LEAD
(to your success) About You You want success, of course. You also recognise the role that others play in the success of the business and in your personal success. You want your people motivated and performing to their full potential. Strategic Awareness can help you achieve success quicker and more effectively. As an established performance consultancy we’ve done so and continue to do so with many business leaders across a spectrum of respected organisations. We understand how to motivate people to perform exceptionally and how to create an environment that facilitates exceptional performance. We can help you Make the Possible Probable. Questions Have you the freedom to make the next step? Congratulations – keep doing what you’re doing! Answer the remaining questions to identify how you can convert any "no" to a "yes" and lead successfully...to your success Our Approach ability + motivation + environment = business performance You recognise that to be successful you need your people to be successful. At Strategic Awareness we recognise that before we can help you get the most out of your people we need to understand you and your success. What are your aspirations and motivations? What do you want from your people? What is your leadership style? How do people respond to your style? We then seek to understand your business environment. What are its dynamics? Strengths? Challenges? Next your people. Lots of questions. Lots of getting “beneath the surface”” and understanding motivations. People enjoy the process. They learn a lot about themselves. They become more self-aware. We then translate that understanding into insight and that insight into actionable, commercially grounded strategies. Strategies that deliver results. We see things through. It’s a thorough process but it’s not a long process. First seek to understand…. ….then make a difference. Partnership, integrity and confidentiality form the foundations of our work.
Our Company Strategic Awareness is committed to your success - as an individual, as a business professional and as a leader. Partnership Integrity and confidentiality form the foundations of our work
Our People Simone Emmett. Managing Director “My philosophy is simple: business success is achieved when all the stakeholders succeed. Our people are talented individuals from a variety of backgrounds who possess a drive for success; the success of the client, the business and themselves. Uncompromising integrity and respect for our clients and each other are values inherent in our people. Strategic Awareness has the commitment and proven ability to make the possible probable for our clients. We hold ourselves accountable for working with the client to deliver exceptional results. Our clients recognise that they are the “actors” and “directors” and that only they can make the probable a certainty...and become the stars that they want to be. Our role is that of “stage manager”. Simone has 20 years experience working with clients to enhance the performance of individuals and teams at the highest level. In 2001 she established Strategic Awareness.
Our People Tony Emmett. Director “Our purpose as a business is to maximise our clients’ success. Drawing on our collective expertise and experience we work with business leaders to identify the levers that drive enhanced performance within their unique business environment. We work with the client to utilise those levers to maximum effect and importantly, we hold ourselves accountable for the results. Exceeding our client’s expectations – consistently – drives us to challenge ourselves and be the best at what we do.” With a background in Sales and Marketing Tony has held leadership positions in companies within the FMCG, healthcare and business consultancy sectors. In 2001 he co-founded Strategic Awareness.
Our People Susan Keyes. Director “Strategic Awareness is a business that makes a tangible difference to the success enjoyed by the individuals we work with and the commercial success of the businesses they work within. The focus on tangible results means our clients can see, feel and hear the difference. From succession planning to aligning people to business goals it is our understanding of how to bring out the talent in people, within dynamic and complex environments, that delivers results.” Susan has been with Strategic Awareness since 2003. Prior to that she held senior management positions at Coca-Cola, Interbrew, Revlon and Guinness Plc.
Our Values Our core purpose at Strategic Awareness is to make the possible probable for our clients and ourselves. Uncompromising Integrity: A Drive for Success: Respect: A Spirit of Adventure: All employees of Strategic Awareness embrace the above values and commit to expressing them in all day-to-day activities.
Services Succession Planning Have you the freedom to make the first step? “We can’t promote you – there’s no-one to take your place” You’re ready to move on but you don’t have a successor. You can see but you cannot reach the next step – not a scenario you want to face. Succession planning is vital if you want to avoid becoming stuck. We, at Strategic Awareness, can help you identify who’s got the potential to step into your shoes. We’ll advise you on how to develop them and their profile so that they’re ready to move when you are.
Services Aligning People to Business Goals Are your people as passionate about achieving the business goals as you are? Clear objectives, effectively communicated and bought into by motivated employees, are a necessity for driving business performance. At Strategic Awareness, much of our advice and coaching is about aligning our clients’ people to business objectives. We work with senior management to clarify business goals and achieve the intellectual, and very importantly, emotional buy-in of their people to the achievement of those goals. There’s nothing “soft” about people and communication issues - they go right to the heart of the business.
