How I work

Sharp questions first. Then something to react to.

No fixed framework. The same pattern, whether it starts as a keynote or as a strategy the team has to carry.

The pattern, in five steps

What it looked like

at a national football federation

with what it looked like at a national football federation

1
Get the question right.

Is this a company problem or a project problem? Most briefs mix the two. I play the question back in my own words until you nod, or correct me. Cheap now, expensive later.

At the federationIt started as a request for a PowerPoint deck. It turned out to be about buy-in: from the management team and from every department, owning the direction together instead of just signing it off.
2
Something to react to, within days.

A first storyline or a rough page, fast. Speed beats polish in round one, because people only know what they think once they see something.

At the federationA rough first version of the direction on the table early, on purpose. First for the management team, then for the departments, so everyone had something to push against instead of a blank page.
3
The real choices on one page.

Where you are, where you could go, and the options with the arguments for and against. One page your team can point at. The call stays yours.

At the federationThe few choices that mattered, on one page. Made by the management team, then tested with every department. Not a longer plan, a clearer one.
4
Rounds until it is clear.

Several rounds, each shorter and clearer than the last, until the leadership team can explain the choices without me in the room.

At the federationRound after round, each one shorter and sharper. First with the management team, then with every department, until each could explain the direction and its own part in it.
5
Make it land.

Choices become roles, rhythms and first moves: who does what differently on Monday, and a fixed moment to check if it holds. I stay close in the first months, then step back so your team runs it.

At the federationA new structure and one way of working, with every department setting its own goals within a fixed rhythm. It helped get the federation healthy again: from a substantial deficit to a profit.

Flip chart with Say, Think and Feel drawn in blue marker, sticky notes on it — step 1: what they say, think and feel

Two people reading a storyline taped to a window, seen from behind — step 2: the storyline on the wall

A man studying a row of printed pages on a wall, hands behind his back — step 3: one page to point at

What working together looks like

Three shapes, depending on the moment.

A story that has to move a room.

How long: 2 to 4 weeks.
Who: You, and whoever has to tell it.
Rhythm: A working session a week, and a dry run before the day.
You get: The storyline, the deck and the words to say it.

A strategy that has to leave the document.

How long: 3 to 6 months.
Who: The leadership team, with one owner on your side.
Rhythm: Working sessions every two to three weeks, short check-ins in between.
You get: The real choices on one page, and follow-up until it holds.

A team that has to start working differently.

How long: 1 to 3 days, or a series over several weeks. Plus preparation.
Who: The team itself, from 8 to 50 people.
Rhythm: An intake, the day or days, and a check-back after a month.
You get: A session built around one question, and a habit that stays.

What I ask from you: one owner on your side, and the people who decide in the room.

In the room

yes, toys. it works.

A team member reading a storyline printed and taped to the window, seen from behind

Workshop table seen from above, figurines and a workbook between the water bottles

The team builds it.
I keep it sharp.

Most of the work happens around a table. A few figurines, paper, and questions that are hard to dodge. People say out loud what they already knew, and the story that comes out is theirs. That is why it still stands when I am gone.

Toy figurines lined up on a wooden workshop table

What your team keeps

this is the point

Workshop participants standing with their hands raised

The story.

A narrative your people can retell without the deck.

The plan on one page.

A reference that outlives the project.

The habit.

Sharper questions, faster straw men, cleaner choices. That stays when I leave.

Tools, when they fit

Design thinking, service design, facilitation, Liberating Structures, LEGO Serious Play, and AI where it makes the work faster or sharper. The tool follows the question, never the other way round.

Outside in

what I bring to the table

Every quarter I track how customers and colleagues are shifting, backed by evidence, not opinion. Many of my sharp questions start there, and it feeds step 4: where you could go.

I share that research as Movements, a quarterly brief. Free, by request. Request access →

Start with a conversation

Got a question that needs sharpening?

Tell me what is on the table. Half an hour, no deck needed. We play it back together and see what the real question is.

Let's talk →

Not ready for a conversation yet? Movements is a quarterly brief on the shifts that change what people expect. Request access →

Not ready for a conversation yet? Movements is a quarterly brief on the shifts that change what people expect. Request access →

Sharp questions first. Then something to react to.

The pattern, in five steps

Get the question right.

Something to react to, within days.

The real choices on one page.

Rounds until it is clear.

Make it land.