After a decade working in various management positions for central and local government GSD Management & Consulting began with a vision for change and a dedication to getting things done.

I loved the public good aspect of my government work, and the talent and dedication from staff whom were often working against the odds. But the weighting of risk adversity (so necessary in organisations people love to rail against) impeded the ability to make confident decisions and effectively implement change.

Too much time was spent justifying value rather than improving what was delivered and how. Worthy programmes and projects would be ‘pecked to death by ducks’ – suffering deaths worse than a thousand cuts. It’s an illness any major organisation runs the risk of catching.

To either fight the slow-moving infection (or inoculate against catching it in the first place) GSD is the vaccine against process befuddlement, the antidote for unwieldy bureaucracy.

Give a damn about the companies you work with

Anyone who has worked with me knows I am proud of my work and energetic in everything I undertake. Believe me, it’s this passion that can make a big difference in cultivating positive culture and enacting crucial change. It can be what separates a team from making schedule and budget or falling further behind. I love that the success of my clients is a direct measure of my success. 

Experience brings expertise brings confidence

I know what’s effective and I’ll fight to get it right. When working with large organisations and large budgets my expertise is absolutely crucial. My experience brings clarity of purpose too. If I believe that greater value can be delivered by speaking truth to power then I’ll do so. Even if that means that I must occasionally (and tactfully) call bullshit on poor corporate behaviour.  

Break the chains of apathy

Make no mistake – I love the ‘lifers’. Motivating those entrenched within the ‘that’s-how-it’s-always-been’ mindset can involve using every tool and trick at my disposal. It all starts with communication. When I have to talk softly and carry a big stick I can do that. When it’s time to talk in exclamation marks, I will. Either way, I’ll do what’s needed to get the team onboard with enacting effective and enduring change. 

Ignore the trail ahead and you risk trailing behind

Introducing innovation to an organisation is about far more than creating a new app in a weekend hackathon. Effectively embedding a future-forward ethos requires an adaptable organisation to take advantage of ever-changing technology and markets. So staff must be trained to look up and out, risk tolerance and adversity must be managed, innovation actually planned for, the Executive and Board educated and aligned and much, much more. It’s one thing to point the way. It’s another altogether to gather people and process together and get everything moving.