Calm mind. Clear decisions.
The Thinking Ground | Sally Shuttleworth
+44 07943 725508
© 2025 The Thinking Ground. All rights reserved
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The Real Problem
Why Executive Teams Underperform
Executive teams usually don't flounder because of personality conflicts. They underperform because the team system starts producing unhealthy patterns: what gets said, what stays unsaid, how tension is handled, how decisions are made, and what happens after the meeting.
When the system is working well, the business moves with confidence and purpose.
When the system is poor, everything downstream slows down. Priorities blur, conversations repeat, accountability becomes unclear, and execution drifts.
This is why executive team underperformance is so expensive. It's not the just time lost in meetings, it's also the organisational disruption that follows.
The Real Problem
Why Executive Teams Underperform
Executive teams usually don't flounder because of personality conflicts. They underperform because the team system starts producing unhealthy patterns that no longer serve the organisation and its stake holders.
When the system is working well, the business moves with confidence and purpose.
When the system is poor, everything downstream slows down. Priorities blur, conversations repeat, accountability becomes unclear, and execution drifts.
This is why executive team underperformance is so expensive. It's not the just time lost in meetings, it's also the organisational disruption that follows.
The Approach
What changes with Systemic Team Coaching?
Systemic team coaching focuses on how the team thinks and works together as a unit, under real commercial pressure.
We work with the repeating patterns in the room, including:
The Approach
What changes with Systemic Team Coaching?
Systemic team coaching focuses on how the team thinks and works together as a unit, under real commercial pressure, keeping stakedholder objectives and the business front of mind.
We work with the repeating patterns in the room, including:
How decisions get made or avoided.
How disagreement is handled.
Who carries the load, who holds back, and who disengages.
How accountability is shared, enforced, or ignored.
The operating rhythm that either supports execution or damages it.
How decisions get made or avoided.
How disagreement is handled.
Who carries the load, who holds back, and who disengages.
How accountability is shared, enforced, or ignored.
The operating rhythm that either supports execution or damages it.
The goal is not a better atmosphere, although that's definitely a benefit! The goal is to develop a cohesive team which functions as a reliable engine for the business.
In teams that are not working well, people typically end up:
The Hidden Cost
These patterns create stress, frustration, and fatigue, and they do not remain hidden.
This influences how team leaders show up in their own teams, how they collaborate with other parts of the business, and how much capacity they have when pressure increases.
Holding Back
Because it does not feel safe to be direct or honest.
Over Functioning
To compensate for gaps and to avoid failure.
Disengaging
Because they have stopped believing the team can change.
Disengaging
Because they have stopped believing the team can change.
Over Functioning
To compensate for gaps and to avoid failure.
Holding Back
Because it does not feel safe to be direct or honest.
In teams that are not working well, people typically end up:
Systemic coaching makes these patterns visible, then helps the team replace them with clear agreements, better decision habits, and an operating rhythm that works.
The Aim
A more honest and productive way of working together
A more honest and productive way of working together, plus a practical operating pace that holds under pressure.
That means the team can:
Handle disagreement without politics or shutdown.
Make decisions with clear ownership and decision rights.
Follow through consistently, even when conditions change.
Say what is true without damaging relationships.
The Aim
A more honest and productive way of working together
A more honest and productive way of working together, plus a practical operating pace that holds under pressure.
That means the team can:
Handle disagreement without politics or shutdown.
Say what is true without damaging relationships.
Make decisions with clear ownership and decision rights.
Follow through consistently, even when conditions change.
The Aim
A more honest and productive way of working together
A more honest and productive way of working together, plus a practical operating pace that holds under pressure.
That means the team can:
Handle disagreement without politics or shutdown.
Make decisions with clear ownership and decision rights.
Follow through consistently, even when conditions change.
Say what is true without damaging relationships.
The Aim
A more honest and productive way of working together
That means the team can:
Handle disagreement without politics or shutdown.
Make decisions with clear ownership and decision rights.
Follow through consistently, even when conditions change.
Say what is true without damaging relationships.
Signals this is for your team
This is likely the right intervention if:
The team is busy, but meetings do not produce clear decisions.
Alignment feels fragile, and people leave with different interpretations.
Trust is present socially, but not operationally in the moments that matter.
The same issues keep returning, with no real shift in behaviour.
Accountability is unclear, or ownership is avoided or over controlled.
