“We are not getting the performance we should from the people and resources we already have.”
Talented people and significant resources don't always produce the results they should. Important decisions stall, expertise is concentrated in too few hands, and collaboration across teams takes more effort than it should. Leaders see the symptoms, but often lack a clear understanding of what's holding the organization back.
Strategic Execution
“We know what we want to accomplish, but struggle to make it happen.”
Strategies that seem clear in the boardroom often become less clear across the organization. Priorities compete, accountability gets muddled, and day-to-day decisions pull people in different directions. There's plenty of activity, but too little progress on the things that matter most.
Organizational Change
“We need to make significant changes, but struggle to bring the organization along.”
Growth, acquisitions, leadership transitions, and major initiatives all require people to work differently. Established habits, relationships, and informal influences often carry more weight than the plans for change. Commitment varies, adoption slows, and the intended benefits take far longer to materialize.
Our Work Lives in These 5 Core Values:
1.
Connection
We are built on relationships. We earn trust early, show up consistently, and grow with the people and organizations we serve.
2.
Elevation
We are obsessed with client experience. Every interaction is a chance to earn confidence and raise the standard.
3.
Impact
We are relentless about adding value. We bring sharp thinking, insight, and practical action.
4.
Excellence
We perform at a higher level. Others may deliver. We distinguish.
5.
Enjoyment
We take the work seriously and create space to enjoy it. We value meaningful work, strong relationships, and the moments in between.
Our strategic advising work is designed for senior leaders and leadership teams facing consequential decisions, complex organizational challenges, or important periods of growth and change. We are most useful when the stakes are high, the path forward is not obvious, and leaders need a trusted partner who can help them think clearly, challenge assumptions, and translate direction into action.
Is this executive coaching?
Not exactly. Executive coaching typically focuses on the development and performance of an individual leader. Strategic advising focuses on the organization, the decisions leaders must make, and the conditions required for those decisions to succeed. Coaching can be incorporated into any engagement when it would be useful, particularly when a leader’s growth or effectiveness is important to the broader strategic or organizational objective.
What does a typical engagement look like?
Every engagement is shaped around the challenge at hand. We typically begin by clarifying the strategic context, understanding how the organization currently operates, and identifying the decisions or capabilities that matter most. From there, we work closely with leaders through focused conversations, working sessions, analysis, and practical support as the strategy takes shape and moves into execution.
How do you measure impact?
We define success at the beginning of the engagement based on the outcomes the organization is trying to achieve. Depending on the work, that may include greater strategic clarity, stronger leadership alignment, faster decision making, improved collaboration, increased adoption, or measurable progress against business priorities. We also look for evidence that the organization has become more capable of sustaining progress on its own.
Do you stay involved beyond strategy development?
Yes. Strategy development is often where the work begins, not where it ends. We help leaders translate strategic intent into priorities, decisions, leadership behaviors, organizational capabilities, and coordinated action. Our involvement can continue through implementation, leadership alignment, change activation, and ongoing strategic review based on what the organization needs.
How do we know if we’re ready for this level of work?
You are ready when the issue matters enough to examine honestly and act on what you learn. The work requires leaders who are willing to challenge assumptions, engage in direct conversations, and take shared responsibility for what happens next. You do not need to have every answer, but you do need the commitment and openness required to pursue better ones.
What is Organizational Intelligence?
Organizational intelligence reveals the informal relationships and patterns shaping how work actually gets done. Design turns that visibility into better choices about what to protect, what to change, and where to act. Through Constellation, we connect employee experience with network patterns so leaders can identify root causes and design responses around the organization they actually have.
How does this go beyond an engagement survey?
Engagement surveys measure how employees feel about the organization. Constellation goes further by revealing how the organization functions, connecting employee experience to the patterns of collaboration, trust, influence, knowledge, and access producing it. This allows leaders to understand both the experience and the system shaping it.
What does participation require?
Employees complete a secure 10-to-15-minute assessment, and that is the only demand placed on the broader organization. There are no interviews, focus groups, or operational interruptions. The purpose and confidentiality protections are explained clearly before launch, and leaders can gain an entirely new view of the organization in under 30 days.
What does leadership receive?
Not a score without a story or a dashboard without direction. Leaders receive an integrated view of how the organization operates, including its strengths, hidden risks, organizational health, root causes, and opportunities for action. Reporting can translate the same organizational reality into focused priorities at the enterprise, team, and individual levels.
When is this most useful?
Whenever an important decision depends on the organization responding as leadership expects. That may include a new strategy, transformation, acquisition, reorganization, succession decision, technology investment, or cultural priority. It is equally valuable before a visible problem emerges, when leaders still have time to shape the outcome rather than respond to its consequences.
