Your leadership is capable.
And yet, the business isn’t performing as it should.
It might be performance that isn't where it should be. Sales below target. People who are capable but not quite delivering. A change programme that's moving on paper but not in practice. Sometimes it's the same persistent problem that nobody has quite managed to fix. Sometimes it's harder to diagnose because it keeps showing up differently.
Most of the leaders I work with aren't failing. They're experienced, paying close attention, and have usually tried the obvious things. What they share is a gap between the direction they've set and what's actually happening day to day - and a growing sense that the next structural solution probably isn't going to close it.
I work with that gap. Finding where it actually is, what's driving it, and what needs to shift - in the organisation, in the team, or in the leader.
It usually starts with a single conversation.
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The situations that tend to bring people here.
The work takes different forms. What it has in common is working at the point where human behaviour meets organisational reality — where the gap between strategic intent and day-to-day practice is creating friction that structural solutions alone won’t fix. Most engagements start from one of six places:
The middle manager squeeze — managers caught between strategic pressure and the reality of their teams.
The senior leader transition — preparing for, or settling into, a step up that’s harder than expected.
The pattern that won’t shift — a capable leader whose 360s keep flagging the same gap, and standard development hasn’t moved it.
Disengaged leaders — performance is starting to slip, feedback is reflecting it, and you’re having conversations you weren’t having a year ago.
Senior leaders who have become unhappy — still delivering, but no longer where they were, and you’re at risk of losing experience the business has invested in.
Strategic learning and development — organisations where critical knowledge sits with too few people, or learning has drifted from what the business needs.
The work usually begins with a diagnostic to understand what’s actually happening before designing anything, and is followed by coaching, organisational development consulting, or nature-based leadership experiences in the French Alps — depending on what the diagnostic surfaces.
What these situations have in common is that the problem isn’t usually what it first appears to be, and the solution is rarely structural. I spent fifteen years in technology and telecoms - across startups, acquisitions, and medium to large global companies, in roles spanning engineering, sales, and eventually five years in leadership - before spending the past decade training in coaching and psychology and working with the human side of how organisations actually perform. That combination shapes how I approach all of it.
What people say about the work.
"Tom has a remarkable ability to get to the root of challenges through thoughtful inquiry and conversation. His questions bring clarity to complex situations and often unlock new perspectives and potential. His coaching improved my decision-making, strengthened my confidence, and helped me grow as a leader during a period of significant responsibility and organisational complexity. Tom brings a calm, thoughtful presence and a genuinely positive energy to every conversation. That made it easy to talk openly about difficult topics, leadership challenges, career decisions, and personal well-being."Tech Lead of Leads & Account Manager — global web technology company
"Tom came to our company offsite and ran a communication skills workshop with the whole team. He quickly built trust and connection with everyone, and presented the topic in an easy to understand way. He got us actively involved in self-reflection and team discussions. I am really grateful for the experience, learning and the tools that we all took away from the day."Max Laemmle — team offsite participant
Where this work comes from.
I spent fifteen years in technology and telecoms - across startups, acquisitions, and medium to large global companies, in engineering, technical sales, and eventually five years in leadership. I was promoted into senior leadership and found, like most people do, that the skills that got me there weren't entirely the ones the new role needed. That experience - and what I learned from it, not always quickly - is part of what informs how I work now.
I stepped away from that career in 2015. What followed was a long period of retraining - in coaching, psychology, and behaviour change - and the gradual development of a different kind of practice. I'm based in Chamonix, in the French Alps. The mountains are part of the work, not a backdrop to it.
Writing
I write about leadership, organisations, and the human side of performance - including a recent piece on what the fear of failure actually costs, and another on what the step up into senior leadership feels like from the inside.
Recent: When the Step Up in Leadership Isn’t Smooth · On the Fear of Failure · When Learning Isn’t Strategic
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If something here feels relevant - even partially - I’d welcome a focused 30-minute conversation. No pitch, no agenda. Just a useful outside perspective on something you’re currently navigating. No obligation.
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