Our approach

The Cognitas Group builds leadership from multiple angles

All our work addresses both current business issues and leadership development. This means we need to approach our work from multiple angles. We bring tools from both the consulting and the development fields. We aren’t picky: we use what works. In some situations we give a strong point of view and in others we help clients draw their own conclusions.

We usually find we are mixing our own tools and techniques (such as our team effectiveness survey), standard tools (such as Myers-Briggs or MBTI), the client's own tools (such as their staff evaluation forms) and new ideas we design to meet the client's specific needs.

Leadership consulting is a complex and challenging area. We gather feedback from all our clients through surveys and/or debrief interviews and use this to keep improving. We are also launching an academic collaboration to track the impact of our innovations on client performance.

Some of the most important ways we approach our work include:

• Balance aspiration and practicality. We aim to help our clients pick the highest reachable mountain top and then walk towards it. Highest reachable is really key here – it needs to be a step up, but it needs to be feasible.

• Tackle all levels of the iceberg. Making sense of a situation requires us and our clients to be able to see all aspects of it – the hidden and visible. Like an iceberg, what you can’t see will catch you out. We help clients look under the surface during diagnosis and in planning change.

• Shift mindsets. Mindsets are the attitudes we have that affect how we act and react. Organisations usually have collective mindsets which are deeply entwined into their culture. Becoming aware of these and learning how to shift them is central to changing behaviour. We work with leaders to help them recognise and shift mindsets. For example, we might help an organisation shift away from a culture of blame to a culture of responsibility.

• Learn through real-life practice and bite-sized concepts. Clients learn best from real-life experiences. We are there as a guide – to help them access the right experiences and learn from them. All our offsites are heavy on the practical side and light on the lecturing side. There is plenty of theory and experience behind what we do, but we share it concisely.

Find out more about our team.