Crawford Partners, LLC

Delivers strategic consulting in marketing, strategy, leadership, organizational design, business transformation, executive coaching, and employee experience for private organizations focused on growth.  

I also partner with many leadership development, coaching, and organizational development firms to provide shared experience and solutions for a wide range of clients.

President

Thomas More University

Provided strategic leadership in adult enrollment and marketing for the university.  Designed new revenue models and channels to drive growth.  Responsible for all advertising, media placement, digital marketing and strategic initiatives.

Vice President for Digital, Graduate & Professional Programs

Founding Dean of the College of Business

Taught strategy, innovation, marketing, MBA skills, organizational behavior, etc., at undergraduate and graduate levels.

Assistant Professor

Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University

Assisted doctorate students in designing meaningful research.

Research Advisor for Doctorate of Management Students

Direct Opinions

Provided marketing strategy, sales, employee experience, customer research and analytics for clients across retail, healthcare, consumer products, and manufacturing.

Chief Marketing Officer

Convergys

Successfully provided cross-functional marketing leadership in creating solutions, designing business transformation, and developing innovative strategies that lead to growth.  Responsible for all value proposition creation, packaging, positioning, digital marketing, branding, creative services, web redesign, lead generation, sales center of excellence consulting services and voice of the client research.

Senior Director Marketing Strategy

University of Cincinnati

Enjoyed teaching Business Ethics and Quality Management Tools courses to students by designing a highly interactive curriculum.

Adjunct Business Management Instructor

Citigroup

Led sales and marketing business transformation efforts for private label cards, retention, and mortgage across seven sites.  Managed $230M in annual revenue, driving year over year continued growth.

Senior Vice President, Regional Sales Director

AmTrust Bank

Traveled throughout the country studying contact center best practices.  Designed, developed, implemented and managed all aspects of the retail banking contact center, internet web customer service and the B2B mortgage contact center.  The program won the National Teleprofessional Award for Call Center Excellence (ACCE).

Vice President

Partnering with Leaders to Define SUCCESS and Achieve It.

Thank you for visiting my profile.  I'm Angela Crawford, a strategist and leadership consultant who empowers people and organizations to grow through authentic connection and a relentless commitment to helping others succeed.

With over 20 years of strategic leadership experience, I provide organizational consulting, along with coaching and leadership development through my customizable Leaders SUCCEED Together© system.

Let's work together to define success for yourself and your organization--and achieve it!

Who I Help:
- C-Suite Executives in privately owned companies
- Senior Leaders tackling new challenges
- HR Professionals seeking leadership development solutions
- Education and Healthcare Administrators

How I Can Help:
- Provide consulting services across organizational development, HR, sales, marketing, and operations.
- Design custom leadership programs to attract and retain top talent
- Serve as your confidential sounding board with fresh perspectives
- Enhance team dynamics and performance with tailored solutions
- Navigate the unique challenges of education and healthcare leadership

Why Choose Crawford Partners?
- Extensive cross-industry experience
- Proven, research-backed Leaders SUCCEED Together© System
- Flexible, client-focused approach
- Deep commitment to your success
- Over 13 years of delivering results

Ready to grow your organization like never before?  Let's connect.

P.S. Even if leadership development isn't your current focus, feel free to pass my information along to someone who might benefit. I'm passionate about helping leaders become the best versions of themselves.

Angela Crawford

➡️ Here's what most leaders miss about organizational culture:

They think culture change happens from the top down through mission statements and company values.

The reality?

73% of culture transformation initiatives fail because leaders diagnose the stated culture instead of the enacted culture.

After studying Cameron & Quinn's Competing Values Framework and Schein's organizational culture theory, I've adapted a 4-phase diagnostic that reveals what's actually happening:

The Framework:

✅ Phase 1: Behavioral Evidence Gathering (Weeks 1-3)
→ Track decision patterns, not policy documents
→ Observe meeting dynamics, not org charts

✅ Phase 2: Informal Culture Assessment (Weeks 4-6)
→ Map promotion patterns vs. stated values
→ Analyze crisis responses vs. company principles

✅ Phase 3: Force Field Analysis (Weeks 7-9)
→ Identify reinforcing vs. disruptive cultural forces
→ Calculate net change pressure

✅ Phase 4: Integration & Action Planning (Weeks 10-12)
→ Plot cultural reality gaps
→ Design evidence-based evolution strategy

The difference? Companies using behavioral diagnostics see 3x higher success rates in culture transformation.

You know you've succeeded when: Your promotion patterns, resource allocation, and crisis responses actually match your stated values.

Which assumption about your company culture needs challenging?

Share your biggest culture gap discovery below. ⬇️

—

👉 DM me “GROWTH” to book a free 30-minute strategy call.

And get actionable leadership tips right in your inbox every Wednesday.

(Newsletter link in my bio).

Angela Crawford, PhD

Business Owner, Consultant & Executive Coach | Guiding Senior Leaders to Overcome Challenges & Drive Growth l Author of Leaders SUCCEED Together©

Stop trying to find your one "authentic" leadership style.

