Jim Wicks

Cultivating Leadership is a key client in my internal role as Global Managing Director. Examples of my external facing roles with clients: local clients include organisations and leaders on decarbonisation journeys in the resources sector; international clients include organisations in the global technology, pharmaceutical and not for profit sectors.

Generally the leaders I am working with are experiencing changes in their context that is demanding something different from them and those around them. I take both lead and faculty roles in projects.

Design and development of bespoke workshops or leadership programs, team and individual coaching. Working with Boards and senior leaders to create adaptive strategy.

My approach is based on high trust, openness and collaboration to developing relationships. Value emerges through listening well and not being afraid to talk about what might be undiscussables. I like to co-design and build capability in the organisations and individuals I works with while also continuously learning.

Time is invested upfront to understand the context and assess fit. This may mean taking some baby steps together to learn about each other or could also mean some form of formal discovery process. After the first stages of an engagement bespoke offerings are developed with the team that are centred on the client. A continuous cycle of assessing the context and maintaining a “one team” approach ensures that the client focus is maintained.

Years of experience in a variety of contexts trying to find a better way while seeing first hand the dysfunction created by traditional approaches to organisation design, strategy and leadership often driven by a fixation on financial outcomes as the only measure of success.

Alongside this, the reward of witnessing what is possible when people are trusted and enabled. In more recent times, a growing urgency to bring together my history, experience, access to networks and resources, (along with a dab of curiosity) to serve the issues that are facing us individually and collectively on our fragile planet.

Co-Founder, Managing Director and Board Member along with mentor, coach, facilitator, advisor and friend.

I am a country boy at heart and after working in the city for many years and a stint in Ireland I have re-settled in Taupō Aotearoa New Zealand.

Relaxing in the outdoors is a big part of who I am – cycling, kayaking and just wandering. I am a husband, father and grandad. I’m curious and always up for experimenting. Experimenting extends to the kitchen, a place of creativity and relaxation. An accomplished cook, I love a room full of people enjoying food and conversation.

I prefer to work in collaboration with others in genuine relationship – this means a reluctance to engage in a master/servant style of relationship (order taker/order giver) as this is neither enjoyable nor complexity friendly and is unlikely to add value.

My preference is that the process of formal engagement takes an approach based on the principals of Relational Contracting. As a B-Corp, Cultivating Leadership and colleagues publicly live the commitments made to Sustainability, Justice Equity Diversity Inclusion and Belonging, and Human Flourishing. In living these commitments it places boundaries around the nature of the work that I will enter into. Strong preference is given to similarly committed organisations and individuals as partners and clients.