Traffic light: Green = good; Amber = bumpy; Red = need help.
Reward the work that creates value
Incentives drive behaviour. Adjust them visibly.
Compensation and recognition.
Make the manager premium explicit. Tie a portion to capability outcomes (internal promotions, skill lift) as well as business results.
Publicly celebrate “manager moments” (where appropriate, consider private where preferences dictate) in all-hands: name the behaviour and the impact, not just the metric.
Dual tracks with parity.
Ensure technical and managerial tracks can both reach top pay bands. People shouldn’t have to manage to progress – but if they choose to operate, they should see a clear upside.
Progression markers.
Move beyond “team size” as a proxy. Use complexity handled, talent developed and cross-functional impact delivered as the badge of seniority.
Measure what matters (leading indicators beat lagging ones)
Don’t wait for annual engagement scores. Track simple, behavioural signals:
Manager activity: % of team with a monthly 1:1; # of purposeful feedback moments logged per month. Aim for 90%+ 1:1 coverage; “two pieces of feedback per person per month” as a norm.
Talent signals: Internal fill rate for key roles (target 60%+); time-to-productivity for new hires (trend down month-on-month); regretted attrition of high performers (trend down).
Execution health: Cross-functional cycle time (request → decision); blocker removal time; change adoption (measurable behaviour, not attendance).
Wellbeing risk: Calendar load, after-hours send ratio, self-reported workload control. Use thresholds to trigger a coaching check-in, not a reprimand.
Publish the dashboard by division. Celebrate improvements loudly and share the playbooks that drove them.
A 90-day rollout you can start next week
Days 1–30: Reset and simplify
Codify the Seven Hats on one page. Socialise with managers and their leaders.
Calendar audit for a representative group; reclaim 20% by killing or delegating low-value recurring meetings.
Stand-up manager circles; schedule the first three sessions.
Ship three micro-tools: 30-minute 1:1 guide, Clean Feedback script, Team Priorities Canvas.
Success criteria: 80% adoption of 1:1 guide; 15% reduction in average manager meeting hours.
Days 31–60: Build capability in the flow
Run weekly 15-minute micro-practices (one tool, one conversation, one reflection).
Launch a lightweight manager dashboard (people basics + actions).
Start recognising manager behaviours in ‘all-hands’/’town hall’ meetings.
Pilot dual-track communications with clear examples of parity.
Success criteria: 70% of managers log at least two clean feedback moments; time-to-decision improves by 10% in one cross-functional process.
Days 61–90: Lock in and scale
Tie the Manager OS to performance dialogues and promotion criteria.
Publish the first monthly manager health report.
Fix one structural blocker per Business Unit (e.g., duplicate approvals, unclear decision rights).
Expand manager circles; add advanced modules (coaching for performance vs. potential, leading change narratives).
Success criteria: Internal fill rate improves by 10 points in targeted roles; after-hours send ratio drops; new-hire ramp improves by one week.
Objections you’ll hear – and how to respond
“We don’t have time.” You don’t have time not to. Reclaiming 20% calendar time typically returns more capacity within two weeks than any single headcount request.
“Some people don’t want to manage.” Good. Keep dual tracks. But for those who do, make it a craft worth mastering.
“Our environment is unique.” The hats are universal; the examples are yours to tailor. Start with one team, one Business Unit, one quarter.
What this changes – for real
Employees feel led, not just managed. Clear expectations, fair feedback, visible growth.
Managers regain pride and energy. The job is doable, valued and supported.
Leaders see throughput. Faster decisions, stronger execution, healthier succession.
If you don’t invest here, the gap doesn’t stay empty; it fills with inconsistency, mixed signals and avoidable attrition. If we do invest, managers become what we desire and intend: the multiplier of your strategy.
Where to begin:
If the thoughts in this newsletter have caused you to pause, and you think you could do more to support your managers differently (or if you are a manager and you think you could be working differently), consider the following:
This week, protect two hours in managers’ calendars. Roll out the 20-minute 1:1 (wins (from last week), learnings (from last week), focus for the week ahead, and help required). Convene your first manager circle.
Next week, teach Purposeful Feedback and require one live practice per manager.
By the end of the month, publish your first manager health snapshot. Momentum beats perfection. The role of the manager is too important to leave to chance.
Consider the Social Learning Experience that blends gamification with group coaching and psychological safety – accelerate your development and raise the bar of your managers – introducing ‘What Would You Do?’
Whether you are a golf fan like me or someone who loves to see someone come through adversity and bounce back after repeated near misses, you can’t help but shed a tear for Rory.
