Situation overview
This situation arises when the business is operating and trading, but senior leadership is under sustained pressure and carrying too much of the load personally.
The organisation may not be in crisis. Performance may even be broadly acceptable. Yet decision-making feels harder than it should, issues repeatedly escalate to the top, and progress depends disproportionately on one or two individuals holding things together.
This is rarely a capability problem.
It is usually a leadership load and execution problem.
Leadership Support Under Pressure provides experienced, practical support that helps MDs, CEOs, and senior teams think clearly, make sound decisions, and reduce the burden they are carrying, without undermining authority or destabilising the organisation.
What this situation often looks like in practice
While each situation is different, common characteristics include:
- Sustained pressure on the MD or CEO with little space to think clearly
- Capable leaders below them, but inconsistent follow-through or ownership
- Complex stakeholder dynamics requiring careful judgement
- Important decisions being revisited or delayed due to execution uncertainty
- A sense of isolation at the top of the organisation
The risk is not poor intent or lack of effort.
It is fatigue, drag, and avoidable decision error.
Selected Case Studies
Supporting leadership through a necessary headcount reduction
Context
A mid-sized manufacturing business was facing sustained financial pressure due to declining demand and rising costs. While the leadership team recognised that headcount reduction was unavoidable, there was concern about executing the process without damaging productivity, service delivery, or trust across the organisation.
The HR Director and senior management team sought independent operational support to validate the approach, strengthen decision-making, and ensure the process was robust, fair, and commercially sound.
My role
I worked alongside the HR Director and senior leadership team to assess workforce structure, evaluate risk, and support the design and execution of a headcount reduction programme.
The remit was not simply compliance. It was to ensure the organisation emerged more stable, focused, and capable once the transition was complete.
What mattered operationally
The critical challenge was balancing cost reduction with continuity.
The work focused on identifying where capacity could be reduced without undermining operational output or customer service. This required clear prioritisation of essential roles, honest assessment of productivity, and careful sequencing of decisions.
Equally important was how the change was handled. Transparent communication, legal rigour, and visible leadership presence were essential to maintaining morale and trust among those who remained.
Independent review and reporting provided management with confidence that decisions were grounded in evidence rather than emotion or convenience.
Outcome
The headcount reduction was implemented with minimal disruption to productivity and service delivery.
While there was an initial cash impact from severance costs, the long-term effect was a materially leaner cost base and improved operational focus. Annual operating costs reduced by approximately 10 percent, with no loss of critical capability.
Employee feedback indicated strong approval of the communication process, and no legal challenges arose from the restructuring. Independent validation confirmed the initiative was well designed and aligned to the company’s strategic objectives.
The business emerged more resilient, with leadership confidence strengthened and a clearer platform for stability.
Strengthening a senior leadership team to deliver an ambitious growth strategy
Context
A fast-growing energy solutions business had set out a bold and ambitious strategy. The CEO had clear conviction, but successful delivery depended on a senior leadership team operating with sharper alignment and a more consistent execution rhythm.
Finance, sales, operations, legal, technical, and programme delivery were all working hard, but not always in the same direction. Decisions were increasingly interdependent, execution pace varied across functions, and leadership load was becoming heavier at the centre.
NorthCo was engaged to design and deliver leadership and commercial alignment support to strengthen decision-making, improve execution, and create the rhythm required to deliver the strategy at pace.
My role
I designed and led a tailored alignment and leadership support programme working directly with the CEO and senior leadership team.
The programme involved seven executives responsible for the commercial, financial, legal, operational, and technical elements of the growth plan, including the CFO, Sales Director, Programme Director, General Counsel, Technical Director, CTO, and COO.
What mattered operationally
Initial work showed that each executive understood their functional responsibilities well, but the team lacked a shared view of commercial drivers, customer constraints, and sequencing trade-offs.
Discussions were often functional rather than collective. Some decisions stalled through uncertainty, while others moved ahead without full appreciation of downstream impact.
The work therefore focused on building shared understanding, improving cross-functional collaboration, and strengthening execution discipline. Strategy was translated into clear departmental OKRs, interdependencies were clarified, and a higher-tempo leadership rhythm was established.
