Going Back to Move Forward

What Happens When You Return as a Facilitator

I went into London this week morning, and I was genuinely excited.

I was working with a team I used to lead. Spending the day exploring how they magnify their impact - how they move from being a group of talented individuals to something more powerful together.

There's something unusual about going back to an organisation you've left. But it didn’t feel like going backwards. It feels like taking our collective history, adding the brilliant people who've joined since, and creating something that moves them forward.

My job wasn’t to lead them - I don't work there anymore. It was to facilitate the conversations that help them see what they're capable of.

The Workshop

The team shares a collective purpose: driving sustainable growth across a complex global business where clarity and cohesion can be tricky to nail down. Some were close colleagues from my time there, others have joined since. All of them brilliant.

We used a simple framework - adapted from Julie Hay's Steps to Success - to explore six questions:

• Situation - what's really going on?

• Significance - why does it matter? To whom?

• Solutions - what are the possibilities?

• Skills - do we have what we need?

• Strategies - what's the plan?

• Success - what does good look like?

Simple framework. But here's what made it powerful.

What Actually Shifted

The team created space to talk about what they felt, not just what they thought.

Teams often discount things because "that's just how it is around here" or "I'm probably the only one thinking this" or "we just need to focus on delivery". What shifted was the permission to name what wasn't being said. Not because anything was broken, but because high-performing teams need that honesty to move from good to exceptional.

If you're leading at a senior level, you know this tension. Your team is capable. They're delivering. But there's a gap between what they're achieving now and what they could achieve if they had space to surface what's really happening.

The invisible stuff - the things people are thinking but not saying, the patterns everyone notices but nobody mentions, the assumptions that shape how work gets done but never get questioned.

It's Never Really About the Model

That's the thing about this kind of work - it's never really about the model. It's about creating the space for teams to understand and share what's actually happening, so they can build a plan for a successful future together.

You don't need a complicated intervention. You need honest conversation. You need someone who can hold the space whilst people say the true things. You need permission to acknowledge that even when things are going well, there's usually another level available.

What Made This Different

Being welcomed back to do this work was a privilege. Not just because of the work itself, but because leaving with integrity and maintaining meaningful relationships opens doors to new ways of adding value.

I'm proud that my time in that organisation created relationships strong enough to invite me back. Not as the person who used to be in charge, but as someone who can facilitate the conversations that help them unlock what they're already capable of.

Whatever happened - and there were moments of insight, some laughter, and a chance to reconnect to what really matters - this is the work I love. Helping teams move from good to exceptional. From capable to unstoppable.

Moving Into 2026

I've done some brilliant work this year with organisations focusing on exactly this - helping leadership teams create the space for honest conversation about what's really happening and what's actually possible.

If your team could benefit from this kind of space as you head into 2026, let's talk.

Not because anything's broken. But because high-performing teams deserve the chance to surface what isn't being said, so they can build something exceptional together.

I work with senior leaders and their teams to unlock capability, navigate complexity, and create the conditions for sustainable high performance. If you'd like to explore how this kind of work could support your team, get in touch.