I believe that exceptional outcomes come from many acts of ordinary leadership, not from an act of visionary leadership.
Start from a place of curiosity
A thinking partnership is not any old consulting job. It is a mix of consulting and coaching interactions based on the challenges you or your organization is facing.
People hire me because of my practical advice, strategic perspective, and humanity in the face of complexity.
To be effective, I concentrate on projects where we can form a solid partnership to co-create a practical solution to your problem.
I am solution-focused, emphasising the behavioural changes required to enable leadership and achieve effective organisational change.
What can a thinking partnership look like?
Scoping
One to three days of up-front practical consulting work to understand the challenge, ensure we’re asking the right questions, and co-create the partnership.
1-1 Conversations
Regular individual coaching conversations for one or more key people focused on working through changes required to address barriers to forward progress.
Team facilitation
Coaching focused on the leadership group's challenges and how to solve them, six sessions with support to follow-up commitments and next steps.
Hands on support
Practical consulting advice and inputs focused on addressing the challenge, based on our on-going conversations (e.g. helping review / draft key strategy documents).
Ben has supported us to develop practical approaches to deliver our strategic intent. A great listener who has brought clarity and insights to my thinking, Ben has admirably tried to balance the pragmatic nuts and bolts of running a small but influential NGO while also keeping an eye on purpose... he’s absolutely a partner in making progress happen. He hasn’t just stopped at setting out options but has always been ready to roll up his sleeves to help translate intent into action.
- Pia MacRae, CEO of Consortium for Street Children
About me
I have spent the last 15 years working with businesses, non-profits, and individuals to create organisations that allow people to solve difficult problems together.
Throughout my career, I’ve met and worked with many inspirational leaders working to unlock organisational potential and enabling individuals to thrive. This diverse, eclectic perspective on organisational transformation, team design, and leadership informs my thinking and how I work.
While I rarely use a single concept of leadership or transformation, I am always seeking out the most current thinking to bring a practical, up-to-date perspective to the table.
What you won't get with me is a rigid framework or way of viewing a problem, and I look for practical frameworks and approaches most relevant to the challenge we're working on.
The thinking that has and continues to influence my approach the most is:
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The work of Heifetz and Linsky on Adaptive Leadership.
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The Kanas Leadership Centre work on leadership as an action, not a position.
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Richard Hackman's thinking on Leading Teams and team formation.
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Herminia Ibarra's work on leadership transitions and working identity.
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John Kotter's eight steps for managing change and the Prosic ADKAR framework.
I am an accredited International Coaching Federation, ACC Coach, and will sometimes use the Mirror Mirror Alignment tool.
Where I help the most
Leaders in small and medium-sized organizations looking for a thinking partner to work through difficult changes.
Emerging leaders looking for tools and support as they grow into their new roles.
Teams and organizations looking for support to develop practical new ways of working and build a culture of responsibility within an organisation.
©2022 by Ben French Consulting | Ben French Consulting is a trading name of Froppe Ltd
Company Number 10381347 | 99 Canterbury Road, Whitstable, Kent, UK CT5 4HG