In an ever complex and noisy world, being a leader can all too often feel like a roller coaster of emotions. At times it can be a very lonely place where you often feel that you’re having to herd cats to get things done, but on a good day it can be hugely rewarding.
Herding Cats partners with leaders and their teams within professional service firms and the networks and associations they belong, to challenge their legacy thinking, cut through the noise, understand their business’s relevance today before trying to work out its tomorrow and to then look at the best way(s) to build a businesses that will be relevant to those they herd and serve as they LOOK TO BE BETTER in what is an ever-changing world.
WHAT WE DO
No two firms are alike. No two situations are alike. No two people are alike. That’s why at Herding Cats our cat is wearing glasses to show that we’re looking out for you, to help you to understand your story and partner with you as you LOOK TO BE BETTER.
We’re not here to flog you a process, sell you a book or tell you that I have all the answers. Herding Cats is all about understanding your story and then partnering with you to deliver your future commercial success and relevance as you LOOK TO BE BETTER in all you do.
At Herding Cats we focus on 4 core areas of your business:
Live Your Story
Understand your personal and business story and align it to your journey as you LOOK TO BE BETTER in all you do in delivering relevance to those you herd and serve
deliver relevance
Bring alive your story through a process driven workplace powered by the right technology and resources that drives your commercial successÂ
Empower your people
Getting your herd to be ‘good busy’ rather than ‘bad busy’ by focusing on what adds the most value to your business, your herd and those you serve.
Make a difference
WHY WE'RE DOING IT
We want to work with people we like and who are open to challenging the legacy norms of their business and sector as they LOOK TO BE BETTER in all they do.
It’s all about the connection. To do this right we’re going to have to spend time together, get to know one another and trust one another as we partner on your journey as you LOOK TO BE BETTER in all you do in meeting (and hopefully exceeding) your commercial goals and delivering a future relevance to those you herd and serve.
While these are challenging times for many, they are also a time of opportunity for those with the right mindset. Herding Cats is all about helping those with a ‘glass half full’ mentality and if we can have some fun on our journey together then so much the better!
To do this, we need to be honest with one another and have each other’s back. There’s no room for feral or territorial thinkers that are protecting their own best interests (in cat terms, a group like this is called a destruction – says it all!).
SO WHAT IS HERDING CATS ALL ABOUT?
So why Herding Cats? The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as: ‘used to refer to a difficult or impossible task, typically an attempt to organise a group of people – “controlling the members of my team is like herding cats”.
Herding Cats works with leaders who have an openness to challenge their firm and sector legacy mindset and ‘norms’ to deliver relevance to those they herd and serve as they LOOK TO BE BETTER in all they do.
Unlike others, we don’t do pigeonholing (however tasty that pigeon might be) and so you won’t get the industry norm of the ‘square peg into a round hole’ or ‘off the shelf one size fits all’ processes, books, training or tech that you get from those you’d normally approach for help.Â
We’re here to help you strip out the noise of the world around you and get back to the basics of why you’re doing what you do and how you can LOOK TO BE BETTER in all you do on your journey ahead.
Herding Cats provides an impartial ear to listen and learn about your story, help challenge, and where appropriate, break the shackles of legacy and to partner with you in successfully moving your herd in one direction..
Being up front, we don’t have all the answers, but we have an extensive herd of our own of people we know and trust who we will connect you to as and when required.
Yes these are challenging times, but they are also opportune times for those willing to stand up, to be held to account and to look to make a positive impact on those around them.
WHO WE ARE
JAMES HICKEY
As Chief Cat Herder, James has built a herd of people and strategic partners who he knows and trusts who work seamlessly together.
James’ business journey to date has included being the CEO of two multinational organisations which has provided him the opportunity to work with thousands of business leaders within both the professional services sector (from local independent ‘challenger’ firms to Big 4 and Magic Circle firms as well as the networks and alliances that many of these belong to) to businesses from SME’s to Fortune 100 companies. This journey has taken James to 80+ countries.
The highlight for James from his journey so far, has been the time that leaders from a cross section of businesses and markets around the world have given him to tell their respective stories. These stories have provided real insight into a variety of journeys taken, both successful and not, that combine to give James real insight and a broad understanding of the business world around us.
OUR LOOK TO BE BETTER PARTNERS
At Herding Cats we want to make a difference, not only to our business partners, but also the communities we live and work in, and to those that help us look to be better.
Herding Cats is very proud to have built close links with the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB). We are also conscious of the impact Herding Cats has on the wider world around us, so we’re partnering with Carbon Neutral Britain to be a carbon negative business.
HOW CAN WE HELP YOU
It’s time to get back to basics. Get the common sense things right. Live and breathe your story and most importantly not take yourself too seriously!
We’ve already worked for or partnered with a number of herds at:
[Click on the logo to find out what they do]