Start being the leader your team actually needs you to be in the moment.

Conventional wisdom tells us to be consistent. But what if that consistency is the very thing holding your team back?

A single leadership style applied to every person and situation is a recipe for failure.

→ Your brand-new intern feels lost because you're too hands-off.
→ Your senior expert feels micromanaged because you're too hands-on.

The most effective leaders don't have one style; they are leadership chameleons. They use the Situational Leadership Model to accurately diagnose and adapt to the needs of their people.

It’s about flexing between four distinct approaches based on your team member's competence and commitment to a specific task.

🎨 The 4 Leadership Styles:

1. Directing (S1) 🎯
→ You provide clear, step-by-step instructions.
Perfect for the Enthusiastic Beginner (D1) who is eager but inexperienced.

2. Coaching (S2) 🤝
→ You still direct, but also explain the 'why' and encourage them.
Ideal for the Disillusioned Learner (D2) who has hit a roadblock and lost confidence.


3. Supporting (S3) 🤗
→ You empower them to lead the way while you act as a sounding board.
For the Capable but Cautious Performer (D3) who has the skills but is hesitant to own it.

4. Delegating (S4) 🚀
→ You turn over full responsibility and trust them to deliver.
Reserved for the Self-Reliant Achiever (D4) who is a true expert.

Your goal as a leader isn't just to get the task done. It's to develop your people from D1 to D4. That requires you to change your approach as they grow.

Ready to try it?

Try this for one week:
→ Pick one person on your team and one specific task.
→ Diagnose their Development
→ Consciously apply the matching leadership style (S1-S4).

Who's ready to become a more adaptable leader?

—

👉 Get free weekly tips and actionable guides by signing up for my newsletter at the link in my bio.

What if we’ve been wrong about what great leadership looks like?

We celebrate the charismatic, larger-than-life CEOs on the covers of business magazines. But what if the data told a different story?

In his groundbreaking research for Good to Great, Jim Collins and his team discovered something interesting:

The most effective leaders combine personal humility with professional will.

They were Level 5 Leaders.

And the climbing looks like this:

• Level 1: Highly Capable Individual 🧑💼
Makes productive contributions through talent, knowledge, skills, and good work habits.

• Level 2: Contributing Team Member 🤝
Contributes individual capabilities to the achievement of group objectives and works effectively with others in a group setting.

• Level 3: Competent Manager 📈
Organizes people and resources toward the effective and efficient pursuit of predetermined objectives.

• Level 4: Effective Leader 🧭
Catalyzes commitment to and vigorous pursuit of a clear and compelling vision, stimulating higher performance standards.

• Level 5: Executive ✨
Builds enduring greatness through a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will.

Greatness is not a function of circumstance.

It is, first and foremost, a matter of conscious choice and discipline. The most powerful choice a leader can make is to subjugate their own ego to the larger goal of building something great and lasting.

You can't "fake" Level 5, but you can consciously cultivate its attributes.

—

👉 Get my free guidebook detailing the 7 essential steps for leadership growth.

Link in bio.

Have you ever seen a great strategy die a slow, silent death?

The year starts with ambitious goals and high energy. By March, the team is buried in the “whirlwind” (endless emails, back-to-back meetings, and urgent fires that keep the business running).

The whirlwind isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
But if left on its own, it can consume 100% of your time and energy.

That’s why most strategies fail. All your resources go battle against the whirlwind.

The 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX), created by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling, is the proven system to fight back.

Before you can win, you must know your enemy:

⚡️ What it is: The energy it takes to run your daily operations. The calls, the reports, the fires.

🚨 Its nature: It is not evil. It is urgent. And urgency will always feel more important than importance.

⚠️ Its power: It can derail any initiative and act on your team every minute of every day.

The 4 Disciplines are your weapons to protect your most important goals from being lost in the storm:

1. Focus on the Wildly Important
2. Act on the Lead Measures
3. Keep a Compelling Scoreboard
4. Create a Cadence of Accountability

What’s your go-to framework to fight the daily whirlwind?

—

👉 Get my free guidebook detailing the 7 essential steps for leadership growth.

Link in bio.

70% of major change initiatives fail.

The dangerous myth? That the new ideas were flawed.

The harsh truth most people miss? It's almost always a failure of leadership.

For decades, we've watched leaders with brilliant visions underestimate the human side of change.

They treat it like a software update, issuing a memo and expecting everyone to comply.

They are unprepared for the inevitable storm of resistance, fear, and inertia.

The result is always the same: wasted money, cynical employees, and a failed initiative that poisons the well for future efforts.

But you don't have to be a statistic. Dr. John Kotter's research provides a proven roadmap for navigating the storm. His 8-Step Model is not a checklist; it's a sequential, disciplined process for leading people through turmoil.

Skipping a step is like leaving a hole in the hull of your ship.

Here is the 8-step voyage to lasting change:

Phase 1: 🌪️ Create a Climate for Change(You can't steer a ship that's tied to the dock.)

