From capable executives to a cohesive team

The effectiveness of the leadership team is one of the strongest predictors of organisational performance.

Even highly capable individual executives can struggle to deliver sustained results if the team lacks strategic alignment, constructive challenge, personal accountability or effective ways of working. These issues often surface indirectly through inconsistent execution, cultural tension or unclear messaging across the organisation.

A leadership team effectiveness review provides a disciplined way to assess how well the team operates collectively — not simply how individuals perform in isolation.

Our executive effectiveness review is built on the SOLID framework, a contemporary model that defines what effective leadership team members consistently demonstrate in practice.

SOLID reflects five interrelated components of collective leadership effectiveness:

Sets direction
effective leadership team members contribute actively to strategic clarity and enterprise alignment. this includes helping define priorities, reinforcing purpose, connecting functional decisions to enterprise outcomes, and guiding conversations toward long-term value creation.

Operates collaboratively
leadership teams succeed when members work constructively together. this includes building trust, encouraging open dialogue, engaging in respectful challenge, and putting team success ahead of individual recognition.

Leads self
sustained leadership impact begins with personal effectiveness. this includes self-awareness, emotional intelligence, resilience, reflection, and disciplined self-management — particularly under pressure or during change.

Influences and leads others
beyond peer collaboration, leadership team members must positively influence stakeholders across and beyond the organisation. this includes building credibility, communicating clearly, aligning direct reports and reinforcing consistent values and messaging.

Delivers outcomes
leadership effectiveness is ultimately reflected in results. this includes accountability, follow-through, maintaining high standards, removing obstacles and contributing to enterprise-wide performance.

Together, these components provide a balanced view of how leadership team members shape direction, work together and translate strategy into impact.

Leadership team effectiveness reviews typically combine a structured survey based on the SOLID framework with optional interviews to explore themes in greater depth.

Members of the leadership team complete a confidential assessment reflecting on their own effectiveness and the effectiveness of the team across the SOLID dimensions. Where appropriate, interviews may be conducted with the CEO and selected team members to add context and clarify themes.

The combination of structured data and qualitative insight provides a practical and defensible view of how the leadership team is functioning in reality.

Findings are synthesised into a clear, practical report highlighting areas of collective strength and opportunities to strengthen alignment, collaboration and execution.

The report is typically discussed with the CEO first. Depending on governance preferences, a summary may then be shared with the board to support oversight of leadership capability and organisational effectiveness.

The emphasis is on insight and improvement, not attribution or blame.

Boards and CEOs value the clarity and discipline a leadership team effectiveness review provides.

It helps surface issues that may otherwise remain unspoken, strengthens shared understanding of expectations, and provides a structured basis for improving how the team operates together. For CEOs, it offers actionable insight into where leadership attention will have the greatest enterprise impact.

Most importantly, it strengthens the collective leadership capacity of the organisation.

Leadership team effectiveness reviews are commonly used:

• Following changes in strategy, structure or leadership.
• During periods of growth, transformation or increased complexity.
• Where execution is not matching expectations.
• To support leadership development and team alignment.

The timing and depth of the review are guided by organisational need rather than fixed cycles.

Leadership team effectiveness reviews are often used alongside board effectiveness reviews, CEO performance reviews and culture or engagement diagnostics.

Together, these reviews provide a coherent view of how leadership and governance operate across the organisation.

All leadership team effectiveness reviews are conducted independently and confidentially.

Responses are aggregated to protect anonymity, supporting candid input while preserving trust and constructive working relationships.