Services Realising Opportunity From Change Is change creating more headway than headache? Change is constant. Formalised change can be disruptive. Realising the commercial benefits of change (whether through merger, acquisition or restructuring) often throws up a raft of people issues which require sensitive handling. Change can dramatically affect behaviour and performance. We, at Strategic Awareness, will help you to anticipate the impact of change on your people and help them understand the commercial benefits of change. This will ensure effective communication, motivation maintenance and help avoid costly and destructive people problems.
Services Effective Team Dynamics Are your teams geared to win? Creating a winning team requires effective communication and an understanding of each individual’s role within it. Individuals may have different agendas, clashing personalities or lack a common goal. There may be more competition than collaboration, more resistance than team spirit, more dissonance than understanding. They may need to re-focus and re-energise. New leaders, in particular, may need to deal with politics and power struggles for the first time. At Strategic Awareness we work with clients to develop great teams. We help them reach a clear, common vision with robust strategies for achieving it. We help each individual understand how they contribute to the team and influence the dynamics. We help ensure accountability. We show your team how they can communicate and co-operate more effectively to the benefit of all. We’ll work with you to develop your team into one that is cohesive, strong and motivated…a successful team. People are complex. Why should we be surprised that leading a team isn’t always easy?
Services Managing People and Relationships Are you and your people bringing out the brilliance in each other? Success in business almost invariably depends on an ability to manage and develop others. Understanding colleagues’ motivations is often the key to unlocking the full potential of working relationships. We, at Strategic Awareness, can provide you with a better understanding of those people who have a bearing on your success (beyond the obvious behaviours) and advise on how to relate to them more successfully. More effective management can simply be down to greater understanding, clearer communication or simple changes to the working environment. These can impact enormously on performance.
Services Personal Development Are your people taking responsibility for their own success? At any stage in our careers, we need time and space to consider our personal development. At senior level executives often neglect their own career management and this inevitably leads to dissatisfaction. The higher they rise, the greater the isolation and the need for someone to turn to as a sounding board. At Strategic Awareness, we enable clients to recognise the choices available to them and to make the time to take responsibility for their future success. We provide focus, buying time for the individual to work on their own development needs, personal goals and career development. The individual realises his or potential; the business reaps its reward.
Services Selection Have you got the right people in the right roles? At senior level most candidates look good on paper and are polished at interview. Choosing between candidates when recruiting for key positions can be difficult and the risks of getting it wrong are considerable. Drawing on our psychometric assessment process and our commercial experience we will provide you with penetrating insight on the personalities and likely behaviours of the people you are considering for the role. How will they interact with the rest of the team? How will they relate to you, their manager? We will highlight the strengths, development needs and potential problem areas. Once you have chosen the person we will then advise you on how on how best to manage and motivate the selected individual to their and your maximise success. You wouldn’t put a fox in charge of the hen house… …if only it were so obvious with people!
Services Mentoring Are you meant to mentor? Much of the wealth of insight and experience that lies within organisational walls often lies untapped. Mentoring is an invaluable means of capitalising on such riches. By sharing insight and knowledge with the leaders of tomorrow, mentors help accelerate the fulfilment of leadership potential. Through our flexible mentoring programmes we enable a clear understanding of the responsibilities and strategies that allow both mentors and mentees to fulfil their roles powerfully and profitably. The wealth is shared, the dividends are multiplied.
Services Performance Coaching The clients we coach have two things in common – they are successful and they aspire to further success. At Strategic Awareness we coach to… Provide a sounding board for directors. Prepare individuals for, or accelerate adaptation to, a new role. Develop ‘stars’ and eliminate their critical shortcomings. Retain top performers who are at risk of leaving. Drive new ways of working in response to a change in strategy. Encourage individuals to take stock of themselves and their motivations and to accept responsibility for achieving their goals. Build organisational competency and enhance business performance. Develop high performance teams. We coach on the full range of managerial and leadership skills including stakeholder management, communication, people development, conflict management, motivation, project management, performance management and change management. To view the framework we tend to follow click here. Obviously we agree the most appropriate process with the client in advance and in accordance with their needs. Some clients may decide to use the coach as a sounding board to discuss challenges as they arise rather than setting specific goals in advance. 1. Needs Analysis: What does the client want to achieve? 2. Motivational Assessment: Using our P2 Motivations Assessment tool or other relevant psychometric tool, we understand the motivations, strengths and development needs of the client. 3. Measurables: Agree the goals, stakeholder roles, confidentiality, reporting, timeframe and success measures. 4. Action: Embark on the coaching programme with the Coachee using our VISTA framework Vision: What do you want to achieve? Insight: Why? Strategy: How? Tactics: What? Action! The coaching techniques we will use are obviously tailored to the individual. Where appropriate 360° feedback from key colleagues, customers etc. form an element of the programme. Generally, we would recommend a 6 month programme with bi-monthly sessions for the first few months and thereafter once or twice a month. Practical “homework” forms an important part of the programme. 5. Review: Formally review progress with Coachee (and Commissioning Agent where applicable) mid-way through the programme and at the end. This will be supplemented with regular, relevant feedback whilst maintaining confidentiality. Our clients achieve their goals, they learn about themselves and they enjoy the process. If you would like to speak with any of our clients about their experience of coaching we would be happy to provide you with references.
