Leading Beyond Strategy and Tactics

The language of business often feels second-hand. We talk about tactics and strategy from the military. We talk about wins and losses from sport. We talk about EBITDA and margins from finance.

These words can be useful, but they are also lifeless. They reduce people and teams to numbers or targets. They make living systems sound like machines.

At to focus we use a different language. One that comes from nature. We speak about soil, the tree, and the forest.

Soil is the energy and nutrients that leaders and teams need to stay alive and strong.

The tree is growth with purpose, roots deep, branches reaching, fruit to share.

The forest is the wider culture, where resilience and diversity matter more than endless growth.

This language makes us face reality.

Trees do not grow to ten thousand feet. Forests cannot thrive if we keep planting into the same small patch. Growth without limit is not health, it is disease.

Limits are not failure. They are where we can add richness. They force us to use our time and energy well. They remind us to do not just less harm but active good.

Developing your team is part of this. It is not a soft extra. It is a core part of ESG. If teams are not well, if they are not connected, then sustainability will fail.

If you want a fresher, more real approach to developing your team, we run team away days in the Cotswolds. They are not about slides or charts. They are about stepping back, building trust, and finding new energy. Work that is memorable. Work that lasts.

Contact us here if you’d like to know more.

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Warm regards,

Mark