→ Step 1: Create Urgency. Make the status quo seem more dangerous than the unknown future.
→ Step 2: Form a Powerful Guiding Coalition. Assemble a credible and influential team to lead the charge.
→ Step 3: Create a Vision for Change. Develop a clear, simple "North Star" to guide every action.

Phase 2: 🤝 Engage and Enable the Organization(Raise the sails and remove the obstacles.)

→ Step 4: Communicate the Vision. Relentlessly, through every channel possible. Then do it again.
→ Step 5: Empower Others to Act. Remove the barriers—be it a legacy system or a resistant manager.
→ Step 6: Create Short-Term Wins. Build momentum and silence the critics with visible successes.

Phase 3: ⚓ Implement and Sustain the Change(Anchor the new way of working in your culture.)

→ Step 7: Consolidate Improvements. Use the credibility from early wins to tackle bigger challenges.
→ Step 8: Anchor in the Culture. Weave the change into "the way we do things around here."

What's your experience?
Which of these 8 steps have you seen leaders skip most often?

—

👉 Get free tips and guidebooks weekly by signing up for my newsletter at the link in my bio.

➡️ The highest-performing teams aren't the smartest, they're the safest.

Most leaders focus on hiring talent but ignore creating environments where that
talent can actually speak up.

Here's how 5 industry leaders master psychological safety:

Google: Project Aristotle discoveries

→ Team diagnostic surveys for psychological safety measurement
→ Blameless post-mortems focusing on systems, not people
→ GTEAM meetings discussing "how we work together"
→ Result: 67% higher performance in psychologically safe teams

Microsoft: Growth mindset transformation

→ Daily pulse surveys for real-time team health monitoring
→ Learning Fridays: 10% time for experimentation
→ Courage Conversations training for difficult discussions
→ Result: 35% increase in employee confidence to speak up

Pixar: The Braintrust model

→ No hierarchy in feedback, junior animators critique directors
→ "Plussing" technique: "Yes, and..." instead of "No, but..."
→ Rapid prototyping with expectation of failure
→ Result: 83% feel safe sharing wild ideas

Netflix: Radical candor at scale

→ "Keeper Test" for transparent performance conversations
→ 360-degree feedback including upward feedback to managers
→ "No Brilliant Jerks" policy, culture matters as much as performance
→ Result: 89% trust their manager to act on feedback

The pattern? All 4 companies:

→ Measure psychological safety consistently
→ Train leaders to model vulnerability
→ Normalize speaking up through structured processes
→ Iterate and improve based on feedback

Amy Edmondson's research shows 4 stages: 

✅ Inclusion Safety
✅ Learner Safety
✅ Contributor Safety
✅ Challenger Safety.

Most teams never reach stage 4, where breakthrough innovation happens.

Which stage is your team at? 

And what's one practice you'll steal from these companies?

—

👉 DM me “GROWTH” to book a free 30-minute strategy call.

And get actionable leadership tips right in your inbox every Wednesday.

(Newsletter link in my bio).

Why do so many brilliant strategies fail?

It’s rarely the strategy itself. It's the organizational 'body' rejecting the transplant.

After years of advising leaders, I've seen the same painful pattern: companies pour months into crafting the perfect strategic plan, only to watch it stall, lose momentum, or die on the vine.

The cause is almost always a hidden misalignment.

A visionary strategy is useless if the organization's internal machinery isn't wired to execute it.
You can't ask for speed and innovation if your systems are built for rigid control.

The most effective leaders think like doctors. They don't just prescribe a treatment (Strategy); they run a full diagnostic MRI to see the entire system. That's the power of the McKinsey 7S Framework.

The old way: (Recipe for failure)
→ Obsess over strategy
→ Shuffle the structure (the org chart)
→ Hope culture and processes magically catch up

The new way: (Roadmap for alignment)
→ Start with shared values (the organization's heart 🤝)
→ Align the "hard" elements: Strategy 📈, Structure 🏢, and Systems ⚙️
→ And the "soft" elements: Skills 💡, Staff 🧑💼, and Style 🎨

When these 7 elements are in harmony, execution feels effortless. When they're misaligned, you get friction, burnout, and failed initiatives. The difference isn't the quality of your strategy, but the health of your organization.

Take 60 seconds to run a quick diagnosis.

Which of the 7S elements is the most misaligned with your company's strategy right now?

—

👉 Sign up for my newsletter and get my free guidebook detailing the 7 essential steps for leadership growth.  Link in bio.

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JSESSIONID

Heidi De Wolf MODA

70% of cultural transformation initiatives fail within the first year.

After working with 100+ leadership teams, I've discovered the pattern: Most organizations skip the diagnostic phase and jump straight to "solutions."

The problem is that you can't fix what you can't see.

Here's what a successful cultural transformation launch actually looks like:

✅ Days 1-30: Foundation Building
→ Complete comprehensive Cultural Assessment
→ Conduct Informal Culture Analysis (observe actual vs. stated behaviors)
→ Map your Cultural Force Field (based on Lewin's Force Field Analysis)
→ Achieve leadership alignment on desired culture using the Competing Values Framework

✅ Days 31-60: System Design
→ Redesign performance management systems
→ Optimize people processes and structures
→ Evolve communication patterns
→ Choose 2-3 strategic change levers

✅ Days 61-90: Launch & Early Measurement
→ Launch pilot programs with 1-2 teams
→ Collect behavioral and outcome data
→ Begin scaling successful elements
→ Develop 2-3 year transformation roadmap

Companies using this systematic approach see early momentum indicators within 30-60 days.

