A New Season - the launch of Trail Consultancy

I don't often share personal news on my blog but I wanted to let everyone know that after 9 very happy years at Safe Families I've decided to go in a new direction.  

Last May (2024) I attended the Keswick Leadership Course which helped me to reflect on where I was at and where I was going.  If you want a refresh on your leadership, I can't recommend a leadership retreat highly enough.  Other than feedback, a new perspective is one of the few ways our leadership will grow and flourish.  The Keswick Leadership Course brings together 20 leaders and, combines incredible content, great group work and individual coaching. During the week I felt a strong sense that my time in Safe Families had come to an end and I was being called to something new.  

During a session on identity and personal purpose we were asked what our personal values were and then we were asked to wrestle with the the following questions:

• What gifts or talents have always come naturally to you?
• When do you lose track of time?
• What are you truly passionate about?
• Where do you find energy?
• What are you known for being exceptional at?
• What would you do if you didn't need to earn money?
• What makes you angry?
• What change do you want to see in the world?

We were then encouraged to come up with a personal purpose statement.  Something happened that week that led me a new direction.  I've always been drawn to coaching and developing others, I love casting vision, I love new ideas, seeing leaders communicate passionately, and seeing people grow and flourish.  So somewhere in the Lake District, driving between Keswick and Ullswater the idea of a coaching/leadership business was born.   What is was called or what it looked like wasn't clear.  

During June, after a walk with a leader around the Murieston Trail, the name came to me.  After a bit of soul searching and a very nice steak dinner with my future business partner, Jonathan Innes, of Innes and Partners,Trail Consultancy was registered in 2024.  I'm very thankful to Fin Macrae at Dufi Art for some lovely logos.  

So what is Trail Consultancy for?  What is our leadership philosophy? 

Einstein once said 'If I had a an hour to figure out the most important question in the universe, I would sped the first 55 minutes making sure I understood the question' (quoted in R. Michael Andersons book 'Leadership Mindset 2.0).  So much of leadership is about awareness.  What is really going on here?  So often we need to slow down and get to the heart of the real issue.

But lets be honest, leadership is difficult.  There is no blueprint, no handbook and often there is nobody to guide you.  Leadership is not so much a destination but a journey and it important who you have with you.  Many of us were very competent managers and then we become leaders.  We need to move from doer's to conductors.  Many people simply never make this change.  

Trail Consultancy was set up to support leaders, teams and organisations to find purpose and direction so they can grow and flourish.  We don't want to see burnout and exhausted leaders we want to see leaders filled with energy and vision.  

We want to support leaders to slow down, take stock and recalibrate their direction and focus.  A coherent vision, communicated passionately can inspire teams and organisations to greatness. When teams have a shared and purpose driven vision, and where there is a culture of trust and belonging, great things can be achieved and staff can flourish.

We believe that great leaders, teams and organisations have four things which set them apart:

Passion – great leaders inspire followers.  This is why the character and identity of the leader is so important.  Personal development, learning and perspective allow leaders to inspire followers.  The modern obsession with micromanagement is killing creativity in many organisations.  Leaders need to rediscover what led them in to leadership, cast vision and communicate that passionately.   

Purpose – leadership is about a clear sense of direction.  Great leaders inspire others with a clear and coherent vision and create a culture of trust and belonging.  Trail wants to help leaders, teams and organisations to find a sense of direction and purpose.  When you know where you are going, it a lot easier when the storms hit.  Leadership is like the captain of a ship trying to chart a course often through choppy waters.  Keeping a steady course is so important to great leadership.

People – Your greatest asset is your team.  Investing in your team, creating a values driven culture sets organisations apart from their competitors.  Hiring the right people and setting the right culture are critical for success.  Trail can help you look at culture and systems to make your organisation great.

Perseverance – Great leaders get back up when they are knocked down.  They persevere and push through.  Maybe you feel you have lost your passion and purpose after a busy season, let Trail Consultancy walk with you as you seek to find a new perspective.  

We are officially launching in February 2025 but we are open to discussions about prospective work.  

We are offering the following services:

Leadership Coaching – Trail Consultancy can help leaders to grow and develop in their role through 1:1 coaching.  Leadership is all about finding your passion and purpose and then continuing to grow and flourish.  We can offer personal and team coaching to work through issues, support with a crisis or help during a time of change and transition. 

Communication and presentation – We can help you to communicate more effectively both internally and externally.  We can help you to think through your message, how you are delivering your message and also support you and your team to present with clarity and passion. 

Developing resilient and healthy teams – Culture is key to effectiveness and impact.  Trail Consultancy can help you develop a healthy culture and develop systems for staff to grow and flourish.  Recruitment, induction and managing staff are crucial to a great organisation and Trail can support you with this.  As R. Michael Anderson says in his book 'Leadership Mindset 2.0': 'Great leaders do not create followers; they create more leaders.'

Governance and financial health check – Trail Consultancy can provide  governance advice and a financial stability check so your organisation has the structures and stability necessary to plan for the future.  Good governance is critical to organisations and charities building a strong and stable future.  

If you would like to get in touch with us please email us here:

Andy Murray - andy@trailconsultancy.co.uk 

Jonathan Innes - jonathan@trailconsultancy.co.uk