Program Design Coach | Geeking out blending learning design with entrepreneurship to scale impact

I work with consultants, coaches and facilitators to design programs that are easier to market, pitch and deliver. Helping you go from inconsistent referrals to a sustainable business using relationship-based business development habits (without the ick of being sales-y)

I bring together 26 years as a learning designer and facilitator with 15 years of entrepreneurship.

My clients already get results for their clients, but might still:

❌ Find it hard to stand out despite being better than their competitors
❌ Overwhelmed by packaging their expertise into proposals
❌ Frustrated by reinventing the wheel every time 
❌ Annoyed they're not paid what they're worth
❌ Experience imposter syndrome
❌ Feel stretched over-delivering

And they want to:

✅ Feel confident charging more for premium service
✅ Build a more sustainable six-figure business
✅ Have more impact doing work they love

I've gone through frustrations myself.

Since 2011, I've run my own Learning & Development consultancy. And for years, I struggled to package, market and sell the value of what I did.

This is despite being an expert. I had:

• Invested tens of thousands in my professional development. 
• A track record of getting client results on leadership development, team development, organisation change, and service design projects in the tech, finance, public, charity, and education sectors. 
• Designed & delivered thousands of learning experiences, workshops and training as a volunteer, educator, employee, and freelancer since 2001

Turns out: I was an expert at my craft, but not at creating consistent sales opportunities

No one had shown me how to 'commercialise' my learning design expertise. And when I did sell my services, I either subcontracted at lower rates than I knew I was worth. Or I wasted time reinventing my process, making my services less profitable. So there were times I had no work OR burned out because I was saying "yes" to everything that came my way. 

I wanted to put myself 'out there', but I felt stuck 😵‍💫

The turning point was when I started consulting with other L&D companies. I overhauled their learning production processes using my streamlined methods. And during the pandemic, I adapted the process to support 30+ charities through the digital transformation of their learning programmes.

More focus allowed me to market, sell, and deliver my services more easily 📈

Since 2023, I've been working with over 100 self-employed experts to avoid my mistakes.

Join our newsletter: https://www.leverageaccelerator.co/

Pedram Parasmand

You’re not exhausted because you work too much.
You’re exhausted because you rebuild your business from scratch every time a new client signs on.

The real enemy isn’t overwork.
It’s originality.

I learnt that, every time I reinvented a new proposal, I lost:

⚡Energy
🕒 Time
🧠 Focus
🌍 Impact
💸 Revenue

Originality might feel impressive.
But repeatability is what creates freedom.

That’s why I built a 10-step playbook to help you go from overwhelm of ideas to one clear, repeatable program.

I broke it down in a carousel here 👇

Program Design Coach & Facilitator | Geeking out blending learning design with entrepreneurship to have more impact | Sharing lessons on my path to go from 6-figure freelancer to 7-figure business owner

10 Steps Playbook for Packaging  Your Brilliance

If you hear “we don’t have the budget” and your first instinct is to cut your fee, pause.

There are better options that protect your value and keep the conversation alive.

So what’s going on?

A real finance objection isn’t a signal that your work isn’t worth it. It’s a signal that something needs to change. Timing, scope, structure, or expectations.

So take a moment!

What gets people into trouble is treating price as the only lever they have.

Budget options happen ALL the time.

After 15 years of negotiating work across large organisations, charities, and individuals, one pattern shows up again and again:

Budget pushback is normal.
Discounting as a reflex is optional.

You don’t have to:

• Over-justify your value.
• Give away full scope at a reduced price.
• Choose between “say yes cheaply” or “walk away awkwardly”.

This carousel walks through 8 ways to handle genuine budget constraints without shrinking yourself in the process.

Some protect margin.
Some protect relationships.

All protect your integrity.

Because how you handle these moments quietly trains clients how to treat your work.
And that compounds over time.

~~

💬 Which option do you find hardest to hold your ground on?