Things like increased awareness, leadership alignment, and initial behavioral experiments.

Reality check: True cultural transformation takes 2-3 years. This 90-day framework gets you started with a solid foundation.

What's one cultural blind spot your organization might be missing?

Drop your thoughts below. ⬇️

—

👉 DM me "GROWTH" to book a free 30-minute strategy call.

And get actionable leadership tips right in your inbox every Wednesday.

(Newsletter link in my bio).

Cultural Transformation Toolkit: Your 90-Day Action Plan

After years of advising leaders on growth, I've seen a dangerous pattern.

Many organizations have a growth hope, not a growth strategy.

They default to one thing: "sell more of what we have."

This leaves them stuck in a saturated market, completely blind to the massive opportunities just over the horizon.

What is the typical pattern across the most successful companies? They navigate it deliberately using a compass.

The best compass for this is the Ansoff Matrix. It's a simple but powerful framework that outlines the four fundamental paths to growth, forcing clarity on your options and the risks involved.

Here are the four cardinal directions every leader must understand:

1. 📈 Market Penetration (Low Risk)
→ The Play: Sell more existing products to your existing market.
→ Think: Coca-Cola launching a new ad campaign to deepen its market share.

2. 🛍️ Product Development (Medium Risk)
→ The Play: Create new products for your loyal, existing customer base.
→ Think: Apple launching the Apple Watch for its massive base of iPhone users.

3. 🌍 Market Development (Medium Risk)
→ The Play: Take your proven products into entirely new markets.
→ Think: Starbucks taking its existing coffee shop model and expanding into China for the first time.

4. 🚀 Diversification (High Risk)
→ The Play: A leap into the unknown with new products for new markets.
→ Think: Virgin Group expanding from a record label into airlines, telecoms, and finance.

Most businesses live their entire lives in quadrant #1.

But true, sustainable growth requires a conscious strategy that considers all four.

What does your growth plan for the next 18 months look like?
Which of these four quadrants are you actually operating in?

—

👉 Get free leadership guides and tips right in your inbox every Wednesday.  Link in my bio.

Vision, Mission, Values... Do your team statements inspire action or just collect dust?

Most leaders have them, but almost everyone is messing them up.

These aren't just buzzwords. They're the operating system for your team.

Get them right, and you create clarity, alignment, and purpose.

Here's the simple breakdown of the only four statements you need:

1. Vision Statement: Your North Star
→ Dreams big about the future
→ Sets direction for everyone
→ Shows where you want to go

2. Mission Statement: Your Roadmap
→ Explains what you do now
→ Shows how you operate
→ Names who you help

3. Values Statement: Your Guardrails
→ Lists core beliefs
→ Guides behavior
→ Sets cultural standards

4. Purpose Statement: Your "Why"
→ Explains deeper meaning
→ Goes beyond money
→ Connects emotionally

When these four are clear and aligned, everything changes.

You don't just lead a team; you lead a movement.

Which statement does your organization need to revisit first?

Share in the comments! ⬇️

—

👉 DM me “GROWTH” to book a free 30-minute strategy call.

And get actionable leadership tips right in your inbox every Wednesday.

(Newsletter link in my bio).

You hired the best. 

So why do they underperform together?

Here's what I keep seeing after years of executive team development: brilliant individuals thrown together and told to "figure out chemistry."

They rarely do.

→ Personality alone doesn't predict working style
→ Strengths assessments don't reveal values
→ Single-lens tools miss the team system dynamics
→ Individual brilliance ≠ Team excellence

Most teams get one assessment and call it done. 

But that's like diagnosing a patient with only temperature, you miss the complete picture.

What actually changes when you map the full picture:

Before: 

→ Teams talk past each other. 
→ Conflicts feel personal. 
→ Decisions take forever. 
→ Your best people quietly wonder if they belong.

After:

→ Leaders understand why they clash. 
→ Personality differences become productive tension. 
→ Decisions accelerate. 
→ Teams finally function like the sum of their exceptional parts.

The difference?

Four scientifically-validated instruments working together, not one assessment in isolation.

✓ DiSC reveals how they naturally communicate and handle conflict
✓ CliftonStrengths uncovers their natural talents
✓ VIA Character Strengths shows what motivates them
✓ Working Genius identifies their natural role in a project team.

That’s why I developed the Superpower Pyramid.  To create high-performing growth machines.

8 weeks. 4 assessments. 6 facilitated sessions.

📩 DM me "SUPERPOWER" to more.

The Team Performance Paradox

Quick question for leadership teams:

When was the last time you had a real conversation about how you actually work together, not just what you're working on?

Here's what I've observed: Many executive teams spend 100% of their time on strategy, execution, and results. 

And 0% on the operating system that drives all three.

