Things you’ll hear me saying when we work together

I ask a lot of questions! Not because I enjoy interrogating people (although my clients may disagree 😂), but because the right question can completely change the way you see a problem.

You need someone who can step into the business with fresh eyes, understand what's really going on, challenge your thinking, help you make the decisions you've been circling around and then make sure the important stuff actually moves forward. Sometimes I'm there to ask the question nobody else has asked. Sometimes I'm there to research the answer, bring some perspective or get everyone moving in the same direction. And sometimes you just need to be able to say, “Can you sort this?” and know that someone will.

So, if we work together, here are a few things you're very likely to hear me saying...

“Leave that with me, I’ll sort it” - Possibly my favourite sentence because you don’t need something else added to your own list. You need someone you trust to take ownership, work out what needs to happen and come back when it's sorted.

“If demand doubled tomorrow, what would break first” - Growth sounds great until the way the business currently operates can't keep up with it. I like looking ahead and spotting the pressure points before they become problems, so we're building for where you're going rather than constantly reacting to where you've been.

“Let’s separate what’s urgent from what actually matters” - Because they're not always the same thing. There will always be something shouting for your attention; I help you work out what genuinely deserves it so the important work doesn't keep getting pushed aside by the loudest thing in the room.

“I’ll make sure everyone know what they’re doing” - A project gets messy very quickly when lots of people are involved but nobody is quite sure who's responsible for what. I'll bring clarity around roles, actions and deadlines, keep communication moving and make sure things don't quietly disappear into everyone's day jobs.

“I’ve done the research and here’s what I’ve found” - I don't want to hand every question straight back to you when you're already carrying enough. If we need information to make a good decision, I'll go and find it, make sense of it and bring you back what you actually need to know.

“What are we actually trying to achieve” - Before we get caught up in how we're going to do something, I want us to be really clear on why we're doing it and what success looks like. Once the outcome is clear, the decisions underneath it tend to become a lot easier.

“What needs to happen to get this over the line” - There comes a point when we've talked and thought about something enough then it just needs to happen. This is where I turn the idea or decision into a clear plan, work out the moving parts and keep things moving until it's actually done.

“I think we’re solving the wrong problem” - I'm not afraid to challenge what we're doing if I think we're treating the symptom rather than the cause. There's no point spending time, money and energy fixing something if the real issue is sitting somewhere else entirely.

“Talk me through what’s going on, what’s taking up the most headspace” - I want to understand what's really going on before we jump into fixing anything. Often the thing taking up the most space in your head isn't the biggest problem, it's just the one you haven't had the time or space to properly untangle yet.

“You’re too close to it. Here’s what I’m seeing” - When you're inside your business every day, it can be hard to see it objectively. Sometimes my role is to step back, join the dots and give you the perspective you can't get when you're right in the middle of it.

“What’s your coffee order” - Because we're probably going to be spending some time together and good work is easier with coffee. Also, I genuinely want to know the person behind the business and what better way that a coffee and a chat!

“I’ve got the snacks” - Strategy, operations and project plans are important but so is remembering that we're humans, and sometimes the difference between a productive afternoon and everyone losing the will to live is a decent supply of snacks 😂