For over ten years, Rory McIlroy has faced the world’s media year after year since 2014 – “Is this [will you complete the career grand slam] your year? “
Rory gets one shot each year, and the weight of greatness was starting to show even through his performance this year. McIlroy stood on the cusp of greatness, a pantheon only five golfers had ever achieved before. To achieve the career grand slam, you must win The Masters, The PGA Championship, the British Open and the US Open, which were last achieved by Tiger Woods in 2000 and by Jack Nicklaus 34 years before.
Getty Images
McIlroy has endured many highs and lows throughout his career, but one thing that sets him apart besides his golf game is his ability to keep bouncing back. I imagine there have been times when he doubted he would ever join the elite club of Gene Sarazen (1935), Ben Hogan (1953), Gary Player (1965), Jack (1966), and Tiger (2000). In 17 attempts at the Masters, Rory had finished in the top 10 eight times; his previous best was second in 2022!
In 2011, Rory held the 54-hole lead at The Masters, four shots ahead with 18 holes to go. He famously blew up on the 10th hole, effectively ending his challenge, and he would finish tied for 15th. However, his resilience would come to the fore just two months later as he returned at the next major, The US Open, where he destroyed the field to win by eight shots.
Watch the webinar:
What about you?
Pressure is relative, and as much as Rory wanted to leave his mark on the history of golf, he is a wealthy man who could hang up his clubs and never play again without any personal impact.
So what about you? Have you ever felt like the pressure at work is coming from all sides?
You’re not alone. The modern workplace can be a juggling act of tight deadlines, shifting priorities, and team dynamics—especially for leaders and managers who carry everyone else’s expectations on their shoulders.
The good news? Resilience is a skill that anyone can develop. And with the right mindset, you can learn to bounce back from daily stresses and bigger challenges alike.
Here are a few practical ideas to set you on the right path:
Acknowledge the Pressure
First things first—recognise that you’re under strain. How many times have you powered through a tough week without stopping to catch your breath? Naming the stress is the first step to managing it. It’s perfectly normal to admit, “This is really hard,” by doing so, you permit yourself to find a better way forward.
Leverage Your Network
Resilience isn’t about going it alone. Build a strong support network in and out of work—a peer you trust, a mentor, or even friends outside your industry. Sharing your challenges and asking for advice lightens the emotional load and sparks fresh perspectives and problem-solving approaches.
Mindset Matters
Consider how you’re framing challenges. Instead of viewing problems as dead-ends, see them as possibilities to stretch your thinking. “We’ve never done it this way before” can become “We’ve got a chance to try something fresh.” Transforming obstacles into opportunities is a powerful mental shift that helps you stay open and motivated.
Pace Yourself with Purpose
You can’t just keep going, expecting everything to work out. Focus on pacing. Breaking large projects into smaller milestones makes progress more visible—celebrate those quick wins!
Rory didn’t just turn up and win the Masters; he practised hard! He reflected on his past attempts; he talked to the experts like Jack and Tiger to gain more insight. He worked on and improved the aspects of his game. Rory’s purpose driving him on was to be among those greats. He gets just one shot each year, one tournament where he could join the greats, and he has to compete with 94 other golfers who also desperately want to win the coveted green jacket.
Your purpose guides you when things are difficult, and celebrating your small and big wins along the way builds momentum and a sense of achievement, which fosters resilience for the next hurdle.
Recharge for Longevity
A quick break is not a luxury—it’s a strategic reset. Whether it’s five minutes of mindful breathing or a brisk walk, taking time out recharges your mental batteries. And don’t dismiss the importance of genuine downtime away from your inbox. Proper rest, healthy habits, and a sense of perspective are the bedrock of enduring resilience.
Stop Waiting to Get Started
Stop waiting for things to be just right or for something that makes everything easier. Instead, harness your inner A-Team or MacGyver and make the most of what you have; use what you have at your disposal to build what you can; with the internet and AI, there are very few barriers to getting started.
Remember, resilience isn’t about “toughing it out” alone; it’s about learning to adapt, grow, and thrive despite the stresses of a demanding environment. If you feel overwhelmed or stuck, reach out—there’s always support and new strategies to explore.
Ready to dig deeper? Please drop a comment or message us directly to continue the conversation on building more resilient leaders and teams. Let’s navigate these challenges together—and come out even stronger.
Doing something—anything—feels safer than pausing. We often see inaction as a risk rather than a thoughtful step to ensure we’re tackling the real issue.
Real speed comes from a calculated pause. Here’s how to make it work:
1. Define the Challenge Don’t jump to solutions. Pinpoint the real issue first—like Einstein said, spend most of your time clarifying the problem, then solutions practically reveal themselves.