You know the symptoms:

→ Meetings where everyone talks but nothing moves forward
→ The same conflicts surfacing in different forms
→ Talented leaders who seem disengaged or misaligned
→ Decisions that require endless loops of "alignment"

These aren't people problems. 

They're system problems.

Because every leader processes information differently. 

Makes decisions differently. 

Gets energized by different types of work. 

And contributes value in different phases of execution.

What successful teams understand:

Your meeting structure advantages some leaders and silences others. What feels "thorough" to one feels "paralyzed" to another. 

You're asking talented people to operate outside their genius zones.

The problem is that you're running a high-performance team on a one-size-fits-all operating system.

Introducing the Superpower Pyramid.

Through four scientifically-validated assessments (DiSC, CliftonStrengths, VIA Character Strengths, and Working Genius), leadership teams discover the unique combination of personality, talents, values, and working genius that makes each leader exceptional, and how to orchestrate them for maximum impact.

The 8-week program delivers:

✅ Clear understanding of each person's natural "superpower"
✅ A map of how individual strengths complement or conflict
✅ Practical strategies for collaboration that actually work
✅ A sustainable framework for ongoing team development

The measurable results:
→ 25-40% improvement in decision-making speed and collaborative outcomes
→ $100,000+ saved per retained executive leader
→ Enhanced stakeholder relationships through leveraged strengths
→ Accelerated organizational growth through optimized team dynamics

Ready to unlock your team's Combined Superpower?

📩 DM me "SUPERPOWER" to learn how the Superpower Pyramid can transform your leadership team in just 8 weeks.

What If Your Greatest Asset Is Being Underutilized?

From my Thanksgiving table to yours.  Thank you for your continued support, friendship, and engagement.  I am truly grateful and blessed for so many of you who are in my life.

As we look forward to the holiday season, let’s also remember to reach out and help those in need.

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Persuasion isn't manipulation. It's the most underrated leadership superpower.

Having great ideas is common. Getting the buy-in to make them a reality is what separates effective leaders from the rest.

After years of coaching executives, I've learned that the best communicators don't force, they connect.

They use these 8 persuasion secrets to build trust and inspire action:

→ 1. Show Genuine Interest: Remember personal milestones, not just project deadlines. It shows you care about the person, not just their output.

→ 2. Give Strategic Recognition: Praise achievements that directly reflect your team's goals and values. It reinforces what success looks like.

→ 3. Lead With Presence: Your positive energy and open body language set the tone for every interaction. Your team will mirror it.

→ 4. Display Your Human Side: Share appropriate vulnerabilities. It builds psychological safety and encourages others to do the same.

→ 5. Make a Personal Connection: Use names. This simple act makes your message more personal and impactful.

→ 6. Address Issues Directly: When you sense resistance, get curious. Ask questions to transform hidden concerns into productive conversations.

→ 7. Create a Positive Culture: Your authentic passion is contagious. It inspires your team and creates a magnetic workplace.

→ 8. Practice Radical Empathy: Actively work to see the situation from your team's perspective. It's the foundation of effective communication.

These aren't tricks; they are trust-building habits.

Master them, and you'll earn commitment.

Which of these 8 secrets will you focus on this week? 👇

—

👉 DM me “GROWTH” to book a free 30-minute strategy call.

And get actionable leadership tips right in your inbox every Wednesday.

(Newsletter link in my bio).

📣 A Quick Update for Those Who Follow My Work

Over the coming months, I’m making a small but meaningful shift in how I show up here on LinkedIn. You’ll still see me posting and sharing insights (I’m not going anywhere!), but my deeper focus will be on pouring even more value into my weekly Leaders Succeed Together newsletter.
Why the shift?

Because it matters to me that I can share sources, external links, research, and practical toolkits—the kind of helpful resources that social platforms don’t always make easy to share.  Posting a quick graphic is simple… but real growth requires depth, context, and access to the right tools.
If you’ve been following me because you care about:
✨ Becoming the leader you were meant to be
 ✨ Building positive, resilient cultures
 ✨ Navigating change with clarity, confidence, and purpose
 ✨ Helping your organization grow like never before

…then I’d love for you to join me on the newsletter side of things. That’s where I can go deeper, share exactly what I think will help you, and build something real with you—not just around you.

Here’s my commitment to you:
✅ No selling your information
✅ No spam
✅ No inbox overload

Just one email every Wednesday at 8 AM EST, filled with actionable insights, valuable links, tools, articles, and resources you can use immediately—or pass along to someone who needs them.

I’m incredibly grateful for the amazing people I’ve met on this journey to 25K+ LinkedIn followers. This next step is about building something even more meaningful—a community where leaders truly succeed together.
If you’d like to be part of that community, you can sign up using the View My Newsletter link in my bio.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend,
 Angela

A sneak peek of my newsletter this week.  Sign up in my bio to get the research-backed insights.

Pimms Associates

Pimms Associates is dedicated to growing agencies and creators.

