Introduction: Until recently the chief of staff was only seen on American TV shows such as The West Wing. Little heard of in the UK the role is gaining prominence as business leaders look to drive innovation, collaboration, and growth. Sounding like a senior HR role and shrouded in mystery, the Chief of Staff plays a pivotal role in supporting executive teams navigate complex challenges to ensure organisational effectiveness. This article demystifies the Chief of Staff role for the UK audience; shedding light on the responsibilities, value, and impact of the position. The Chief of Staff Defin ..read more

Leaders Council Podcast Andy Wheeler from Catandra appears in Leaders Council podcast. The Leaders Council of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is currently in the process of talking to leadership figures from across the nation in an attempt to understand this universal trait and what it means in Britain and Northern Ireland today. Andy Wheeler a business coach from Catandra was invited onto an episode of the podcast. Host Scott Challinor asked a series of questions about leadership and the role it has played in Andy’s career to date. Scott Challinor commented, ‘Hosting a show like this, whe ..read more

Case Study Introduction When Chris and I started working together he was working 50+ hours a week; 90% of his time was spent delivering client work. The rest of his time was spent on admin, billing and other tasks. No time was being spent on growing the business. Time spent on strategy is critical to generate future revenue streams. A common trap business owners fall into is getting bogged down in the day-to-day activity and don’t have time to think about where they are leading the company. The purpose of our work together was to free up Chris’ time so that he could take his business in a new ..read more

What is Catalytic Questioning Catalytic questioning is a problem-solving approach developed by Hal Gregson, a Director at MIT. This underused system is an innovative development on the traditional brainstorming session, rather than focussing quick solutions we ask questions. His original article is here, I have developed the process to provide a working implementation. Within business, catalytic questioning creates a new way of thinking. It develops new ideas that we would not normally dream of. What is Catalytic Questioning? Working in a group we pick a problem that we have been unable ..read more

I’ve developed the best business growth model and it is not what you think Prior to launching a new coaching system for business owners, I have been reviewing the different business growth models that exist. The desired outcome I am looking for is a model that is clear and easy to relate to; I want something that business owners look at and say: “I am here, but, I want to be here!” Before I explore them, lets establish their purpose. What is the purpose of a business growth/journey model? In my mind there are any number of reasons why we use these models depending on the context ..read more

Interview with Connectionsb2b Connectionsb2b supports business across Sussex with networking monthly networking events, alongside this they run a dedicated business radio station (listen here). I was recently interviewed by Glen at Connectionsb2b, we explored business coaching and why I set up Catandra 5 years ago. You can here the full interview here. Have a listen and you may find some synergies with why you started your business.   Set Up a Discovery Call ..read more

The Progress Cycle This model attracted a fair amount of comments and direct messages when I put something out on Linekdin. I thought I should elaborate on it slightly. In my opinion these models, tools etc are a waste of space if they are not coached and applied in context, as such I am happy to elaborate on this model I developed because without correct application it has no value. The purpose of the Progress Cycle is to unlock business owners; those of us who can’t sleep at night and lie awake worrying about a seemingly impossible challenge we can’t solve. “there is no such thing as a pro ..read more

You can create an attractive garden by getting your hands dirty, doing the occasional spot of weeding and throwing in the odd shrub. This won’t get you to Chelsea. Many people build half decent businesses by taking a product or service, reacting to what is going on around them, doing the odd bit of marketing and targeting some ad hoc prospects. This might make you a few quid but won’t create the business that will see you sailing away into the sunset after selling up. Talk to anyone who has won a gold medal at Chelsea and they will tell you that to even get there requires vast amounts of exp ..read more

“Get to the source of the issue” “What is the root problem?” “What is causing all this?” We’ve all heard these phrases and others like them a thousand times, if you’re like me you probably don’t pay too much attention and instead provided some fluff to whoever threw them in your direction to appease them and leave you alone. “Yeah yeah, enough already, I know what’s going on” Well it transpires I didn’t, and by assuming I did, I missed all manner of interesting conversations, financial opportunities and time-saving solutions. I learnt the hard way that only when we get to the source can we be ..read more

Could visualising your team help you transform your business in 2022? Every business I have worked with has the desire to do something great; having the right people within the right structure is often holding them back. Most businesses start small, recruitment is done on an ad-hoc basis when new skills or capacity are required. This is perfectly normal and enables the business to grow, remain flexible and be responsive. As the business grows the loose structure creates challenges because the reporting lines and responsibilities are not clear. For example, John who was recruited initially to b ..read more