Our Story
It started around a kitchen table in Paekākāriki.
Four friends—Jennifer, Jim, Keith, and Carolyn—dreaming about how we could help leaders navigate the messiness of human life.
Unofficial Beginnings
Jennifer’s garden shed was a favorite spot to develop these ideas, often with a flip chart paper tacked on the rough walls. It wasn’t about building a business; we didn’t have an official name, but our vision was clear: to create space to do work that mattered with people we cared about.
2012
Becoming Official
In 2012, Jennifer’s book Changing on the Job was released and quickly became one of Stanford Press’ top titles. “We realized we needed a platform for these ideas we were trying to put out into the world. So we finally had a name—Cultivating Leadership.”
2012
Expanding Horizons
Early connections laid the groundwork for what would become a truly global network. In 2012, we got our first client outside of New Zealand, a large consulting firm based in Sydney, Australia. That client, plus other connections Jennifer had made in Australia through Growth Edge Coaching, meant we expanded both our presence there and our colleagues based there.
2013
Growing Global
When Carolyn moved back to the US, we suddenly became a global organization! We expanded our client base in North America and, naturally, needed more colleagues. Our early gatherings, known as summer schools, began in Paekākāriki in 2013 and continued in New Zealand through 2015. In October 2015, we hosted Fall Follies (too late for a summer school) in Petaluma, CA, bringing together existing colleagues and friends, many of whom joined our growing team. Today, these joy-filled annual gatherings are known as Cultivations. The conversations that started in Paekākāriki and Petaluma have rippled outward, leading to collaborations with wonderful colleagues and clients across the globe.
2015
Leadership for
Complex Times
In 2015, Jennifer and Keith released Simple Habits for Complex Times. This opened doors to new exciting opportunities, including our first major project with Google. Our team also started to grow, attracting individuals from around the world who shared our values of trust, generosity, friendship, and a love of learning.
2017
Moving further north
With Jim making a throwaway comment to Anne Nagle in 2017, our only European Colleague at the time, about joining her in Ireland for a while, and Jennifer’s move to London about the same time, the catalyst was ignited to grow in Europe with a massively expanded European footprint of 3 people. Jennifer landed in London for a while and now lives in France. Jim returned to New Zealand in 2021 after three years based out of Cork. There are now about 30 Colleagues and many wonderful Clients and friends in Europe and the Middle East. Ireland remains our business hub for the region.
2019
Adapting in Uncertainty
The Covid-19 pandemic brought challenges but also opportunities to adapt. We moved our offerings online, ensuring we could still support leaders. The thing that mattered most to us during this disconnected time was continuing to infuse our learning experiences with deep connection. At a time when people could go weeks or months without seeing a colleague in person, learning how to grow connections virtually was as important as learning how to take new action.
2023
Tilting the Odds
We never set out to create a company. From the very beginning, our focus was to be a force for good. In 2023, we took a significant step to stay true to that mission by giving our company away. The Tilt Foundation was created so that any wealth generated would be reinvested in meaningful projects. This move ensures we keep our focus where it matters most to us and that we continue to bring our expertise in complexity, leadership, and deep, sustaining connections into philanthropic work, using what we know to help tilt the world toward sustainable flourishing.
2024
Force for Good
In 2024, we became a B Corp, joining a global community of organizations dedicated to social and environmental responsibility. Our commitment is guided by three key pillars: human flourishing, justice, equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging (JEDIB), and sustainability.
As we move forward, our mission to cultivate leadership that drives positive change in the world remains. The journey that began around a kitchen table has evolved, but the foundations of friendship, trust, and the desire to do some good in the world for and with those we love—continue to guide us.
Carolyn, Jennifer, Jim and Keith