Founder

ENDGAME

ENDGAME is an AI product development consultancy that helps companies ship products twice as fast - and build lasting AI capability inside their teams. I’ve joined as Strategic Advisor & Fractional CMO to refine the positioning, brand, and go-to-market strategy. What excites me about ENDGAME is its unique position between consultancy and engineering - taking the best of both, without the baggage. The team moves fast, builds brilliantly, and always puts client capability at the centre of the work.

Strategic Advisor & Fractional CMO

Hewitt Matthews Group

Chair

Sugar Creative

Advisor

BIMA (British Interactive Media Association)

The BIMA100 and BIMA Hall of Fame are two institutions in themselves. I am now chair of both, and aim to bring some strategic changes to how they operate and what it means to be inducted into either.

I am lucky enough to have won the BIMA100 nine times in my career, and it's been hugely beneficial for my profile and growing agencies. BIMA100 celebrates the top 100 movers and shakers in the UK’s digital industry. I aim to help others in the industry to experience these benefits too!

For those that don't know, BIMA (British Interactive Media Association), is the largest association of agencies in the UK and does amazing work supporting all areas of our industry.

Co-Chair of BIMA100 & Hall of Fame

Adapt

DCTR

Webtopia - eCommerce Scaling Experts

Quba

Ogogo Fitness

Entrepreneur & Advisor | On a mission to accelerate people's lives and business growth.

For over a decade my personal vision has been to create a world where everyone is free to do what they love.

I am an entrepreneur and coach to business founders.

My work with founders helps them find new levels of sophistication and to understand:

> Everything you want is on the other side of fear. I help people break down the barriers that are stopping them from moving forward in their lives.

> Reciprocity is the key to success and you will achieve success by doing things for others with no expectation of getting anything back. 

> Ego is the enemy, and knowing yourself and learning humility is key to success

> Having fun is often forgotten in the quest for success.

> You are the product of the five people you surround yourself with the most, so choose carefully.

I’ve spent my career operating in the intersection of strategy, creativity, technology, and marketing, and I’ve never been afraid of getting hands-on.

My first business was founded when I was 17, and I was pitching in boardrooms to VCs at just 18 years old. I went on to work at a global corporation in their mobile division just as mobile phones boomed. The timing could not have been better. Within 18 months, and at just 21 years old, I was offered the role of Head of Digital for Europe by the CMO. I didn’t take the role but it gave me confidence to follow my dreams and build an agency.

I then scaled my business to:

> 100+ people

> £7.5M revenue

> Acquired or founded 5 different companies (across technology, communications, digital marketing, creative, research and insights, and strategy)

> Won the biggest brands in the world (Coca Cola, JP Morgan, Pfizer, and more)

After 20 years of building a business I’m now dedicated to helping others:

1) Grow businesses and agencies from inception to multi-million revenue.

2) Transform low profit margin businesses to cash cows.

3) Help build teams that can operate agencies reliably without the founder needing to be involved at every step.

4) Navigate through difficult and complex mergers and acquisitions.

I’ve been lucky to be surrounded by brilliant people my entire career, all of whom I am incredibly grateful for.

Leveraging my journey's very real highs and lows, I share insights and strategies to inspire and guide. 

In my spare time, I’m a husband and father to my three wonderful children. I love the gym, reading, sailing, and spending time enjoying the Isle of Wight.

Jonny Tooze

The wrong people won’t see your value no matter how loudly you show it.
The right people won’t need convincing.

You can work harder, speak louder, or bend yourself. 
It still won’t land with the people who aren’t meant to get you.
Some audiences just aren’t your audience.
And that’s not a reflection of your worth.

The right people notice without you shouting.
They see the effort, the intent, the substance.
They recognise what you bring because they value the same things.

Life gets a lot lighter when you stop performing for the wrong crowd and put your energy into the people who actually get it.
Approval isn’t the goal.
Alignment is.

Focus on the rooms where your value is obvious.
That’s where you grow.

Follow Jonny Tooze for more posts like this.

Entrepreneur, strategist, and architect of modern businesses

The way you respond says more about you than what they did.

It’s easy to mirror negativity when you’ve been hurt, disrespected, or pushed too far.
You tell yourself you’re just responding in kind, but all it really does is drag you down to the same level.

Not every reaction deserves your energy.
Sometimes strength looks like walking away instead of firing back.
Sometimes kindness is the louder move.

Staying grounded when things get messy is not weakness. 
It's you choosing to rise above. 
It’s the quiet kind of power that keeps you focused on what actually matters.

Stay kind, even when it’s hard.
Especially when it’s hard.

That’s when it matters the most. 

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You don’t have to know someone’s title to treat them with dignity.
Respect has nothing to do with rank.

It’s easy to be polite to the people “above” you.
But how you treat the people who can’t offer you anything back says far more about who you are.

Respect isn’t earned through job titles or status.
It comes from recognising someone’s worth as a human being.

The best leaders I’ve met treat everyone with the same level of dignity, whether it’s a client, a colleague, or the person cleaning the office at 6am.
They understand something fundamental:
They don't treat respect like a 'resource'. It is simply not. 
Give it freely and people trust you. Give it selectively and the whole culture starts to crack.