📩 If you want weekly stories, tips, and resources on holding your value while you grow, join 750 others and subscribe to our newsletter leverageaccelerator.co

8 Ways to Handle Real Budget Objection

You’re not an advanced facilitator if you only design for one type of brain.

Most facilitators call their spaces “inclusive.”
Very few design them that way.

The next level of facilitation isn’t more energy.

It’s better design.

• Different sensory thresholds.
• Design that accounts for different processing speeds.
• Different comfort levels with ambiguity, eye contact, and speaking on the spot.

Most of us were trained to reward 

• Fast thinkers.
• Confident speakers.
• People who can process out loud in real time.

That’s not neutral.
It’s just familiar.

So if you’re serious about maturing your practice, this is the work.

That’s why I’m excited to be back at the Inclusive Facilitation Exchange for coaches, consultants, and facilitators who want to design sessions that work for different brains, not just the dominant ones.

And the line-up of speakers is fan-f*cking-tastic.

See you there!

| The Collaboration Coach | Creator of OOPSI | Jenny With the Blocks |

So it’s just over a month to go until the second-ever Inclusive Facilitation Exchange, and preparations are definitely ramping up…

Jane Livesey and I are entering what can only be described as the slightly hysterical but very excited phase 😅💥

IFE is a not-for-profit gathering dedicated to advancing inclusive facilitation and learning design, championing neuroinclusion and designing for difference, not around it.

It’s for facilitators, trainers and coaches who want the tools, insight and confidence to create spaces where diverse voices are heard, connections flourish, and challenges are met with curiosity and care 🫶

If you’re on the fence, I thought I’d share this little montage from last year. 📹 

Every time I watch it, I feel this huge sense of joy and pride. My cheeks actually ache by the end because I’m grinning so much 😊 ❤️.  I could use a dose every day as part of my well-being routine. 

It really was something special. And the feedback still blows me away:

“Today was the first time I've woken up after a conference and just felt warm and snuggly and happy and fulfilled. I don't think you quite yet realise what a beautiful thing you created, but it was absolutely magnificent!”

“Oh my goodness, what an absolutely fabulous event you created! 5 stars feels too little, you deserve all the stars.”

“A beneficial and insightful day. Fantastic setting, wonderful people and very informative and engaging content.”

“Inclusive, carefully organised, great space for people to inhabit.”

“The calibre of speakers was incredible!”

Huge thanks to our incredible speakers from last year, Jan Keck, Ceri Newton-Sargunar Nathy Ravez Ollie Yates Daniel. Susser Matthew Bellringer Dennie Declercq, Mohsin Memon Tumi Sotire Kate (Catherine) Isichei and our awesome helpers Audrey Thouvenin Pedram Parasmand and of course our incredibly talented graphic recorder Sam Carpenter and event photographer Kate Hollingsworth

and yes, some of them are coming back this year just to mingle, which makes us ridiculously happy 🎉

We would absolutely love you to join us.

For the best possible discount, hop onto our mailing list (link in comments).
Find out more here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gB2iZfnM

Every consultant has lived this moment: 
Sudden urgency. Confused stakeholders. “This wasn’t what we agreed.”

The project didn’t go off the rails.

You just never asked the questions that would have kept it on track.

I started asking 5 uncomfortable kickoff questions so I’d stop mediating messes I didn’t create.

💬 Which of these questions do you wish you’d asked earlier on your last project?

~~

📬If you run projects inside organisations and want fewer surprises, my newsletter covers exactly this kind of work. Join 750+ subscribers at leveverageaccelerator.co

5 Kick-off Questions to Prevent Mid-project Emergencies

What happens when amazing facilitation training meets robust business development habits?

We’re collaborating with Voltage Control for a practical session on building consistent sales opportunities as a facilitator.

Why am I excited about this?

Voltage Control has been on my radar for years as a beacon of high-quality facilitation training. A bunch of our clients have come through their programs and consistently speak highly of the depth, rigour, and care in their work.

