The power of a clear Baseline: Identifying what you truly need to change
In our last article, we introduced the B.U.I.L.D.© framework— our structured approach to integrating mindset and action for meaningful transformation. The first step in the framework, Baseline, ensures that individuals, teams, and organisations take a step back to gain clarity, before making strategic shifts.
This is never more relevant than at times of economic malaise and contextual step changes such as with the recent tariffs on goods produced outside the US.
Avoid a common trap: jumping to solutions without understanding the root cause.
Whether it’s declining team performance, slow decision-making, or a lack of confidence in stepping up, leaders and professionals alike often assume they know the issue - and the solution - and rush to fix it.
But what if the real challenge isn’t what it seems?
What if hidden factors within yourself, your team, or your organisation are the real barriers to success?
Just as researchers wouldn’t measure the success of an ad campaign without a Baseline, to compare to, organisational, leadership and career growth require the same foundational clarity. Without fully understanding where you are today, any actions you take, may be misdirected, leading to wasted effort and ineffective strategies.
Most leaders and professionals default to tangible performance indicators—like project completion rates or revenue growth—but overlook the intangibles that drive long-term success:
✔️The presence of self-sabotaging behaviours (both personal and cultural)
✔️How individuals and teams operate under pressure
✔️Levels of positive collaboration
These unseen forces impact everything from decision-making to innovation.
A leader might, internally, blame their team’s hesitation or lack of initiative, when in reality, their own micro-management has conditioned people to wait for approval.
An individual might assume they have a skills gap when exploring a career shift, when in fact, it’s a mindset shift that’s needed.
If you measure the wrong things, you get the wrong results
The Baseline phase of B.U.I.L.D. © helps you avoid this, by moving beyond surface-level observations to uncover deep insights that shape an effective strategy. Whether working with individual leaders, teams, or entire organisations, we gather insights to identify strengths, challenges, and opportunities, setting the stage for impactful development.
For Individuals
✔️ Personal Assessments: Identify self-sabotaging tendencies and how they impact decision-making, confidence, and career progression. An 8 week enhancement of your positive intelligence
✔️ Individual Reflection Exercises: Pinpoint personal patterns, mindset shifts, and areas for professional growth.
✔️ Strengths & Blind Spot Analysis: Gain clarity on what’s helping or hindering your progress.
✔️ Goal-Setting & Career Alignment: Define what success really means for you to create a foundation for intentional growth.
For Teams & Organisations
✔️ Team & Leadership Assessments: Identify self-sabotaging behaviors that impact collaboration, team trust, and performance.
✔️ Leadership Interviews & Employee Surveys: Gather candid feedback on team dynamics, communication, and leadership effectiveness.
✔️ Cultural & Behavioral Analysis: Understand how workplace norms, habits, and unspoken rules influence engagement and innovation.
✔️ Industry Benchmarking & Desk Research: Compare your organization’s leadership and team effectiveness to best practices.
Without this foundation, leaders risk making surface-level changes that fail to address the deeper issues holding individuals, teams, and businesses back.
What’s Next?
Establishing a Baseline is the first vital step of B.U.I.L.D. © —once we uncover the real dynamics at play, the next stage is about equipping leaders and teams with the skills to shift behaviours and mindsets.
Next article: UPSKILL: Building the mindset & capabilities for sustainable growth.
Want to assess your own or your team’s Baseline?
Download our B.U.I.L.D. © info pack or book a call here
Read our previous article "Creating a growth mindset with the BUILD framework"