Tension is either avoided or escalates quickly.
Follow through is inconsistent, and priorities keep slipping
The business is moving fast, and the team operating pace cannot keep up.
This is not about fixing individuals.
It is about shifting the team system so it becomes a reliable engine for the business.
Signals this is for your team
This is likely the right intervention if:
The team is busy, but meetings do not produce clear decisions.
Alignment feels fragile, and people leave with different interpretations.
Trust is present socially, but not operationally in the moments that matter.
The same issues keep returning, with no real shift in behaviour.
Accountability is unclear, or ownership is avoided or over controlled.
Tension is either avoided or escalates quickly.
Follow through is inconsistent, and priorities keep slipping
The business is moving fast, and the team operating pace cannot keep up.
This is not about fixing individuals.
It is about shifting the team system so it becomes a reliable engine for the business.
Signals this is for your team
-
The team is busy, but meetings do not produce clear decisions.
-
Alignment feels fragile, and people leave with different interpretations.
-
Trust is present socially, but not operationally in the moments that matter.
-
The same issues keep returning, with no real shift in behaviour.
-
Accountability is unclear, or ownership is avoided or over controlled.
-
Tension is either avoided or escalates quickly.
-
Follow through is inconsistent, and priorities keep slipping
-
The business is moving fast, and the team operating pace cannot keep up.
This is not about fixing individuals.
It is about shifting the team system so it becomes a reliable engine for the business.
The Process
What it looks like to work with me
STEP 1
Scoping and Sponsorship
We begin by getting clear on context, business pressure, and what the organisation needs from the team. This matters because systemic coaching must be closely linked to commercial reality, not generic team development.
Where there is a sponsor (CEO, Chair, HRD), we agree what good looks like, what will be observable, and how accountability will be maintained without compromising trust.
STEP 2
One to One Interviews
I meet each team member one to one, virtually or in person if possible and budget allows. This reveals the real patterns and creates a shared picture of what is helping and what is getting in the way.
Where this isn't possible, we'll conduct small focus groups or use a survey to gather the data. Or I might attend a few "business as usual" meetings to get a sense of how things are.
Themes are always presented anonymously in order to help the team face reality but not expose individuals.
The Process
What it looks like to work with me
STEP 1
Scoping and Sponsorship
We begin by getting clear on context, business pressure, and what the organisation needs from the team. This matters because systemic coaching must be closely linked to commercial reality, not generic team development.
Where there is a sponsor (CEO, Chair, HRD), we agree what good looks like, what will be observable, and how accountability will be maintained without compromising trust.
STEP 2
One to One Interviews
I meet each team member one to one, virtually or in person if possible and budget allows. This reveals the real patterns and creates a shared picture of what is helping and what is getting in the way.
Where this isn't possible, we'll conduct small focus groups or use a survey to gather the data. Or I might attend a few "business as usual" meetings to get a sense of how things are.
Themes are always presented anonymously in order to help the team face reality but not expose individuals.
STEP 3
Team sessions using
Think, Ground, Create
The sessions are designed around a practical cycle the team can reuse:
THINK
Clarify what is true, what matters, what is being avoided, and what decisions must be made.
GROUND
Reduce reactivity and improve how the team behaves under pressure, so conversations become useful and less costly.
CREATE
Turn the work into practical agreements, decision rules, ownership, and an operating pace that supports execution
Between sessions the team practices a few small behavioural shifts and uses a simple review loop.
This is where change sticks, because it builds repeatable behaviour rather than one off insight.
STEP 3
Team sessions using
Think, Ground, Create
The sessions are designed around a practical cycle the team can reuse:
THINK
Clarify what is true, what matters, what is being avoided, and what decisions must be made.
GROUND
Reduce reactivity and improve how the team behaves under pressure, so conversations become useful and less costly.
CREATE
Turn the work into practical agreements, decision rules, ownership, and an operating pace that supports execution
Between sessions the team practices a few small behavioural shifts and uses a simple review loop.
This is where change sticks, because it builds repeatable behaviour rather than one off insight.
Ways of Working
Choose the Right Shape
OPTION A
Reset and Align
For teams who need a fast reset, clearer alignment, and improved decision making without launching a long programme.