And this is where it connects.

The relational skills that make someone a strong facilitator are often the same ones needed to build a thriving business. We’ve now helped 100+ coaches and facilitators translate those strengths into clear offers and consistent opportunities. 

So what will we focus on?

In this session, we use our Clarity-to-Clients roadmap to help you decide which opportunity to focus on next and turn that decision into confident, non-salesy client conversations. Without relying on referrals or constant content creation.

Is this for you?

If you’re experienced, capable, and surrounded by options. But unsure what matters when launching a new offering or strengthening one that isn’t selling as well. Then, you’ll leave with clearer priorities and a more reliable path forward.

When is this happening?

10 March 12pm EST, 4pm GMT

What to join us?

Sign up link in the first comment

Trying to help everyone is why most people don’t know what you do.

Broad feels generous.
It also makes you forgettable.

Most self-employed coaches, consultants, and facilitators stay wide because it feels helpful.

More people served.
More doors open.

In reality, it does the opposite.

Serving fewer people on purpose is how you end up helping more people in practice.

That’s the paradox most self-employed experts learn too late.

Check the slides to find out why

I break down 5 reasons niching creates more demand, not less. And why staying broad makes it harder to be known, trusted, and referred.

~~

💭 Which one hit closest to home for you?

📩 If you want more stories, tips, and practical resources on building demand through clarity, you can join 750 other newsletter subscribers here: leverageaccelerator.co

5 Reasons Niching Creates More Demand

Before: Talk to prove you know your stuff
After: Use silence to prove you know theirs.

Experts don’t dominate the conversation. They direct it.

I see this pattern show up in two very different moments.

First is when you’re just starting out.

You want to look credible. I felt this hard when I started my business in my early 30s and still looked fresh faced. Talking felt like proof that I knew my sh*t.

The second happens with experience.

You now know a lot. I caught myself here trying to explain how I’d integrated learning design, facilitation, design thinking, systems thinking, and Theory U. All true. All too much.

In others, I see the same two drivers.

Early on, it’s imposter syndrome.
Later, it’s the curse of knowledge.

Both lead to the same outcome.

You talk more to convince someone you know your stuff. And that gets in the way of them realising your stuff can help solve their problems.

I learned this later than expected.

In 2021, ten years in business, I finally did proper sales training. What stood out wasn’t a clever script. It was how little the best sales people spoke.

They asked better questions.
They left space.
They let the other person hear themselves think.

And when I tried this

I came across as more expert. As it turns out, the better the questions you ask, the more people believe you understand their problems.

And once they feel understood, your expertise no longer needs explaining.

~~

💬 Where do you notice yourself talking too much?

🎯Want more on asking better questions, building trust, and sounding like an expert without over-explaining? Join 750 newsletter subscribers at leveverageaccelerator.co

The biggest misconception I had about self-employment?
Less structure meant more freedom

You know...

Leisurely mornings.
Doing whatever I felt like each day.
“Seeing how things unfolds” energy.

I went fully solo in 2015, chasing that.

A couple of years in, I realised something important. No boss didn’t mean no pressure.

It meant I became the boss.

And HR.
And operations.
And the person panicking at 10pm, wondering why nothing felt finished.

With no structure...

Every day felt busy and oddly unproductive. Lots of motion. Very little traction.

The fix was structure all along

One clear target market.
One clear core offer.
One way to deliver.

And the days that I design around that

The irony still makes me laugh.

I'd left employment to remove structure and be free. But freedom came from choosing structure

~~

👀 What’s one rule or boundary that actually gave you more freedom?

📬 Join 750+ coaches, consultants, and facilitators getting stories, tips, and resources on building real freedom through structure: leverageaccelerator.co

The more “bespoke” your service is, the harder your business is to grow.

I used to think that was a sign of quality.
It’s usually a business model design flaw.