Monthly working sessions were supported by weekly one-to-one guidance to ensure that learning translated into real operational behaviour.
Outcome
The leadership team developed a sharper and more consistent approach to decision-making. Alignment strengthened across functions, execution became more predictable, and friction reduced materially.
Leadership load eased at the centre, allowing the CEO to step back from day-to-day coordination and focus on the wider strategic agenda.
The programme was extended beyond its initial scope and now forms part of how the organisation maintains alignment and discipline as it continues to scale.
Leadership transition and stabilisation in a founder-led business under pressure
Context
A mid-sized, private equity-backed manufacturing and distribution business had stalled against its original investment thesis. While the market opportunity remained intact, performance had drifted and confidence across the leadership group was eroding.
The founder CEO, previously a driving force, had become largely absent from day-to-day leadership. This created a vacuum beneath the surface. Middle management compensated without authority, the senior team became demotivated, and decision-making slowed under uncertainty.
External pressure was building from the bank, portfolio team, and board, with concern that the situation could deteriorate quickly if left unaddressed.
I was initially asked to conduct an operational assessment. What emerged was not primarily an operational failure, but leadership fragility under strain.
What mattered in this situation
The core issue was confidence and control.
The founder retained intellectual authority but was no longer providing visible leadership. Attempts to compensate through an expanded management layer increased complexity without restoring direction.
Trust was thinning. Decisions were deferred. Energy was draining from the organisation.
The risk was not immediate collapse, but prolonged drift and value erosion at a critical moment.
My role
I worked closely with the portfolio director and board to stabilise the leadership environment while difficult decisions were made.
This included:
Providing an objective assessment of leadership gaps and effectiveness
Creating a calm, fact-based narrative for the board and bank
Supporting the founder through a transition process that preserved dignity while restoring control
Stepping into the business as Interim CEO once continuity of leadership could not be maintained
The focus was not blame. It was restoring clarity, authority, and momentum.
How pressure was managed
Immediate priority was containing anxiety within the system.
Work focused on:
Re-establishing confidence with the bank
Providing visible leadership certainty to the senior team
Removing ambiguity around roles and accountability
Shifting the organisation from hesitation to controlled execution
With consistent leadership presence and prioritisation, the temperature reduced quickly and the business moved out of defensive mode.
Outcome
With leadership stabilised, the business regained direction and confidence.
A permanent CEO was appointed following a structured transition. The senior team re-engaged, operational focus improved, and external stakeholders were reassured that the business was back under control.
This work was not about operational heroics. It was about holding leadership steady under pressure and creating space for good decisions.
Why this matters
Leadership under pressure is rarely about capability. It is about confidence, clarity, and control.
Value is protected not through dramatic intervention, but through calm containment, honest assessment, and experienced support when judgement matters most.
That is the work I am typically asked to do as pressure rises.
Additional relevant work
Additional leadership support includes:
- Independent operational review supporting a newly formed leadership team under board scrutiny
- Leadership realignment for a management team experiencing sustained pressure and internal drift
- Emergency interim leadership support during insolvency processes, providing calm authority and operational control
- Interim leadership intervention to restore discipline and accountability where prolonged remote working had eroded effectiveness
- Interim Sales and Marketing Director support to stabilise performance following unexpected leadership departure
- Discreet resourcing support to reduce load on internal HR teams during critical programmes
- Interim Digital Marketing Director support to stabilise digital execution and transition to effective oversight
- Board-level facilitation to improve decision-making and translate discussion into execution
Experience and judgement
This work is often confidential and undertaken quietly. It relies on trust, judgement, and the ability to challenge constructively without destabilising the organisation.
Has the courage to be challenging but always a pleasure to deal with.
Trevor is a hugely experienced and impressive leader, who has that scarce ingredient of being able to be very focussed on his own goals (and be most persuasive) whilst also mindful of others views and needs. Has the courage to be challenging but always a pleasure to deal with.
Peter Cottle – Senior Director – Bank of Scotland Corporate