Typical approach:
-
one session per person in advance
-
one team session, four hours
-
one follow up session, two hours, typically 2 to 4 weeks afterwards
Works well after team changes, a period of strain, a strategic pivot, or when the business needs faster clarity and pace.
OPTION B
Build new ways of working
For teams who need to shift deeper patterns, strengthen trust and accountability, and build a new operating pattern and pace that holds under pressure.
Typical shape:
-
3-12 months with regular sessions including team coaching sessions, business as usual meeting attendance, and potentially one to ones as well.
This is the right shape when issues are repeated and systemic, or when the team needs better ability to navigate complexity and execute to meet stakeholder expectations.
The visible change is usually less meeting noise and more decision clarity. The deeper change is a team that can stay honest and productive when pressure rises.
Ways of Working
Choose the Right Shape
OPTION A
Reset and Align
For teams who need a fast reset, clearer alignment, and improved decision making without launching a long programme.
Typical approach:
-
one session per person in advance
-
one team session, four hours
-
one follow up session, two hours, typically 2 to 4 weeks afterwards
Works well after team changes, a period of strain, a strategic pivot, or when the business needs faster clarity and pace.
OPTION B
Build new ways of working
For teams who need to shift deeper patterns, strengthen trust and accountability, and build a new operating pattern and pace that holds under pressure.
Typical shape:
-
3-12 months with regular sessions including team coaching sessions, business as usual meeting attendance, and potentially one to ones as well.
This is the right shape when issues are repeated and systemic, or when the team needs better ability to navigate complexity and execute to meet stakeholder expectations.
The visible change is usually less meeting noise and more decision clarity. The deeper change is a team that can stay honest and productive when pressure rises.
How we work
Leadership team coaching, not facilitation.
This is leadership team coaching, not facilitation. I work with how the team is behaving in real time, because that is where the system shows itself and where trust, honesty, and accountability either strengthen or collapse.
We keep the work focused on:
Wider System
The team's role in the wider business system
Patterns
The patterns that reduce decision quality and execution
Agreements
The practical agreements that change outcomes
How we work
Leadership team coaching, not facilitation.
This is leadership team coaching, not facilitation. I work with how the team is behaving in real time, because that is where the system shows itself and where trust, honesty, and accountability either strengthen or collapse.
We keep the work focused on:
Wider System
The team's role in the wider business system
Patterns
The patterns that reduce decision quality and execution
Agreements
The practical agreements that change outcomes
CONFIDENTIALITY AND BOUNDARIES
One to one conversations are confidential, with clear boundaries agreed up front. Themes are brought into the team work anonymously.If there is a sponsor, we agree what updates are provided and what stays in the team. This protects trust while keeping the work commercially accountable.
CONFIDENTIALITY AND BOUNDARIES
One to one conversations are confidential, with clear boundaries agreed up front. Themes are brought into the team work anonymously.If there is a sponsor, we agree what updates are provided and what stays in the team. This protects trust while keeping the work commercially accountable.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Team building often creates a good experience. Executive team coaching changes how the team makes decisions, handles tension, and follows through, which is what drives performance.
Impact shows up as clearer decisions, reduced rework, improved pace, better follow through, and less time spent circling the same issues. We agree a small set of observable indicators at the start and review them at midpoint and review point.
Yes, if there is willingness to be honest and stay in the work. The aim is not to remove tension. It is to make tension usable so the team can think and decide well.
Yes. Sessions can be in person, virtual, or blended depending on what will make the work most effective.
If your executive team needs better alignment, decision quality, and follow through, book a short call.
We will clarify what is happening in the system, what the business needs from the team, and which shape of work fits best.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Team building often creates a good experience. Executive team coaching changes how the team makes decisions, handles tension, and follows through, which is what drives performance.
Impact shows up as clearer decisions, reduced rework, improved pace, better follow through, and less time spent circling the same issues. We agree a small set of observable indicators at the start and review them at midpoint and review point.
Yes, if there is willingness to be honest and stay in the work. The aim is not to remove tension. It is to make tension usable so the team can think and decide well.
Yes. Sessions can be in person, virtual, or blended depending on what will make the work most effective.
If your executive team needs better alignment, decision quality, and follow through, book a short call.
We will clarify what is happening in the system, what the business needs from the team, and which shape of work fits best.
The Thinking Ground | Sally Shuttleworth
+44 07943 725508
© 2025 The Thinking Ground. All rights reserved