I just got off a call with someone who emphatically said, "I'm done being a freelancer. I'm a founder", and it made me reflect on two types of coaches.

Coach A: 3 clients.

Digging through old folders to “tweak something similar.”
Switching between designing, delivering, firefighting.
Calendar dictated by ad hoc meetings.
No space for business development.
Underestimating timelines.
Feast or famine on repeat.

Coach B: 3 clients.

Knows the inputs that create the outputs.
Clear client-serving system.
Clear client-getting system.
Can predict capacity.
Can predict time off.

For 9 years, I was Coach A.

Everything was bespoke. I wore it like a badge of honour.

Then, during the pandemic.

While doing digital transformation work for charities, I accidentally started systemising. Not because I was clever. Because I had to.

Now around 95% of what I do is standardised.

And the best bit. Creating something that compounds is still as creative act. AND I get to choose my bespoke work. I just don’t have to build my entire business around it anymore.

~~

👀 If you looked at your calendar for the next two weeks, what would it say about your business model?

Spent time this week with one of the most forward-thinking coaching communities.

The quality of people was obvious.

But what really stood out was how honestly the same challenges came up.

Lucie Coudret, ACC has built something special with Coaching Innovators and is delighted to be a supporting partners.

So we shared our Clarity Roadmap

We ran a workshop on how to design and price offers that actually sell. Shared the approach we’ve used with 100+ coaches and consultants in the last 2.5 years to package up their expertise and create more sales opportunities.

Things got interesting in the reflections.
Two things kept coming up:

1️⃣ Focusing challenge

A lot of these coaches have worked across industries, roles, and contexts. They know they can help a wide range of people. So narrowing in on one market feels like leaving impact on the table.

But in practice, the opposite happens.

When your message is broad, it’s easy to miss.
When it’s focused, it cuts through.

2️⃣ Pricing for value (not time) challenge

Not as simple as it sounds when the outcomes are intangible. Confidence. Clarity. Better decisions. Which makes things harder to measure. And why so many end up charging for time?

Easy to underprice. But not impossible.

When you map the transformation.
You can identify the milestones.

We’ve seen both of these patterns play

This workshop was just another reminder. And it’s exactly why partnerships like this matter. Different perspectives. Shared thinking. Better outcomes for the people in the room.

And more great coaches having an impact!

Grateful to Lucie for bringing together a group like this and trusting us to contribute.

Most partnerships don’t fail because of strategy. 
They fail because nobody talked about the awkward stuff.

People think they can skip the values conversation and “figure it out later.”

This clip shows what to cover early so the relationship survives pressure, money, and emotion.

I don’t think you can skip sales and still call it a business.

And I don’t think you can skip the values conversation and expect a long-term, fulfilling partnership.

The part most people avoid is the part that protects you later:

Exit clause
Remuneration
How money gets managed
What each of you needs to live

Have those conversations early, when emotion is low and honesty is easy.

It saves the relationship when things get stressful.

If you’re building a partnership, what’s the one conversation you’ve been avoiding? 👇Subscribe: https://lnkd.in/ehnd4_Tv

The fastest way to lose trust in a sales conversation is to stay at the surface.

Most people ask about goals, metrics, and strategy.

Almost no one asks what it actually means to the person.

In this clip, I talk about the question that changes everything:

Not “What problems are you facing?”
But “How is that affecting you personally?”

When you ask that, the dynamic shifts.

You stop being the problem-solver trying to impress.
You become the thought partner in their corner.

And especially at senior levels, where business and identity are tightly intertwined, that’s where the real conversation happens.

If you want clients to open up, stop staying safe.

Ask the question that actually matters.

What’s one question you’ve asked that changed a conversation completely? 👇

Subscribe for the full episode: https://lnkd.in/ehnd4_Tv

Just updated the exact 9-step flow we use to keep goodwill in a sales conversations even when someone doesn’t buy. Want it?

