Clear Thinking

"I have worked with Nick for more than 12 months, across two different organisations, as both a CEO and non-executive chair. Nick’s work is first class. He is intuitive and gifted in grasping complex and subtle problems and synthesising solutions that genuinely engage all participants. He has an excellent ‘toolbox’ of approaches and is not afraid to use it. One of the great things about Nick’s work is his adaptability. When a conversation needs to run, he lets it run. When it needs to change direction, even when the problem at hand demands a different approach, he adapts quickly. Nick helped us identify, then articulate, a complex multi-layered strategy in a simple and accessible way. What could be better than that?"

Nick's first big strength is that he can take a group of individuals that don't necessarily see the same picture, and help them to land on a shared view: to land in a united space. At times this means that the group will collectively "fight" with Nick or with each other! But Nick can find a way through the different views, helping the group create a "synthesis" of their differences: something new and all-encompassing that everyone can get behind. Another of Nick's strengths is that he can take in a lot of complex information and "fine tune" it, making sense of it. He can blend disparate pieces of information and create a "whole" that coheres the key ideas of the group. Thirdly, Nick is a very nice guy. But this won't stop him from "pushing back" on you when it's necessary. In fact it's his likeable personality that allows him to push back. People will take a lot from someone they like!"

"I have collaborated with Nick in planning a number of workshops for two different organisations; one a not-for-profit organisation focussed on making better learning spaces, and the other a private girls school. Nick has the ability to quickly interpret issues, understand the nature of organisations, and shape programs to suit the participant group: whether it’s a high level focus group; an all-staff workshop; or a group of students. Although Nick has an effective range of methodologies to work with, he is always open to ideas, techniques and possibilities enabling a dynamic planning process and resulting workshops. Nick’s excellent rapport with all workshop participants, whatever their background or age, makes for great energy and engagement, enabling excellent outcomes. Even those attending workshops with some scepticism have left agreeing that the journey Nick has led them through has been a valuable process for the organisation."