Where does the value come from?
The value does not come from seeing an interesting network map. It comes from making a better decision because of what the network reveals. By exposing root causes, hidden dependencies, and the people capable of moving the system, leaders can focus resources, protect investments, accelerate change, and strengthen performance. If the decision is consequential, the organization should be in full view.
How is this different from traditional leadership training?
Traditional training often focuses on transferring information or introducing a set of tools. Our programs are designed to change how people think, connect, and act. We combine research, practical experience, reflection, discussion, and application so participants do more than understand an idea. They develop the judgment, confidence, and behaviors needed to use it in their work.
What formats do you use?
We design experiences in the format best suited to the audience and objective. That may include executive sessions, workshops, simulations, cohort-based programs, leadership academies, rotational mentorship, facilitated team experiences, or blended programs that combine live learning with application between sessions. Programs can be delivered in person, virtually, or through a combination of both.
Is this scalable across large organizations?
Yes. Programs can be designed for a single leadership team or adapted across functions, locations, and leadership levels. We create a consistent foundation while allowing enough flexibility for the learning to remain relevant to different roles and operating environments. When appropriate, we can also prepare internal facilitators and leaders to extend the experience throughout the organization.
How do you ensure adoption?
Adoption begins by making the learning relevant to the work people are already responsible for doing. Participants apply concepts to real decisions, relationships, and organizational challenges rather than hypothetical situations. We also help leaders reinforce the learning through shared language, practical tools, follow-up experiences, and visible application after the program ends.
What outcomes should we expect?
The specific outcomes depend on the purpose of the program, but participants should leave thinking more clearly, connecting more effectively, and acting with greater intention. Organizations may see stronger leadership judgment, better collaboration, greater alignment, increased confidence during change, and a stronger ability to translate strategy into coordinated action. We define the intended outcomes early and design the experience around achieving them.
What if our teams are skeptical of training?
Skepticism is often understandable. Many people have experienced programs that were disconnected from their work, overly theoretical, or quickly forgotten. We address that directly by respecting participants’ experience, avoiding rehearsed answers, and grounding the learning in challenges they recognize. The objective is not to convince people to enjoy training. It is to create an experience they find credible, useful, and worth applying.
Hear from our team
"Culture may be the only competitive advantage that truly compounds over time. Strategy, products, and technology can all be copied. What is far harder to replicate is a culture that helps people make better decisions, work together effectively, and adapt as circumstances change."
Bradley Brezinski
Founder & Managing Director
Our clients tell the story better than we can.
“I would take this course 10x over and not regret I did every time.”
NILE Participant, Cannon Air Force Base
“It’s a great opportunity to reflect on what drives you as an individual and how you can better impact those around you.”
Values Driven Leadership Participant, Johnson Investment Counsel
"The most successful mentorship program we’ve had."
IGNITE Participant, Populous
"Definitely the most useful leadership class I have been to."
NILE Participant, Kirtland Air Force Base
“This has been the best course/class I have taken in my time in the Air Force."
NILE Participant, Cannon Air Force Base
"Great program that provides opportunities for self-reflection, leadership tools, and a unique way to connect with colleagues.”
Values Driven Leadership Participant, Johnson Investment Counsel
“The program went beyond my expectations. It really helped me discover more about myself and my colleagues.
Values Driven Leadership Participant, Johnson Investment Counsel
It’s a great way to connect, and find out what drives people, or more importantly, ways to connect with people.
ASCEND Participant, Minot Air Force Base
“The program went beyond my expectations. It really helped me discover more about myself and my colleagues.
Values Driven Leadership Participant, Johnson Investment Counsel
“Enriching, thought provoking and team building.”
Values Driven Leadership Participant, Johnson Investment Counsel
"A good course for leaders of large groups focusing on the human factor of organizations."
ASCEND Participant, Minot Air Force Base
“The level of expertise at S2A sets you up for success."
Constellation, Park National Bank
“Transformative. I wish I could have gone through earlier in my career. I know it’s for leaders, but some of the concepts held within the course completely changed me.”
NILE Participant, Minot Air Force Base
“The presenter/instructor was one of the most engaging, comfortable, real and honest instructors of any PME I’ve ever had.”
ASCEND Participant, Minot Air Force Base
"Attend it! Invest in yourself, be vulnerable, think critically. Best course I’ve attended!"
NILE Participant, Cannon Air Force Base
"I’ve worked here for 20 years, and I’ve had the opportunity to speak with people I would have never spoken to in another 20 years."
IGNITE Participant, Populous
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