2. Ask the Right Questions “What” and “How” questions spark creativity. Broaden your scope by including words like “could” or “might.” Fresh insights often surface when you invite every possibility.
3. Weigh Your Options Use a quick 2×2 matrix (cost vs. benefit, ease vs. impact, etc.) to filter ideas without bias. Clarity beats guesswork every time.
4. Plan, Then Act Spell out who does what—and when—before launching. This stops good ideas from vanishing in the chaos of daily demands.
5. Check, Then Adapt Regular reviews keep you ahead of pitfalls. Fail fast if you must, then pivot before issues spiral out of control.
Take a moment to slow down. You’ll find you can move forward faster—and with greater confidence—than ever.
There’s loads more helpful content for each of these steps; follow us for more:
Turbocharge Your Next Move: A Step-by-Step Guide to Making Informed Choices
Introduction
How often do you charge headlong into a decision – whether personal or professional – only to realise later that you didn’t fully understand the problem?
When it comes to making decisions, clarity is power. Yet we’ve probably all been lost in a swirl of possibilities, gathering endless data, and stuck in a state of ‘analysis paralysis’.
What if a systematic, creative way existed to define the real issue and generate fresh ideas before evaluating your best path forward?
Enter the art of “informed choice,” a process that can transform confusion into clarity and move you from stuck to soaring.
In this month’s edition of Mindset Matters, we’ll explore a simple blueprint for helping individuals make well-informed choices. We’ll begin by discussing how to define the problem clearly, offer strategies to think creatively, and then show how to critically assess your best way forward.
You’ll discover practical steps you can apply at work – or in any facet of life – to consistently make better choices that serve your work and personal goals, and avoid getting stuck or creating false starts.
1. Clearly Define the Problem
Start With ‘Why?’
Making more robust and informed decisions starts with clearly understanding the goal or problem. There is no point in making an informed choice unless you know both your desired outcome and why it matters.
Start by asking yourself: “What problem am I trying to solve?” It’s incredible how often we realise we’ve been working on the wrong problem. “I need more salespeople” might actually be “I need better-trained salespeople.” Or “We must cut costs” might be “We need more innovation to drive revenue.” If you don’t define the issue accurately from the start, any decision that follows will be off track, time will be wasted and your people are likely to be disengaged.
Consider Multiple Angles
I once changed a process that opened the floodgates to unprecedented levels of cross-sales. I was amazed when sales increased by over 400% and I felt great about my decision. That is, until one of my operational colleagues, responsible for processing the sales, called me to say they couldn’t cope with this unexpected surge. As a result, my sales team started getting complaints from customers who chose to take their business elsewhere because our service wasn’t up to scratch. If only I had reached out to share my plan with others!
Look at your problem from many perspectives. You will see it one way, informed by your beliefs, biases and agenda, whereas someone else will view it from a different angle. Learn from my experience, consult with other departments, engage team members affected by the decision, and explore different perspectives within your customer base. Gathering these viewpoints will paint a more accurate picture of the problem and ensure any decision is grounded in reality and gains buy-in.
Put It Into Writing
Take your problem and define it; What precisely is the problem? Who does it impact? What are the consequences on performance? The video below walks you through the ‘Five Whys’ technique, which helps you reach the root cause. From here you can create your problem statement. For example, “Our poor sales performance leaves customers without valuable solutions to their problems.”
Then, reframe it. Changing the frame is a cognitive ‘trick’ that moves your thinking from problem-focused to solution-focused, focusing on the outcome you want, not what you don’t want. Continuing with the sales example, this would become: “Improve our sales performance by solving more of our customers’ problems.”
You should then turn this into a SMART goal in a single sentence: ‘To improve sales by X% by solving more of our customers’ problems.’
2. Be Creative: Generate Possibilities Before Judging
Don’t Jump Straight to the Matrix
Now that you have clearly defined your problem or goal, it can be tempting to jump straight to action. However, this is a classic pitfall in decision-making. Leaping straight into action with only one or two options is like placing all your eggs into one basket and is likely to cause frustration from a false start or wasted effort. It is better to engage in creative thinking first, broaden your possibilities, and increase your chances of success.
Brainstorm to Break Barriers
Encourage a short, focused brainstorming session where all ideas are welcomed, no matter how outlandish. In a team setting, declare a ‘no judgment’ zone for five or ten minutes. This period of open-ideation helps people break from tried-and-tested thinking patterns, leading to fresh options that might not have come up in a more conventional discussion.
