Listen. Explore. Decide what may help.
I start by listening and understanding the situation before assuming what the answer should be. I want to understand not only what has happened, but how the people involved see it and what may be influencing their responses.
The work is conversational and practical, with the approach shaped by the circumstances rather than imposed in advance.
There is no single method that fits every person, team or organisation. The approach depends on what is happening and what the situation calls for.
1. Understand the situation
What is happening? Who is involved? What has already been tried? What would a useful outcome look like?
We establish enough of a shared understanding to begin working on the issue. You do not need to arrive with a complete diagnosis or know exactly what kind of support you need.
2. Look at what may be getting in the way
We explore the issue from relevant perspectives. That might bring to light unclear expectations, different interpretations, a difficult relationship, competing priorities or a conversation that has been avoided.
The aim is not to assume that every perspective is equally accurate, but to understand enough to make a better-informed decision.
3. Choose an approach that fits
With an individual, the work may involve coaching and reflection. With a leader, it may focus on a decision, performance concern or difficult conversation.
With a team, it may involve facilitated discussion about communication, conflict or ways of working. With an organisation, it may involve consulting, leadership development or support for a group dealing with a people-related issue.
4. Decide what is worth doing
The aim is not to impose a solution. It is to help people make a considered choice about what needs to happen next.
Sometimes that leads to a specific action. Sometimes it changes the way the problem is understood. Sometimes it becomes clear that another kind of support is needed.
Tools, when they are useful
I sometimes draw on frameworks such as the Enneagram and Five Lens when they offer a useful way to explore behaviour or relationships.
I see them as tools for asking questions, not definitive descriptions of people. They should not replace judgement or careful attention to the situation.