Mentoring & Training

Conversations, presentations and training for people who want to make change happen

Alan works with people and organisations who are trying to understand, design or deliver change.

This may begin with a personal question, a project that has become stuck, an organisational issue, a need to create consensus, or simple curiosity about D4.

Alan’s work can take the form of mentoring, presentations or training. In each case, the aim is not to impose a standard answer, but to help define the future that is wanted and work backwards from there.

Contact Alan

Learn about D4

Ways to work with Alan

Mentoring

Mentoring is for people who want an experienced thinking partner.

This may be useful when you are considering a personal, career, organisational or life decision, or when you need someone outside the situation to help you think clearly about what is happening and what future you want to create.

Alan’s mentoring draws on his long experience in government, business, technology, organisational change, teaching, consulting and D4.

It can be especially useful if you want to:

think through a difficult decision
understand why a situation feels stuck
explore a personal or professional change
clarify what outcome you actually want
use Alan as an informed listener or “intelligent mirror”
connect present choices to a longer-term future

Presentations

Presentations are for people or groups who want an introduction to D4 and its way of thinking.

A presentation might cover:

what D4 is
why it works from the future backwards
what Recognition Events are
how outcomes can be made visible
why KPIs are results, not causes
how qualitative outcomes can be connected to cash value
how D4 has been applied in real organisations

This can be suitable for teams, project groups, leadership groups, professional communities or organisations that want to understand whether D4 may be useful to them.

Training

Training is for people or teams who want to go beyond an introduction and begin learning how to apply D4.

This may include working with concepts such as:

Recognition Events
backcasting
value drivers
Value Flashpoints
management by outcome
cash value estimation
responding to happenstance
real-time route recalculation

Training can be adapted to the needs of the person, team or organisation. D4 does not require change to happen in a rigid sequence. It works concurrently, responding to obstacles and opportunities while keeping the intended future visible.

How it begins

The first step is usually a conversation.

Alan’s process is simple:

A conversation begins.
The situation, question or need is explored.
Alan and the person or organisation decide whether his experience and D4 may be useful.
If useful, they agree the form of support: mentoring, presentation or training.
The desired outcome is defined.
The work proceeds from that future outcome backwards.

The timing depends on the need. One of the features of D4 is that the desired outcome sets the timetable, rather than the timetable being imposed before the outcome is clear.

Working from the future backwards

D4 begins with a different question.

Instead of asking:

“What do we do next?”

it asks:

“What future are we trying to make happen?”

From there, the route is worked backwards.

Who this may help

Mentoring, presentations or training may be useful for:

individuals thinking about personal or professional change
directors and managers trying to make change happen
teams involved in projects or programmes
organisations facing complexity, dysfunction or uncertainty
people trying to connect activity to real value
people trained in conventional methods who are curious about D4
groups who need a shared understanding of the future they are trying to create

What makes Alan’s approach different

Alan brings together three things:

Long experience

Alan has worked across teaching, government, business, IT, consulting, organisational change and higher education.

D4

D4 is Alan’s distinctive philosophy, system and method for making change happen. It works from the future backwards and connects outcomes, story, money and people.

Human judgement

Alan’s approach is not only technical. It depends on empathy, interpretation, curiosity and the ability to see a situation from the point of view of the people inside it.

A note on Alan’s time

Alan currently works pro bono because he is retired and wants to spread the D4 philosophy.

There is no financial obstacle to beginning a conversation.

This does not mean every enquiry will become a mentoring, presentation or training arrangement. It simply means that where Alan can help, the first question is not price. The first question is whether the conversation is useful.

What to expect

You do not need to understand D4 before contacting Alan.

A useful first message simply explains:

who you are
what situation or question has brought you here
whether you are interested in mentoring, a presentation or training
what you would like to be different in the future

From there, Alan can consider whether a conversation would be useful.

Contact Alan

FAQ

Do I need to be part of an organisation to contact Alan?

No. Alan’s work can be relevant to individuals as well as organisations.

Is mentoring the same as coaching?

Not exactly. Mentoring with Alan is closer to having an experienced thinking partner: someone who can listen, question, reflect, and bring relevant experience and D4 thinking to the situation.

Can Alan present D4 to a team?

Yes. Presentations can introduce D4, explain its origins and ideas, and show how it has been applied.

Can D4 be taught?

Yes. Alan has delivered D4 training in a range of organisational settings. The level of training can depend on the audience and what they want to apply.

Is there a fee?