Comment FLOW and I’ll DM you the pdf

Refined over 15 years in business and hundreds of sales calls. Perfect for coaches, consultants and facilitators that value relationships rather than sleazy sales tactic.

I didn’t need more strategy. 
I needed someone to notice when I vanished.

Accountability wasn’t about pressure for me.

I used to tell myself I just needed more discipline. Then I got an accountability buddy. Not because I didn’t know what to do. I did.

I just wasn’t doing it consistently.

The value wasn’t pressure or guilt.

It was having someone outside my own head. Someone who’d calmly ask, “Did you do the thing you said you’d do?”

It worked. We’re still mates.

But the bigger shift came when I started building alongside someone else.

There’s a different standard when your decisions affect another person’s livelihood too. You stop negotiating with yourself.

If you’re stuck, it might not be motivation you’re missing. It might be stakes.

What’s one thing you keep dodging right now?

~~

👉 Subscribe to full episode: https://lnkd.in/ehnd4_Tv

Many professionals believe going independent means finally getting paid for their expertise.

But expertise alone rarely builds a sustainable practice.

The real shift is harder:

Learning to create demand for what you know, not just deliver it.

Because you're NOT going from:
↳ 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲 → 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿.

You're going from:
↳ 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿 → 𝗕𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀.

I've seen it time and time again.

A highly respected professional leaves the corporate world to build an independent practice. Six months later, they say some version of:

“𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘻𝘦𝘳𝘰?”

Because in some ways, you are.

When I first went fully solo in 2015, I landed a few early clients through my network. £850/day rate. A couple of referrals came in. It felt like I was on a roll

But it was a mirage.

Because the pipeline slows. And a new set of questions appears.

• How do I generate demand for what I do?
• How do I create a flow of opportunities?
• How do I sell without feeling icky?

These are not questions most professionals have ever had to answer inside an organisation.

• The brand carried the credibility.
• The company created the demand.
• The system produced the opportunities.

Independence removes that infrastructure.

Which means growing a practice requires something many experts find confronting.

Being a beginner again.

And that can feel brutal.

• Being sh*t as business development.
• Being sh*t at selling.
• And just feeling a bit sh*t

Even when you pivot, it's the same

That transition is something I've navigated multiple times. And it's what I now help my clients with.

because I've learnt that

Most independent experts don’t fail because they lack expertise. They struggle because they underestimate the shift from expert to business builder.

~~

What surprised you most when you first went independent?

Facilitator | Consultant | Trainer I Helping leaders build thriving teams, projects and organizations | Workshop Facilitation, Opportunity Framing, Stage Gate Process, Change Projects | Free Consult ⬇️

I help project owners and leadership teams get complex initiatives right before execution begins.

After 17+ years working across oil & gas, mining, and capital projects in Australia, the UK, and the United States, I’ve seen the same pattern repeat:

Most projects don’t fail because teams can’t execute.
They fail because the problem wasn’t clearly defined, stakeholders weren’t aligned, and key decisions weren’t made early enough.

That’s where I work.

I partner with owners, sponsors, and executive teams when projects feel harder than they should - when everyone is busy but not aligned, scope keeps shifting, decisions keep getting revisited, and governance exists on paper but not in practice.

My focus is the front end of projects, where a small amount of clarity creates outsized impact.

What I Do

I help organizations:

- clarify what problem they are really solving

- align stakeholders with competing priorities

- improve decision quality and governance

- reduce rework, delays, and wasted spend

I do this through opportunity framing workshops, kick offs, Stage Gate (Decision Gate) reviews and implementation, executive alignment sessions, and focused summits that move teams from discussion to decision.

How You Can Work With Me

Clients work with me to:

- Book a workshop (framing, strategic planning, alignment, or leadership summits)

- Review or improve the Stage Gate process

- Implement Stage Gate on a project or company-wide

- Train teams in Stage Gate and opportunity framing

Who I Work With

I work primarily with project owners and asset-focused organizations in energy, mining, infrastructure, and other capital-intensive environments where decisions carry real financial and reputational risk.