Titles and roles will change but how you made someone feel stays with them.

Lead with respect, especially when there’s nothing to gain.

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Gratitude isn’t just for the big wins.
It’s for the quiet steps that got you here too.

You pushed through bad days and made decisions without any guarantees.
You were brave enough to take on risks that you were not sure you were ready for and made the best out of all the curveballs life threw at you. 

All of that shaped this moment.
Take a breath.
You’re further along than you realise.
 
You’ve earned more credit than you give yourself.
Keep going.
Yes, there’s more ahead, but look how far you’ve already come.

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No one ever feels fully prepared before they start.
Confidence doesn’t show up first. 

You build it in the process.

Every expert you’ve ever met began as someone figuring it out, looking unsure, second-guessing every move.
They learned by doing. By getting it wrong, adjusting, and trying again.

Waiting to feel ready feels safe, but it’s really just fear dressed up as preparation.
You don’t need another plan or another pep talk.
You need motion.

Start where you are. Use what you’ve got.
The answers show up once you do.

You don’t build confidence by waiting.
You build it by beginning.

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Entrepreneur & Advisor | Committed to accelerating people’s personal, business, and LinkedIn growth.

Mistakes are teachers, not anchors.
We often perceive them as failure, but they are feedback. 

Each one shows you what to adjust.
The more time you spend replaying the past, the less energy you have to shape what’s next.

You can’t move forward if you’re still analysing the rerun.
You can’t change what happened, but you can decide what happens next.
That’s the part you control. 
The choice to learn, to adapt, and to try again.

Progress doesn’t come from avoiding mistakes.
It comes from using them well.

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The fastest way to stall your career is to try and save everything.

We are conditioned to protect our time and hoard our money. 
But in the career game, holding onto your resources tightly is usually the same as losing them.

You hold three distinct currencies: Knowledge, Time, and Money.

Real velocity happens when you stop treating these like trophies to be guarded and start treating them like assets to be deployed.
Stagnation is almost always a refusal to make a trade.

-If you are early in your journey, you are rich in Time. Stop hoarding it on low-value activities. Spend it lavishly to buy the Knowledge that makes you valuable.

-If you have hit a salary ceiling, you likely have Money but lack specific, high-level Knowledge. Stop trying to learn slowly for free on YouTube. Buy speed. Spend money on the precise coaching or certification that bridges the gap instantly.

-If you are drowning in work because you are the expert, you need to spend Money to buy back your Time. You cannot scale until you trade cash for delegation and systems.

The people who move up aren't lucky. 
They are just willing to make the exchange that others find uncomfortable.

Identify the one currency you desperately need right now. 
Then, look at the other two and decide which one you are going to sell to get it.

You have to spend to grow.

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Is your current 'comfort zone' just a nicely decorated trap?

We all dread change.
It feels messy, unpredictable, and frankly, out of our hands. 
That’s why we cling to the familiar.

But here's the rude reality check: STAYING EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE HAS A MASSIVE HIDDEN COST.

Think about it:
You stop fitting in your current job/routine.
The old habits that used to help you now just hold you back.
You simply outgrow the person you were last year.
The city you've lived in for the past 10 years is starting to feel small.

Life forces you to notice eventually when you ignore those signs.

Does change suck? YES. 
But the pain of being stuck somewhere that has become too small for you will eventually gets way louder than the stress of making a move.

You don't need to know the entire future.
We all think we do, or at leat what our 5 to 10 year plan looks like.

Really, all we need is enough nerve to take the next step.
The one that leads you toward who you're meant to be, not who you were yesterday.

Bigger, better you needs bigger, better space.

Staying the same feels safe for five minutes. 
But if growth is what you want? You have to move. 

Period.

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If you were a client project, would you accept the way you’re currently treating yourself?

We often pour 100% into our deliverables, meet every deadline, and manage every stakeholder expectation, but we leave the scraps for our own well-being.
We push through the "bugs" (burnout), ignore the warning signs, and skip the necessary maintenance.

But read this again: "You are the greatest project you'll work on."
Think about that.

When a high-stakes project starts drifting off course, you don’t view it as a failure of character. 
You view it as a strategy problem. 
You stop. 
You re-evaluate the scope.
You pivot.

You need to apply that same logic to your life.

You’re not weak for needing a reset. 
Only human.

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is stop doing everything for a moment.

Take the pause, fix the direction, then get back in the fight.

The most successful projects require constant iteration. So do you.

Who else needed this reminder today?

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The urge to quit usually peaks right before the breakthrough.

It’s a strange phenomenon, but it happens all the time. 

You’re putting in the work, showing up, doing the heavy lifting. 
And yet... crickets. 

The results aren't matching the effort. The feedback is silent. The needle isn't moving.

That specific moment when frustration is high and energy is low, is dangerous.
It feels very similar to failure.

But usually? It’s just lag time.

There is often a delay between the work we do and the results we see. 
We tend to judge our progress by visible outcomes (likes, sales, job offers), but progress can often be invisible at first. It’s the foundation setting.
It’s the roots growing deep before the tree shoots up.

