Managing Up: A Skill Senior Leaders Still Need
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerManaging up means working effectively with those you report to — a boss, a CEO, or a board — by understanding what they need, communicating well, building trust, and making the relationship productive. Far from being political, done well it is about a genuine, effective […]
Leading With Data: What It Really Means
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerLeading with data means using data and evidence genuinely to inform decisions and understand the business — while combining it with judgement, not replacing judgement with it. Done well, it grounds leadership in reality and improves decisions; done poorly, it becomes either data for show […]
Leading in a Downturn: What It Takes
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerLeading in a downturn means guiding a business through difficult, uncertain conditions — protecting its health through decisive, disciplined action while keeping sight of the long term, and leading people with honesty and steadiness through hard times. It takes clear-eyed realism, financial and operational discipline, […]
Emotional Intelligence in Leadership: Why It Matters
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerEmotional intelligence in leadership is the ability to understand and manage one’s own emotions and to understand and work well with others’ — self-awareness, self-management, empathy, and social skill. It matters because leadership is exercised through people, and leaders with genuine emotional intelligence build trust, […]
Building a Leadership Pipeline
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA leadership pipeline is an organisation’s ongoing development of future leaders — identifying and growing talent so capable people are ready to step into bigger roles as needed. Building one means spotting potential, developing it deliberately, and creating a flow of ready leaders. It reduces […]
Developing High-Potential Leaders
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerDeveloping high-potential leaders means investing deliberately in the people with the capability to grow into bigger roles — through stretching experiences, coaching and support, genuine feedback, and the right opportunities. Potential only becomes leadership capability through development, so identifying high-potentials and growing them well is […]
Leading a Family Business: What It Takes
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerLeading a family business means navigating the interplay of family and business — honouring the family’s values, legacy, and relationships while running the company professionally and commercially. It takes respect for what the family and business stand for, the ability to balance family and commercial […]
Executive Relocation & International Assignment Packages
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerExecutive relocation and international assignment packages cover the support and terms that make a move viable — from relocation costs and housing to, for international moves, tax, immigration, schooling, and cost-of-living considerations. Getting them right matters both to attract the leader and to set the […]
What Does a VP of Sales Do?
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA VP of Sales leads a business’s sales function — building and leading the sales team, setting and executing sales strategy, and driving revenue. The role is central to a company’s growth, combining sales leadership and coaching with commercial strategy and the discipline to deliver […]
Board Evaluation and Effectiveness
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerBoard evaluation is the process of assessing how well a board is functioning — its composition, dynamics, processes, and contribution — in order to improve its effectiveness. A genuinely effective board, with the right people, dynamics, and focus, adds real value to a business; evaluating […]