Let’s Talk

📅 Book a free consult call: wilson.biz/book-a-call

📧 Email: iwona@wilson.biz

🌐 Website: www.wilson.biz

🎓 Stage Gate & Framing Training: https://academy.wilson.biz

📘 Stage Gate Services: https://www.wilson.biz/stage-gate-process

📘 Workshops Services: https://www.wilson.biz/high-impact-workshops

☀️ Explore the Sunshine Summit: www.sunshinesummit.biz

Let’s make sure your next project doesn’t just get done - it gets done right.

01/12/2026

Iwona Wilson CPF

How many projects fail… because of assumptions no one challenged?

We assume:
- We’re solving the right problem.
- The solution is obvious.
- Stakeholders are aligned.
- Risks will “work themselves out.”
- The lifecycle model will protect us.

But unexamined assumptions are expensive.

That’s exactly why my husband Austin Wilson and I wrote our new book:

“Where Projects Are Lost or Won.”

And I’m so excited to share that it will be published this Wednesday on Amazon.

This book focuses on the first 10% of a project.

The part where clarity is created…
 - or confusion is locked in.

It’s a practical guide to:
- Early-stage decision-making
- Opportunity framing
- Using risk and assurance to your advantage
- Setting up gates that protect your investment
- Creating real alignment before execution begins

We wrote it because in workshop after workshop, across industries, we see brilliant teams struggling -  not because they lack capability -  but because they lack a clear framework for shaping decisions at the start.

A huge thank you to:

David Skinner - Executive, Strategist, Author of Introduction to Decision Analysis - for writing the foreword and for being such a powerful advocate of framing.

Jairo Velasquez - Director of Quality, PMP, PMO Office, thank you for writing the foreword and your support for our courses, workshops and this book.

And big thanks to Akin Oni, Damodaran Raghu and Neil Maxfield for sharing case studies and real-world insights that make this book very practical.

Big thanks also go to the people who had early influence on my approach to framing, facilitation, and governance, including my dear friend Susanna Durston, Karl Nolte and David Newman and to my past, present, and future clients. I have learned the most from you. Every workshop, every challenge, every difficult conversation shaped this work.

This book is for those who have big ideas. It takes boldness to pause, to think differently and to challenge familiar patterns.

Once you realize you can influence project success simply by thinking in a new way - by framing better, deciding earlier, and choosing more consciously - you may discover a new passion and new energy for your work.

Projects are rarely lost in execution - they are lost or won-  much earlier.

#wilsonbiz #whereprojectsarewonorlost

Iwona Wilson

Helping Project Owners Get The Project Right | Clarity, Alignment & Decision-Making | Capital Projects & Leadership Summits

I started my career in QA.

My job was simple:

Make sure we followed the process.
Check compliance.
Tick the boxes.

In the traditional world, projects looked like this:

Start → Plan → Deliver.

Simple.

Except it wasn’t.

Because what actually happened was this:

Start → Plan → Discover mistakes → Rework → Argue → Fix → Deliver late.

We weren’t failing because people were careless.

We were failing because we were doing things IN THE WRONG ORDER.

We planned before we were clear.
We delivered before we aligned.
We executed before we decided properly.

QA in the traditional sense checks if you followed the rules.

But what if the rules never questioned whether the project made sense in the first place?

That realization changed my career.

I moved from checking documents…
to shaping early decisions.

From compliance thinking…
to governance thinking.

From “Did we follow the plan?”
to “Should this be the plan at all?”

That’s where Decision Gates and opportunity framing come in.

Instead of:

Start → Plan → Deliver

It becomes:

Think → Frame → Decide → Commit → Deliver.

Same project.
Different order.
 
Very different outcome.

And this isn’t just for oil & gas or mining.

AI projects need this even more.