Services Leadership Development Are your leaders of tomorrow ready and waiting? The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not followers. Identifying those who have the genuine potential and motivation to lead to success is not always easy, particularly within large organisations. Even more challenging is ensuring that such potential is nurtured in environments where the requirement is to “get things done – now”. At Strategic Awareness we work with clients to identify tomorrow’s leaders. The talent might be raw but if they have the passion, motivation and inspiration to lead we can help. Leadership is about creating and taking opportunities for success and we have worked with many leaders-in-waiting to enable them to do just that. We develop bespoke leadership programmes tailored to the unique cultures, requirements and aspirations of each of our clients. Our programmes are innovative yet practical - they are always inspirational. “Leadership is getting other people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it”
Services Psychometric Assessment Psychometric Assessment What is it? How we are behaving at any point in time is a function of two factors: our personality (‘ who we are’ ) and our environment ( who we are and ‘where we are’). We would argue that by the age of 10 or 11 years old our personality is formed and, over the course of our life, while our values may change, our personality is less likely to. .
How we are behaving at any point in time is a result of (feed) responding to our Our environment ( is the fluid variable. An example of one of the psychometric assessment tools we use is our P2 Motivations Assessment. An ipsative psychometric tool, it has been applied and validated within organisational contexts over 20 years. It is designed to help answer the questions ‘Who are you?’ and ‘How can you shape your environment to maximise your performance?’. It is our belief that
Behaviour Pattern = ƒ (Personality + Environment) B y understanding the make up of the individual personality, Behaviour Pattern. Bywe can advise the individual and organisation on the required/optimal type of environment that is most likely to c reate the desired behaviour pattern. Equally, by understanding the specific environment, and the personality involved, we can predict the likely behaviour. Addressing the “so what?” and providing practical recommendations is a critical part of the process. What does it assess? While the P2 paints a holistic picture of the personality, for the purposes of people within an organisation organisational behaviour we tend to focus on the following: What motivates? How is Problem Solving and Decision Making approached? How are Relationships initiated and developed? How are Tasks approached? and getting tasks done through others What is it used for? Through understanding what fundamentally drives a person we can provide powerful insight into practical management that is invaluable for Personal Development, Aligning People to Business Goals, Effective Team Dynamics, Succession Planning, Change Management and Selection. The process is direct, honest and always developmental. What is the assessment process? The administration of the papers takes approximately 2 ½ hours (no preparation needs to be done by the individual in advance). One-to-one verbal feedback will be given to the individual immediately afterwards by a senior Strategic Awareness Consultant (approx 1 hour). Verbal feedback will then be provided to the commissioning agent (e.g. the line manager, recruiter, HR Manager etc) as required. Our consultant will then provide a tailored, written report detailing the individual’s: Problem solving and decision making style Approach to relationships Approach to tasks Motivations Key strengths and development needs It will also include Recommended Actions focusing on how to minimise the risks and maximise success. We will then meet with the individual to go through their written report. Once the individual has agreed with the report content the Commissioning Agent also receives a copy. What do clients say about it? "It's much easier to lead people when you understand them and they understand you. The Motivations Assessment process enabled that to happen quickly and helped us to grow and develop as a team. Strategic Awareness does what they say on the tin - they have helped us all to heighten our awareness of ourselves, our impact on others, our goals and our motivations, and importantly helped us understand how we can use that awareness to impact positively on business performance." Paul Vallance, Director of Communications, BNFL “I found the process hugely interesting. I’d always thought my level of self-awareness was high but this assessment has taken it to another level. I now understand a lot better what I need keep me motivated, challenged and fulfilled. I also understand where my real strengths lie and what my Achilles heel is. The insight provided by the assessment has significantly impacted on my personal development planning over the year and lead me to make some very positive changes in my work-life.” Dr. Iseult Twamley – Clinical Psychologist, NHS.