Remember, better solutions arise from a broader pool of possibilities. Tapping into creative thinking is vital before you start sorting and evaluating ideas. Otherwise, you might never consider what could turn out to be your game-changing solutions.
Top Tip: Always encourage your team to begin by spending some time thinking on their own before socialising ideas, this will minimise authority bias, confirmation bias and grouthink.
Creative Tools
20-Idea Method: This simple tool encourages you to design an outcome-based question, write it down, and answer it in at least 20 different ways. It can also be helpful to give yourself a short time frame to do this – this can help you avoid prioritising ideas too soon. This template helps with this approach.
O! Ideas Method: A build on the 20-Idea Method, this tool gives a selection of pre-prepared questions designed to prompt a high number of ideas across the headlines of Options, Others and Obstacles. Again, the following template helps with this approach.
SCAMPER Method: SCAMPER is a powerful tool that helps spark creativity by challenging the way we think. It stands for Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, and Rearrange, each prompting fresh ideas for innovation.
You can use SCAMPER to improve products, solve business challenges, refine marketing strategies, or enhance processes. To apply it effectively, start with a clear goal, go through each SCAMPER step systematically, capture all ideas without judgment, and refine the best ones for testing. Whether you’re stuck on a problem or looking for breakthrough ideas, SCAMPER is a simple yet effective way to think differently and drive better results.
3. Critical Thinking two by two
Great news! Creative thinking has helped you generate many ideas and possibilities, as they are at this stage. You now need to critically evaluate which ones are worth pursuing.
Why a 2×2 Matrix?
A 2×2 matrix is a simple yet powerful framework for structuring and comparing options. Its power is in minimising the effects of bias and personal preference on your decisions. When using a 2×2 matrix, one person’s agenda doesn’t dominate in a team situation, and you won’t get caught taking action on those things you feel are right; it introduces objectivity.
Typically, you place two factors or criteria along the vertical and horizontal axes – common examples include “ease vs impact”, “risk vs likelihood,” or “cost vs benefit.” Plotting your ideas in a grid allows you to visually cluster them based on how they measure up.
For example, imagine you’re evaluating potential customer service improvements. You might use “customer impact” as the vertical axis (low to high) and “cost to implement” as the horizontal axis (high to low). Now each idea can be placed in one of four quadrants:
This visual spread helps you quickly see which ideas are easiest, require more resources, and provide the biggest payoff.
Steps to Implement
1. Define Your Axes: After clarifying your problem, identify the two most critical factors to guide your decision (e.g., cost, resources, impact, time, complexity).
2. List Your Options: Take your possibilities and briefly describe each.
3. Plot Your Ideas: Assign each idea to a quadrant based on how it ranks against both axes.
4. Discuss and Debate: Review how the options cluster. This conversation is often where hidden insights emerge – why certain ideas land in specific quadrants.
5. Decide Your Next Move: Typically, you start with quadrants that offer high impact at low cost, but don’t overlook ambitious ideas that could be game changers even if they are more challenging to implement.
Download the RACI Matrix to help you clearly understand who is impacted and their role, whether they need to be kept in the loop, whether we need to involve them (think about my experience above), who is responsible for what, and who is accountable for the goal.
4. Five Practical Steps to Help Individuals Make Informed Choices
Create a ‘Decision Toolkit’: Put together an essential document (you could try our business challenge kit) or template that outlines each step: define the problem, brainstorm, and evaluate options using a 2×2 matrix. A straightforward process can ease the burden on individuals overwhelmed by decision-making.
Encourage Reflection and Self-Awareness: Ask reflective questions: “Why is this choice important now?” or “How does this align with my (or the team’s) bigger goals?” Self-awareness helps ensure that the choices align with deeper values and objectives, rather than being purely reactive.
Use Collaborative Platforms: If you’re in an organisation with distributed teams, use online whiteboards or collaboration tools. This way, everyone can contribute to brainstorming and matrix-plotting in real time. It’s also a living document you can revisit to measure progress or reconsider options when circumstances change.
Build in a ‘Pause & Check’: Once a potential solution emerges from the matrix, pause to revisit your original problem statement. Ask: “Does this solution truly address the defined core problem?” This simple step avoids scenario creep, where you solve an offshoot problem without noticing it.
Test Small and Scale Up: Test your chosen path on a small scale before rolling it out company-wide. This pilot approach allows you to gather accurate data, refine the solution, and build confidence in your decision. If the results look promising, scale it up. If not, return to your matrix for fresh options.
