How I work?
No magic wand. Just understanding and practical action.
Diagnostic
My first mission will be to get a clear picture from you and your leadership team of where your business is now and your vision for the future. That might mean working with the senior team to clarify the ambition, agree priorities, expose trade-offs, and make sure the people leading the business are genuinely pointing in the same direction. This can include leadership sessions, strategy offsites, decision workshops and one-to-one advisory support.
Concurrently I will be getting inside your business, speaking with key stakeholders, informal influencers and the people who know where the bodies are buried. I will map processes and ownership to develop a clear picture of what is going on and how we can approach delivering the required change
This diagnostic takes anywhere from 1 to 4 weeks depending on the complexity of the project. Once complete I produce a report and a presentation with a frank assessment of the situation, and a practical action plan.
Delivery
Every business has its own reality, so there is no fixed formula for the the action plan, but here is a flavour of what you might expect to see:
With the key stake holders I'll create a set of project plans to ensure work stay on target and on budget. Along side this I may create process maps, simple roadmaps, working principles or visual tools that help people see what is changing, why it matters and how the pieces connect.
I build the support system around the work. This could include forums, websites, knowledge hubs, training environments, playbooks, guides, launch materials, campaign assets, all of which help people understand, engage and act.Together the teams will build honest shared narrative by articulating their key business challenges and decision making gaps. That might involve running practical workshops, simulations and value prioritisation sessions, all of which establish ownership, follow-through, business-wide accountability and rapid visible progress for leadership that builds confidence in the new business approach.What people say about working with me
“12 years ago we worked with Sam during a period of restructuring our business and management team, she transformed the way we thought about our business and clients putting CX at the heart of the business, turning MHI from "just post" to a "clients choice" business.
She provided an objective approach to delivering a programme of operational changes that are still benefiting the business today....”
CEO - Mail Handling International (MHI) and Bascom.
“Sams approach to transformation reflects her wealth of experience and passion for driving successful change. Hers is not an ‘out of the box’ approach, but a wide range of tools and techniques to help you guide people through the process, concentrating on what's important to get the best out of your people.
Sam is tremendously supportive yet will also challenge your thinking and push you beyond your comfort zone. In those instances, it’s easy to want to choose the easy out, or even avoid altogether, but with Sams dedicated support we faced those challenges together and came out stronger.”
Head of Transformation - Watson Marlow Manufacturing Part of Spirax Sarco Group
A selection of the businesses in which I’ve both learned and applied my skills over the past 30 years.
“Sam's role in managing and co-ordinating a group of dispersed subject-experts required her to continually focus the team mindset on the delivery of complex outcomes in a changing environment, and her mastery of the different facets of these roles was impressive.
This was enhanced further by her empathetic and enthusiastic personality, which enabled her to quickly and smoothly assimilate a diverse set of personalities, including senior academics and executives, into a congruent team”
Senior Academic (lawyer and magistrate) - Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA).