Because when you move fast without clarity,
you don’t just make small mistakes.

You scale the wrong decision.

Before your next project, ask yourself:

Are we just starting because we can?
 Or have we truly decided this is the right thing to build?

#decisiongateprocess #opportunityframing

Great Teams Build The Wrong Things Every Day

I’m so excited to be speaking next week for Project Success Academy℠ - a live session for project professionals who care about getting it right from the start.

And we’ll explore something that sounds counter-intuitive:
👉 Why slowing down at the start helps you move faster later.

We’ll talk about:
 - Opportunity Framing
 - The Decision Gate Process
 - Avoiding rework
 - Aligning stakeholders early
 - Making confident decisions before execution begins


If you work in complex projects, innovation, energy, infrastructure - this conversation matters.

Come along.
Engage in the discussion.
Challenge the ideas.

And for those who attend live - I have a SPECIAL GIFT - I’ve never shared publicly before. It will be worth it.

Drop a comment if you’d like the link 👇

Tanya Boyd, PMP®, PMI-ACP® Benjamin Rebeske

Great governance is not bureaucracy. It is clarity.

Join Iwona Wilson of Wilson Biz Consulting for a practical session designed for leaders who want stronger decisions, cleaner execution, and better outcomes:

Think Slow, Act Fast: Opportunity Framing and Project Governance

🗓️ Wed, Mar 4th
⏰ 11:30 to 12:30 CST

This session will help you frame opportunities with precision and govern projects with confidence.

✅ Register here:
https://lnkd.in/e7AQqv2U

Sponsored by Project Success Academy™.

#ProjectManagement #ProjectGovernance #LeadershipDevelopment #OpportunityFraming #StrategicLeadership #BusinessStrategy #ProgramManagement #DecisionMaking #Execution #ContinuousImprovement

I was reflecting lately.

Everywhere you look, people are saying the same thing:

“The system is broken.”

The political system.
The corporate system.
The medical system is broken.
Education is broken.
Project governance is broken.

And honestly… it does feel that way in many ways.

But here’s what I’ve been thinking.

We tend to complain about the system.

We point at it.
We criticize it.
We get frustrated.

But complaining doesn’t change it.

And in many cases, the system ISN'T broken.

It’s PRODUCING exactly what it was designed to produce.

If speed is rewarded, people move fast, even when clarity is missing.
If avoiding conflict is safer than speaking up, people stay quiet.
If leaders say “challenge me” but react defensively, people learn quickly not to.

And then we say:
“No one takes ownership.”
“Why didn’t anyone raise this earlier?”
“Why didn’t someone stop this?”

Because the CONDITIONS WEREN'T designed for that.

Belief doesn’t just happen.
Bravery doesn’t just appear.
Truth doesn’t just happen.

It shows up when the environment allows it.

In projects, I’ve seen this many times.

We want engagement.
But we don’t design real participation.

We want innovation.
But we punish mistakes.

The system reflects what we reward.

So maybe the question isn't:
“Why is the system broken?”

Maybe the first question is:
“What are we reinforcing without realizing it?”

We are stepping into the Year of the Horse.
People say it brings power, energy and action.

If you really want change, in projects, in companies, even in our culture

It won’t come from running faster.

It will come from redesigning the conditions.

Curious to know, what pattern are you about to accelerate this year?

P.S. here is an image of an AI - generated Horse - I was experimenting last night.

Last Wednesday I had the privilege of joining a panel discussion for the newly formed Society of Decision Professionals (SDP) | A Great Decision Every Time chapter at the University of Houston.

It was such a great evening. I met thoughtful panelists and incredibly passionate students who genuinely want the best for themselves and their future. The level of curiosity in the room was inspiring.

It reminded me of when I was at university- full of ambition, but also full of questions.

Will I be able to get a job?
How do I find the right company that will invest in me?
How will I fit in?
How do I prepare myself for what feels inevitable but unknown?