5. Overcoming Three Common Pitfalls
Pitfall 1: Failing to Acknowledge Bias
Confirmation bias and other mental shortcuts can derail an otherwise solid decision-making process. Acknowledge that everyone has blind spots. Ask someone outside your immediate team to challenge or test your assumptions.
Pitfall 2: Overcomplicating the Matrix
Yes, you can plot multiple factors, but a simple 2×2 approach is often enough to provide clarity. Don’t let the framework become so elaborate that it defeats the purpose of a quick, straightforward assessment.
Pitfall 3: Inertia After the Matrix
A thorough review is fantastic, but please don’t let your efforts sit on a shelf. Turn your resulting insights into concrete actions, assign accountability for each selected option, and set deadlines for follow-up and measurement.
Conclusion
Making informed choices isn’t about having a magic wand that always guarantees success. It’s about stacking the odds in your favour by grounding your decisions in a clearly defined problem statement, opening yourself, and your team, up to creative possibilities, and then applying a logical, visual framework like a 2×2 matrix to weigh your options. From there, the real magic lies in translating insights into action—testing, iterating, and refining your approach.
Adopting this disciplined yet creative process makes you far more likely to make choices that align with your goals and values, and empower others to do the same. Whether you’re leading a small team or a global organisation, informed decision-making can be the difference between spinning your wheels on autopilot and sparking the kind of breakthroughs that drive tangible results.
More great content available
Thinking Focus has a wealth of content for leaders and managers looking to improve, you can access it across our multiple channels of content:
In this webinar, Ricky Muddimer and Graham Field discussed how trust is the invisible engine that drives high-performing teams. Without it, communication breaks down, innovation stalls, and performance falters. But with it? Teams collaborate seamlessly, make faster decisions, and achieve extraordinary results.
As a leader, how do you build and sustain trust in your team—especially in today’s fast-paced and often disconnected workplace? Watch ‘Trust: The Secret to High-Performing Teams,’ our final webinar of 2024, and discover why trust is the most critical factor in unlocking your team’s full potential.
This isn’t just another webinar—it’s your opportunity to gain actionable insights to set you and your team up for success.
Low trust doesn’t just create tension—it impacts results. In this highly practical session, we’ll explore:
The cost of low trust: How it shows up in miscommunication, disengagement, and slowed progress.
The benefits of high trust: Why it accelerates innovation, strengthens collaboration, and boosts team performance.
How to build trust: Simple, actionable strategies to foster a culture of trust in your team or organisation.
If you’re ready to tackle the barriers holding your team back and learn proven techniques to unlock their potential, this webinar is for you.
As a leader of large teams and departments, you will know that leadership isn’t just about hitting targets and managing people. It’s about unlocking the potential within your teams and, just as importantly, within yourself. In an environment where the only constant is change, how you lead makes all the difference between just surviving and truly thriving. That’s why I’m excited to share our Leadership Blueprint—a powerful tool designed to help leaders like you break through the barriers that often hold you back and drive real, meaningful change.
Why the Leadership Blueprint Matters
In my experience working with organisations across various sectors, I’ve seen firsthand how easy it is for leaders to get caught up in day-to-day operations, often at the expense of strategic growth and personal development. The pressures of managing large teams and hitting KPIs can sometimes overshadow the importance of continuous leadership evolution. But the truth is, if you’re not growing, you’re stagnating—and so are your teams.
Our Leadership Blueprint addresses this head-on. It’s not just another leadership guide. It’s a strategic tool designed to help leaders navigate the complexities of modern business while fostering an environment where individuals and teams can excel.
What Sets Our Blueprint Apart
1. Mindset First: You will have encountered those moments when your own thinking becomes the bottleneck. Our Blueprint emphasises the importance of mindset as the foundation of effective leadership. It offers practical ways to shift our perspectives, challenging the self-limiting beliefs that can hold us—and our teams—back.
2. Actionable Change: While changing your mindset is critical, it’s equally important to translate those shifts into tangible actions. The Blueprint provides step-by-step guidance on how to embed these new ways of thinking into your daily leadership practice, ensuring that the impact is not just theoretical but real and lasting.
3. Alignment with Organisational Goals: Leadership is more than personal development; it’s about driving the organisation forward. Our Blueprint ensures that as you evolve as a leader, your growth is aligned with your organisation’s broader strategic objectives, creating a ripple effect that benefits everyone.
What You’ll Gain from the Leadership Blueprint
The Leadership Blueprint is for leaders like you— who oversee large teams and departments tasked with managing, inspiring, and driving transformation. Here’s what you can expect:
Self-Assessment Tools: Understand your current leadership strengths and areas for development with actionable insights focused on areas where you can grow.
