From January to June this year, I took a six-month sabbatical. During that time, I didn’t do any delivery work for my clients. It was a giant experiment. I wanted to find out what would happen by taking a large chunk of time out to rest, reflect and refresh.

What did it do for me? This:

• I reconnected with a vision for the work that I really want to be doing, and who I want to be doing it for
• I decided who I need in my sphere to help me be at my best 
• I redesigned how to structure my life to be at my best

No small things hey?

Since returning from my sabbatical, I’ve used the past six months to experiment with the ideas that bubbled up during my time out. I’ve offered new value-add services (e.g. Mastering Facilitative Leadership, Life By Design), strengthened existing ones (e.g. Change Makers) and mothballed ones that don’t fit anymore. I feel like I’m super-ready to go for it in 2024.

I thought I’d share with you a little about what I’m focusing on, and, if that speaks to you, how I can help you.

My focus is on developing deliberate leadership. Specifically, deliberate leadership that embodies the best of humanity and meets the challenges of our messy, challenging world. 

I am so over the situations in organisations where leaders in senior positions desperately try to hold onto control, play the hero, rush to simplistic answers to complex problems, and dive down into the weeds when they should be reaching for the stars. We have too much leadership that plays it safe, and plays it small. It’s holding us and our organisations back.

The organisations that get the most from my services are the ones where the senior leadership team is committed to shaping a thriving leadership culture, and developing leaders who:

• Are eco-centric, not ego-centric: their focus is on serving the system over the self
• Have a host mindset, not a hero mindset: their intent is to create the conditions for the work to be done by others, not doing it themselves
• Are connected, not closed: their attention is on developing networks of relationships to lead together, not on siloes and patches
• Blend delivery and discovery, not prioritise delivery over discovery: what’s valued is creating environments of continuous learning and high-performance.

Here’s what I’ve (re)learned about how I help to make that happen:

• My clients say my superpower is in bringing people together to create high-trust, deep-learning environments
• I geek out on making the complex simple (but not simplistic). I want to make it easy for people to apply what I teach so they can make their own worlds better
• I’m not a status quo guy. Don’t ask me to make it OK to stay the same. Ask me to help you courageously grow in the direction you want to go
• I’m more inspired by vulnerability and authenticity than I am by credentials and achievements. When you work with me, we get real
• I’m about the relationship, not the transaction. Evolution is not a one-off event. I’d prefer to walk alongside you over time to help you embed what you want to see
• I’m a unique mix of gravity and levity. I’ll bring wisdom, challenging questions and insights, along with a positive, infectious energy! Those combined create a pretty cool experience

If that sounds like the sort of thing you’re into, here’s what I’m offering in 2024:

• Two development programmes. I’m offering two level-up leadership programmes in 2024: Change Makers and Accelerate: Strategic. Change Makers levels up your ‘restless go-getters’ to be more deliberate, strategic and influential. Accelerate: Strategic levels up senior NZ public sector leaders who want to invest in themselves to build a more dynamic, connected way of leading in the public sector.

• A high-support, high-accountability coaching community for grounded, deeply curious leaders who want to invest in their ongoing development.

• A suite of workshops and masterclasses on contemporary leadership, including Mastering Facilitative Leadership, Changing the Game, and Building Credibility and Influenc

• A unique retreat for invited leaders who want to create the space to connect, reflect and renew

• Keynotes designed to inspire your leaders to take a fresh look at how they lead. Perfect for your upcoming conferences and retreats.

If this is getting you fired up, I’d love a chat with you when I’m back from the summer break. Drop Tereska a line or book a call here.