These questions are TIMELESS. Every generation faces them in one form or another.

If I could give one piece of advice, it would be this: ACT

Get involved in something beyond your degree. Don’t wait to be chosen -create something. Explore what genuinely interests you and build around that.

During my university years, my biggest accomplishment wasn’t a grade. It was founding a Quality Management System Society at my University (I think its still exists). I brought together a group of about 12 students and we organized a six-month research project on ISO 9001. We then hosted a conference and published our findings. 

We ended up in the news. Certification bodies were lining up with job offers.

I share this not because it’s the only path but because sometimes one bold move can open more doors than traditional networking ever will.

Looking back, I don’t think I ever truly fit a “standard” job description. Either a role was created for me, or I had to create it myself.

And maybe that’s the point.

If you’re a student wondering how to get the job you really want - you have more power than you think. Start before you feel ready.

👉 Curious, what advice would you give students today who are trying to land the right job? Please share, let's have them hear from us.

It was so great to be there with you Diana Swift Paul Wicker Leah W. Chris Travis Nguyen Lam Aadya Yadav Reed Y. Trang Hoang  Eric Woods and many more

Society of Decision Professionals (SDP) | A Great Decision Every Time

View company: Society of Decision Professionals (SDP) | A Great Decision Every Time

The University of Houston sits in the Energy Capital of the World — and this week, the Society of Decision Professionals (SDP) UH leaned into that advantage.

On Tuesday night, the Society of Decision Professionals (SDP) | A Great Decision Every Time brought together senior leaders from BP, ExxonMobil, Chevron, and global consulting to explore one central question:
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲?

The conversation unpacked how Decision Quality frameworks guide billion-dollar capital allocation, risk evaluation, and long-term strategic planning across industries.

From engineering and portfolio appraisal to executive advisory work, our panelists, Paul Wicker, Iwona Wilson, Chris Travis, Leah W. shared real-world insights into how leading organizations think under uncertainty — and what it truly takes to make sound, defensible decisions in complex environments.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 — 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀.

A big thank you to our speakers and to the UH Student Chapter for hosting such a meaningful conversation. 
💫 💫💫 💫  The future of decision leadership is bright.

#DecisionQuality #DecisionAnalysis #EnergyLeadership #UH #SDP #LeadershipUnderUncertainty

Last night I had meeting at David Skinner restaurant Eculent in Kemah with members of the Society of Decision Professionals (SDP) | A Great Decision Every Time Houston Chapter.

At one point I asked David:

“What’s the key to your success?”

This is a man who has started 30+ businesses.
Built two large consulting firms.
And (proud moment for me) is one of the biggest fans of framing I’ve ever met.

I expected the usual answers:
Networking
The right product
Funding
Process
Leads
Timing

Instead, he said:

“No fear.”

That stopped me.

Not strategy.
Not capital.
Not credentials.

No fear.

When I got back home last night, I kept thinking about that.

What would I do if I truly had no fear?

Would I write the bold book?
Expanded my services?
Say the uncomfortable truth to the client?
Go after the partnerships that feel “big”?

And then a deeper question:
What would the world look like if more of us operated with less fear?

Leaders who ask the hard questions earlier
Teams who admit they don’t know yet
Sponsors who pause projects that shouldn’t move forward
Entrepreneurs who start before they feel ready

In framing workshops, I often see fear hiding in different forms:
- Fear of being wrong.
- Fear of slowing down.
- Fear of challenging assumptions.
- Fear of saying, “Are we solving the right problem?”

Maybe clarity doesn’t start with better tools.
Maybe it starts with LESS FEAR.

If you imagined your work or your life with no fear…
What would you choose?
And why?

PS. here is a short vid of this outstanding restaurant in Kemah Houston called Eculent. Big thanks to SDP for organizing another great event. Chris Travis you are the best driver! it was fabulous to hang out with so many great consultants and students from the UH.

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