Tailored Action Plans: Develop a personalised roadmap that aligns with your leadership aspirations and your organisation’s goals.
Insightful Case Studies: Learn from peers who have successfully implemented these strategies in real-world scenarios.
Continued Support: Access resources that keep you on track, ensuring your leadership journey is ongoing and adaptive to new challenges.
The Path Forward
Leadership is about more than maintaining the status quo, especially at the helm of large teams and departments. It’s about driving significant, positive change. Our Leadership Blueprint will support you, providing the tools and insights necessary to elevate your leadership game and, by extension, the performance of your entire team.
I encourage you to download the Leadership Blueprint today and discover how to unlock your leadership’s full potential.
This leadership blueprint is a powerful tool designed to help experienced leaders, those new to the role, and those aspiring to join the leadership ranks. It will help you break through the barriers that often hold you back and drive real, meaningful change. As a leader, you will know that leadership isn’t just about hitting targets and managing people. It’s about unlocking the potential within your teams and, just as importantly, within yourself. In an environment where the only constant is change, how you lead makes all the difference between just surviving and truly thriving.
Organisations often view training programs as quick fixes for performance issues, expecting immediate returns on investment. However, this perspective overlooks the complexities of learning and development. Training alone cannot address multifaceted organisational challenges without alignment with the organisation’s culture, systems, and leadership practices.
This article explores the limitations of relying solely on training as a solution and emphasises the need for a comprehensive approach that includes leadership involvement, ongoing support, and a culture that fosters continuous learning.
When we engage with learning and development teams in organisations, the most common question is, “How will you measure the impact of the intervention? To which we reply, “How do you measure it now?”
Learning & Development Teams are typically deferential to the major operational business units; they serve the company by understanding and closing the capability gap. The problem is that businesses like to measure impact, but measuring learning impact is far from easy.
Measuring ROI is understandable; of course, everyone wants to see their investment pay off, but the issue is when only Learning and Development are accountable, you leave the outcome to chance. Why? Because the puzzle is more complex.
The problem
When managers and leaders position training as the panacea for organisational challenges yet point fingers at these programs when performance falls short, they overlook a critical piece of the puzzle: their role in the learning transfer process.
This contradiction underscores a broader corporate culture issue, revealing misplaced expectations and a misunderstanding of how learning effectively translates into improved job performance.
Firstly, there’s an overarching tendency to overestimate what training can achieve in isolation. This optimism, while initially seeming beneficial, sets the stage for disappointment.
No matter how comprehensive, training can only singularly address multifaceted organisational issues by reinforcing post-training support. This support includes coaching and mentorship, opportunities for practical application, and a culture that encourages reflection and continuous learning.
The Impact
I have been on many courses in my corporate life, and rarely, if ever, have I been sat down with before or after any intervention to ensure that the thousands invested in me will pay off.
When my manager didn’t take the time or, at its worst, even talk about the intervention, the message I got was that it wasn’t important and any post-learning activity was down to me. The manager effectively says it is unimportant or they don’t care. That is leaving the outcome to chance!
Moreover, the alignment—or lack thereof—between training programs and an organisation’s strategic goals can significantly impact their effectiveness.
Training initiatives not tailored to an organisation’s specific needs and culture are less likely to yield meaningful outcomes. Leaders play a crucial role in ensuring that training is not just a box-ticking exercise but is genuinely relevant and integrated into the organisational strategy.
The environment where employees apply their new skills also plays a crucial role. A supportive work climate and a clear understanding of the training’s relevance to their positions can significantly enhance the transfer of learning. Conversely, an environment that lacks these elements can stifle the application of new skills, no matter how excellent the training intervention.
Accountability and measurement are also often needed in the equation. With clear mechanisms to track the application of learning and its impact on performance, it’s easier to blame the training when expectations are unmet. This approach overlooks the necessity of a supportive infrastructure that facilitates the transfer of learning.
Lastly, the psychological aspect of cognitive dissonance, where leaders believe in the power of training but find it easier to blame it for failures, highlights a disconnect and, for me, deflection away from them. They absolve themselves and their crucial role in the learning transfer. It points to a need for a more nuanced understanding of how training, organisational culture, and leadership practices intersect to impact learning and performance.
The solution lies not in devaluing training but in recognising its place within a broader system of continuous learning and support. Leaders must shift their mindset from viewing training as a standalone solution to seeing it as part of a comprehensive strategy that includes their active involvement.
The Solution
Leaders and learners need a shift in mindset; move away from viewing training as a one-off event, a tickbox. Everyone needs to see it as part of a continuous learning journey.