Clients It’s a pleasure doing business with… We work on a global basis with many multinational clients and launches Strategic Awareness Ireland 2006. Strategic Awareness is a performance consultancy. We are united by a passion for realising the latent potential within people, within their workplace. Every person and workplace is unique. With a mix of psychology, sports coaching and business backgrounds we apply our knowledge, skills and experience to helping our clients succeed.
Testimonials Strategic Awareness in Action “Our core values are ‘People, Quality and Profit’. To support this we engaged Strategic Awareness to provide coaching at senior level throughout the business for personal and business growth. As a result of this ongoing process there is greater clarity of purpose and enhanced motivation to develop key competencies.” Brian Stein Group Chief Executive Officer, Samworth Brothers. "I asked Strategic Awareness to assess the capability of my team, to kick-start the process of transforming us into a high performing team and to identify ways to help us grow as individuals. The feedback from all involved has been highly positive and the impact on my team immediate and impressive." Ian Pinnock Chief Information Officer, AXA UK & Ireland. “In a very challenging business environment it’s imperative that my management team performs to its full capacity – consistently. Working in partnership with Strategic Awareness facilitates mutual understanding of the team’s motivators, improves communication and ensures a common purpose. I’d thoroughly recommend Strategic Awareness for their ability to impact in this field.” Philip Dewhurst Corporate Affairs Director, Gazprom. “The people at Strategic Awareness understand what drives performance. Through enabling me to better understand what fundamentally motivates and drives my people, they have helped me to create an environment of openness and constructive challenge. As a result the team is more self-aware, more focused and even more ambitious for success.” Andrew Cooksey Group Managing Director, Dairy Farmers of Britain. “I brought Strategic Awareness on board to support us in the development of improved HR leadership strategies. Their constructive and practical input resulted in workable strategies – ones that they helped see through to successful implementation. I commend them for their work, for their desire to be held accountable and, unlike many consultancies, for their commitment to see things through.” Steve Offord VP, HR EMEA, Honeywell.
News Mary Lester. It is with very great sadness that we announce the death of Mary Lester, a much loved and respected colleague. Mary was known to many people as a colleague, Client Services Manager and a point of contact. She was a great communicator and believed that there was a solution to every problem and challenge. She will be sorely missed and fondly remembered.
Contact us David Coulling – Business Development Manager Marc Jerrard – Performance Consultant Jan Plant - Client Services Manager Mary Lester - Client Services Manager Beverley Wright – Office Administrator t: +44 (0)20 3178 3429 Strategic Awareness Hudson House, Company Registration no: 4154720. Registered in England at 337 Bath Road, Slough, Berkshire. SL1 5PR
Contact Us David Coulling Business Development Manager David’s background is predominantly in sales and marketing. Having worked for many years at Oki Electric UK as UK Sales and Marketing Director, he subsequently moved to IT Southern as General Manager of the software division. More recently he has been involved in developing on line internet businesses in a variety of markets. David joined Strategic Awareness in 2006 to help us Make the Possible Probable for more individuals, teams and organisations!
Contact us Marc Jerrard. Performance Consultant “Strategic Awareness offers its clients a unique mix of expertise and experience in performance enhancement. It is a mix that has delivered exceptional results for our clients – from CEOs to Directors to Senior Managers. The strength of the relationships we have developed with our clients is testimony to their experience of our ability to deliver.” Marc joined Strategic Awareness in 2004. He has worked as a trader and manager on two of London’s premier trading exchanges – IPE and LIFFE and has been Practice Manager of Bernard Pearl Barrister’s Chambers.
Contact Us Jan Plant Client Services Manager Jan has worked at Strategic Awareness since 2001 and has built up strong relationships with clients who appreciate her “no problem is unsolvable” approach. She also organises the logistics for off-site programmes.
Contact Us Mary Lester. Mary is a founder member of Strategic Awareness. She works with our clients building strong relationships with the support staff at the sharp end and ensuring openness of communication and involvement by all.
Beverley Wright – Office Administrator Beverley builds and maintains strong relationships with our clients and helps ensure our operations run smoothly thereby allowing the rest of us to maximise the time spent with our clients.
Career Opportunities Make the Possible Probable Strategic Awareness is a growing business driven by talented, committed people with a hunger for the success of their clients, the business, and of course, themselves. As you would expect, we take the development of our people very seriously and while those we employ must have experience of working in the business environment, we actively seek to employ people from varying backgrounds. We are always pleased to hear from those individuals who believe they can contribute to our success.
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