If you are feeling like you’re hitting a wall today, consider this:

The wall might actually be a door. And you might be standing with your hand on the handle, ready to walk away because you haven't turned it yet.

Don't stop now.

Take a break if you need to.
 Rest? Absolutely. But don't fold. 

You are likely inches away from the very thing you’ve been chasing for miles.

Has there ever been a time in your career when you almost gave up, only to succeed shortly after? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments. 👇


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It’s easy to have a great attitude when you’re winning.
It’s easy to work hard when the validation is pouring in.
But what about when it’s quiet?

I’ve realized recently that the people I look up to most aren’t just the ones at the finish line. 
They are the ones who maintained their standard of excellence when the reward wasn't visible yet.

They didn't wait for success to validate their effort. 
Their effort was the validation.

Success is the outcome. 
Work ethic is the character.

If you are grinding today with no applause, keep going. That is the stuff that actually matters.

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A leader’s first job is simple: 
Believe in people enough that they start believing in themselves.

The leaders who make the most impactful difference aren’t the ones giving big speeches or soaking up the spotlight.
They’re the ones who notice potential early, even when it’s still rough, unpolished, or uncertain.

A bit of belief at the right moment can change everything.
It shifts how someone shows up, how they take risks, how they handle setbacks, and how quickly they grow.

People don’t need a manager who tracks every move.
They need someone who sees what they could become and gives them room to prove it.

When people feel backed, they step up and being trusted will empower them to stretch out of their comfort zones. 
When they feel supported, they rise.

Leadership is less about being the centre of the room.
We create the lift that helps others exceed their own expectations.

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You can choose comfort, or you can choose growth. 
You cannot have both.

The most dangerous thing about the "Comfort Zone" isn't that it is painful but that it’s predictable.

We look at the circle on the left and think it represents safety. 
But in a changing world, standing still isn't safe. 
It’s a slow fade.

The insight in this sketch isn't just about chasing dreams.
It is about the price you have to pay to get them.

Choosing courage demands a trade.

You have to be willing to let go of who you are right now to become who you are supposed to be. 
You have to accept that for a little while, you won't see the shore or the new land. You'll just be out there, swimming.
And that is exactly where the magic happens.

Don't let the fear of being lost keep you from being found.
Go find your ocean.

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It takes more than 'wanting' for your life to change.
It only changes if you show up.

We all have brilliant ideas and things we want to achieve, start a business, learn a new skill, tackle a huge project. 
But the wishing alone doesn't actually move the needle.
Wanting something is a good start but it's not enough.

The progress only happens when you show up.

A single decision can point you in a completely new direction, which is exciting. 
But honestly? It’s the boring, consistent daily effort that truly gets you to the finish line. 
That 1% improvement every day mounts up to something serious.

Don't wait for motivation to strike; just put in the reps.

What's one thing you're consistently showing up for this week, even when it feels a bit tough? 

Let's have a chat about it in the comments. 👇

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A lot of the things we call “hard” are just new.

We hit something unfamiliar and instantly assume it’s beyond us.
New skill? “Hard.”
New responsibility? “Hard.”
New habit? “Hard.”

Most of the time, that’s not true.
You’re not failing.  You’re just learning.

“Hard” usually means you haven’t done it enough times for it to feel normal yet.
Give it reps and it stops feeling scary.
Give it time and it starts to make sense.

So stop beating yourself up for not being good at something on day one.
Everything you’re great at now once made you feel awkward or unsure.

Give yourself some patience.
Give yourself some grace.
You’re not stuck.

Keep going.
'New' becomes 'normal' a lot faster than you think.

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Forget complicated management theories. The best way to get higher performance is incredibly simple.

Here’s the thing we all know but sometimes forget: when a company genuinely puts its people first, and I mean really puts them first, in the way they work every day. The difference is massive.

It’s not rocket science or some tricky management hack. It’s just common sense. When staff are treated like actual humans, not just expenses on a spreadsheet, you see things like:

Low turnover: Fewer people walking out the door. Saves you a fortune on hiring headaches.

Strong loyalty: They'll be proud to work there and will go the extra mile.

Higher creativity: They feel comfortable sharing their best, wildest ideas.

Better performance: Happier people just do a better job, full stop.

Honestly, it just boils down to respect. People will always give more when they're properly seen and valued. 
Treating staff well should never be 'nice-to-have'.

What's the best example you've seen of a company truly getting this right? Pop your thoughts below. 👇

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It is easy to look five years down the line, that part is exciting.
It is much harder to stare at a to-do list on a cold Wednesday morning. 
That part is usually boring (and tiring).

Most people are good at one or the other.

Some just dream and never start. 
Others work hard but forget where they are actually going, so they burn out.

The real trick is just holding two opposing thoughts at the same time:

-I know exactly where I want to end up.

-I know I have to get through this pile of work today to get there.

You don't have to be the smartest person in the room. 
Just be the one who can look at a distant goal and do the immediate, dull work without quitting.

Keep the target in mind. 
Crack on with the work.
Simple as that.

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The Battle

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Angela Crawford's LinkedIn Performance

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