Learning is not or ever will be a silver bullet; it cannot be effective without alignment with the organisation’s culture, systems, and leadership practices.
Leaders and learners need to establish clear objectives for their training, understand how training aligns with organisational goals, provide ongoing support for learners, and implement mechanisms to measure and reinforce the application of new skills in the workplace.
Before Training
Line managers should spend time with their people ahead of any development intervention to articulate:
Why this training is important for them and the business.
Why now is the right time.
How it aligns with the business goals.
What goals for the training
What they expect of them during and after the intervention.
After Training
Arguably, post-intervention clarity and support are most vital. Line managers should ask their people to reflect with purpose; this means reviewing to identify areas that might still need attention and having a call to action for how they will apply their learning. After all, if my boss is interested, this must be important!
Reflection – ask learners:
What did they learn?
So What does that mean for them?
Now What will they do differently?
Application – create opportunities for people to put learning into practice.
Coaching & feedback – identify opportunities to provide meaningful feedback and coach where required to raise the bar and embed learning.
I can hear managers and leaders raising their eyebrows as they read, shouting, “Does this guy not realise how much we have to do?” They will argue they don’t have the time to spend this time with their people. What they fail to realise is that they are already spending that time addressing the shortcomings and issues that arise from a lack of confidence or competence due to poor follow-through, practice, reflection and application.
Training ROI only comes if the employee, managers and learning teams combine with a unified approach.
This article first appeared on Forbes.com on 25th March 2024
Ricky has been a regular contributor to the Forbes Councils since 2023, where he shares his perspectives on all things leadership, change, culture and productivity, all with Thinking Focus’ unique perspective on metacognition, or as we prefer to say, thinking about thinking.
“It must be borne in mind that the tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goals to reach.”
Benjamin E. Mays
The change over from one calendar year to another is a prime example of when your thoughts turn to ‘what the future might hold’ — and you start to think about the year ahead and make plans: join the gym to meet your health plans; you book holidays to cater for leisure plans and have something to look forward to. You may even want to change your job or career.
What do all these have in common? They are just dreams and wishes unless you convert them into a goal.
Let’s face it: how many gyms are full to bursting in January only to return to normal in February? How often do we say we will change our job only to remain in the same role at Christmas? Where most of us are better is the annual holiday, we get organised for this! Hmm, I wonder why?
New Year’s resolutions are a type of goal — badly flawed in most cases — because we do not clearly define them or attach a plan to them — and in most cases, we make them on a whim.
In this video, Ricky talks about three elements essential to making a New Year’s resolution work.
If you want to accomplish something you care about, it will involve defining goals — you may not realise it or refer to it as a goal. Still, the reality is you accomplish nothing without a goal, however well (or poorly!) defined that goal is.
How do goals work?
“If you set your goals ridiculously high and it’s a failure, you will fail above everyone else’s success.”
James Cameron
Goals work by activating your reticular activating system (RAS). This part of your brain focuses the mind on what’s important. So, when we program it with something as powerful as a goal, we unlock a powerful weapon that is now armed to look for connections to help move us forward to our desired future — your conscious and subconscious working to help you achieve your goal.
A great example of how the RAS works is when you want a new car, not necessarily brand new, but new to you. When you decide on the make, model and colour, your RAS starts looking, and suddenly, you notice many cars that match the one you are looking to buy. Were they there before, or have they just appeared?
What do goals need to make them work?
“All successful people have a goal. No one can get anywhere unless he knows where he wants to go and what he wants to be or do.”
Norman Vincent Peale
For goals to work, they need five ingredients:
Something specific to achieve, have or become.
A measure to determine when you have accomplished it.
A time scale to focus your mind.
A relevance or importance — otherwise, why bother?
A level of confidence that you can achieve your goal.
You probably recognise this is the goal-defining technique — SMART, but you may not notice that we believe the order should be different.
Graham explains why the order of SMART should be different in this video.
A great way to look at goals is to use the goldilocks effect:
Too easy, and you will be uninspired.
Too hard, and you will give up easily.
Aim for just right, stretching enough to make it worthwhile and meaningful but not too easy that it fails to get you up for it.
Why do they say writing your goals down is so important?
“If they are not written down, they’re just dreams. When you write things down, it sets off a chain of events that will change your life.”
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Writing your goals down forms a conscious reinforcement and commitment to your goal. Your memory will never be stronger than the written word, so it removes wriggle room, preventing you from rewriting history later down the line.
Writing goals down has many benefits:
It channels our motivation and forces us to think carefully about what is important to us.
It helps us prioritise, set goals and determine why they’re important to us and activates our conscious mind.
Writing them down allows them to seep into the subconscious, enabling us to make connections and recognise thoughts and actions that contribute towards our goals, even when we are not actively thinking about them.
It is a constant reminder (provided that we revisit it regularly) and helps the RAS look for connections.
You could take it to another level, like one of our valued clients who took their commitment a step further. They externalised their goals, not just with their partner, their boss or other work colleagues (assuming they have); they shared them on LinkedIn! What better way to demonstrate your commitment to your goals?
Externalising your goal with others elevates your commitment and is a valuable driving force when things get tough. It also means that others can support, help and even make connections for you. And let’s face it; there’s nothing quite like the psychology of public commitment to get us to act congruently with our words.
What types of goals are there?
For us, goals fall into one of four types:
Those you can quantify and measure, for example, financial, process or service improvement.
Those that are subjective or qualitative, for example, team morale, relationships and feelings.
Those that are big, complex and made up of many parts like projects and programmes.
Those that are visions or aspirational goals, for example, company visions like Apple, who want to ‘make a ding in the universe’.
But what happens when we’re given a goal we don’t want?
“Imposing a goal on someone is like placing all your chips on black 13 and expecting it to come in — you leave the outcome to fate.”
It happens all the time in the workplace, but if it’s something we don’t want to do or don’t feel is important, it may never happen. For a goal to be achievable, we need to believe in it.
If you, like me, have ever had a goal imposed upon you, it’s not a great feeling and certainly not motivational. Especially when that goal is uninspiring or too demanding, this leaves you with a sense of reluctant acceptance, and I’ll give it a go — hardly a recipe for a successful outcome.
How could you help your people take on new goals?
“A goal set for or imposed on others is not truly owned by them without involvement, a compelling purpose and commitment.”
You can help your people with new goals in several ways, but they may take more time than simply handing goals out at the beginning of the new year or quarter. Goals are more likely to be accepted if you involve your people in defining them and explaining their purpose and what makes them crucial to the organisation.
We recommend investing the time upfront; it will save you loads of time later, build stronger commitment and inspire your people.
Share the big-picture goals with your people and involve them in the goal-defining process; they will surprise you with their ambition!
Set the frame and allow them to define their goal. Your role is to coach them to get clarity, ensure it aligns with the big picture goals, help them find personal meaning and begin building the plan with some creative thinking that explores ideas, resources and potential obstacles.
If the goal has to be imposed, at least spend time with them to understand their mindset — is it helpful, or are they having doubts? Encourage them to surface their unhelpful thoughts and explore them. How many assumptions are they making? How many are founded on incorrect or outdated information? How many are valid concerns? How could you help them? Well, as is #2 above, coach them — your job is to set them up for success!
How do you define your goals?
You may already have some goals, but they may not yet be fully formed; they may be just ideas. What they need — is bringing life and adding a bit of detail — even a bit of colour to provide clarity, purpose and belief.
It doesn’t matter if your goals are personal or work-related; the process is the same:
Get clarity:
What specifically do you want to have, achieve or become?
How will you measure your success? What evidence will you provide to demonstrate that you have accomplished your goal?
By when will you have achieved your goal? The date should be an exact calendar date as you see on the front page of a newspaper.
Have a strong purpose:
Considering everything you have on your plate, what makes this goal so important to you?
Assuming you haven’t got a Time-Turner like Hermione Granger (Harry Potter) and access to time travel, what are you prepared to give up to achieve this goal?
Have belief:
How confident are you that you can achieve this goal with the time and resources at your disposal?
How will you manage dips in confidence as you pursue your goal?
Ultimately, look to get your goal into a single sentence:
‘By [insert exact calendar date], I will [insert specific outcome you intend to accomplish] as measured by [insert how you will prove you have achieved it, what will you show?].
You should then add two benchmark scores:
On a scale of 1–10, where 10 is high, how important is this goal in relation to everything else you have going on? [insert your score/10]
Recognise that a score of 10 means it is the most important thing in your life right now. Also, if your score is four or less, it is unlikely to get prioritised highly enough to focus on it.
On a scale of 1–10, where 10 is high, how confident are you that you can achieve your goal? [insert your score/10]
You are not looking for a 10/10 here, which might suggest your goal is too easy (remember, Goldilocks); you are ideally looking for a six or higher confidence score. However, if you score four or less, you should review the size of the goal or consider extending the timeline.
Here are some resources you may find helpful from our YouTube Channel:
Wishing you a successful year in pursuing and achieving your goals.
