Empowering Growth

Working with leaders and their teams to bridge strategy and execution, to build capacity, generate alignment, and drive growth.

Empowering Growth

Working with leaders and their teams to bridge strategy and execution, to build capacity, generate alignment,
and drive growth.

How We Help
Scale Organizations

Build key skills in your team (and your leadership),
 develop competitive advantage, alignment, and growth.

Work Directly with Us

We've helped 100+ organizations accelerate their growth or solve their most challenging problems, and we can help you.  

Upskill Your Team
(Professional Development)

Align your team on strategy and execution best practices with all hands virtual
or in-person workshops.

Offsite, onsite or virtual – take the time to work on your business to regroup, align, and kickoff your next phase of growth.

Improve business acumen and management skills with MBA-in-a-Day and Management Essentials Programs.

Keynotes at Kick-offs and Conferences

Motivate your team, launch an initiative, and deliver a strong message... all aligned with your priorities.

Upskill key employees with specific and practical self-paced learning to sharpen core business and marketing skills.

An integrated program to drive significant change: Builds capacity to connect your strategy and execution.

Content and training partnership options to amplify your existing offerings
to clients and coaches.

Gainsharing and licensing options to save time, deliver member value, and
earn non-dues revenue.

How We Help Scale Organizations

Build key skills in your team (and your leadership),
 develop competitive advantage, alignment, and growth.

Work Directly
with Us

We've helped 100+ organizations accelerate their growth or solve their most challenging problems, and we can help you.  

Upskill Your Team
(Professional Development)

Align your team on strategy and execution best practices with all hands virtual
or in-person workshops.

Offsite, onsite or virtual – take the time to work on your business to regroup, align, and kickoff your next phase of growth.

Improve business acumen and management skills with MBA-in-a-Day and Management Essentials Programs.

Keynotes at Kick-offs and Conferences

Motivate your team, launch an initiative, and deliver a strong message... all aligned with your priorities.

Upskill key employees with specific and practical self-paced learning to sharpen core business and marketing skills.

Working Together

We'll start by asking you a few questions:

1.

What are the key challenges
you are  facing?

What are you obstacles to organizational growth? Where are the areas of friction? And what are your priorities, strategically and tactically? We'll start with a discovery call to understand these questions, then identify the knowledge gaps
that need to be addressed.

2.

What are the priority skills
your team needs?

Where are you spinning your wheels? Does your sales and marketing need a boost? Do you need to breathe new life into your strategic thinking, innovation, or critical thinking capabilities? Or it's your managers that need support. Or perhaps there are tactical skill upgrades that can make a difference.

3.

What are the best ways to
support you
to reach your goals?

The Capacity vs Aspiration debate: How far and how fast do you want to go to reach your goals? And what is the capacity of your team to absorb and implement new learning? What will have the greatest impact: one-on-one performance coaching? Group training? A kickoff or retreat? Or a full Impact Program (organization-wide or 
departmentally focused)? 

4.

Live in-person,
Virtual, or Self-paced?

For coaching and continuing professional development, we recommend doing these "virtually", as this minimizes travel costs and time away from the office. It also means that people can access the training from geographically dispersed locations. For retreats, management education, and kick-offs/conferences, there are powerful advantages to bringing people together "live" in person:
improved teamwork,
and the "hallway" conversations.

Working Together

We'll start by asking you a few questions:

1.

What are the key challenges you are  facing?

What are you obstacles to organizational growth? Where are the areas of friction? And what are your priorities, strategically and tactically? We'll start with a discovery call to understand these questions, then identify the knowledge gaps that need to be addressed.

2.

What are the priority skills your team needs?

Where are you spinning your wheels? Does your sales and marketing need a boost? Do you need to breathe new life into your strategic thinking, innovation, or critical thinking capabilities? Or it's your managers that need support. Or perhaps there are tactical skill upgrades that can make a difference.

3.

What are the best ways to support you
to reach your goals?

The Capacity vs Aspiration debate: How far and how fast do you want to go to reach your goals? And what is the capacity of your team to absorb and implement new learning? What will have the greatest impact: one-on-one performance coaching? Group training? A kickoff or retreat? Or a full Impact Program (organization-wide or departmentally focused)? 

4.

Live in-person,
Virtual, or Self-paced?

For coaching and continuing professional development, we recommend doing these "virtually", as this minimizes travel costs and time away from the office. It also means that people can access the training from geographically dispersed locations. For retreats, management education, and kick-offs/conferences, there are powerful advantages to bringing people together "live" in person: improved teamwork, and the "hallway" conversations.

Working Together

We'll start by asking you a few questions:

1.

What are the key challenges you are  facing?

What are you obstacles to organizational growth? Where are the areas of friction? And what are your priorities, strategically and tactically? We'll start with a discovery call to understand these questions, then identify the knowledge gaps that need to be addressed.

2.

What are the priority skills your team needs?

Where are you spinning your wheels? Does your sales and marketing need a boost? Do you need to breathe new life into your strategic thinking, innovation, or critical thinking capabilities? Or it's your managers that need support. Or perhaps there are tactical skill upgrades that can make a difference.

3.

What are the best ways to support you
to reach your goals?

The Capacity vs Aspiration debate: How far and how fast do you want to go to reach your goals? And what is the capacity of your team to absorb and implement new learning? What will have the greatest impact: one-on-one performance coaching? Group training? A kickoff or retreat? Or a full Impact Program (organization-wide or departmentally focused)? 

4.

Live in-person,
Virtual, or Self-paced?

For coaching and continuing professional development, we recommend doing these "virtually", as this minimizes travel costs and time away from the office. It also means that people can access the training from geographically dispersed locations. For retreats, management education, and kick-offs/conferences, there are powerful advantages to bringing people together "live" in person: improved teamwork, and the "hallway" conversations.

Supporting All Levels of your Organization

Strategic professional development and training throughout your organization to address
knowledge gaps, create alignment, and eliminate the noise that inhibits growth.

C-Suite

Solving the I-don't-know-what-I-don't know problem for the executive team.

  • Monthly coaching
  • On-call insights for high-stakes decisions

Leadership Team

Aligning strategy and execution through the art of getting-things-done-through-other-people.

  • Executive retreats
  • Impact Meetings
  • Access to 1100+ resources

Cohorts

Upskill and cross-train departments, specialized business units, or cohorts of those newly promoted.

  • Management training 
  • Business development training
  • Team retreats

Specific People

Upskill for specific competencies, or to facilitate succession planning.

  • Self-paced skills courses
  • Coaching of high-potentials

All Hands

Get everyone rowing in the same direction by sharing the same message, building a common vocabulary, and having them move faster together.

  • Self-paced skills courses
  • Keynotes at kick-offs/conferences
  • Monthly team training (CPD/CE)

Join the live recordings of our Q&A sessions for leaders

Get the pulse on topical leadership and strategy issues, ask your pressing questions,
and hear practical solutions in our monthly fast-paced, small group Q&A sessions for leaders.
 (No cost. Come for new ideas. Questions are welcome.)

Browse and register for
upcoming Q&A sessions.

Get the invites to our Q&A sessions.
Send us an email at [email protected].

Join the live recordings of our Q&A sessions for leaders

Get the pulse on topical leadership and strategy issues, ask your pressing questions,
and hear practical solutions in our monthly fast-paced, small group Q&A sessions for leaders.
 (No cost. Come for new ideas. Questions are welcome.)

Browse and register for
upcoming Q&A sessions.

Get the invites to our Q&A sessions.
Send us an email at [email protected].

Building a One-Page 
Marketing Strategy

Tuesday, January 14 at 12 noon ET

Marketing is a huge part of moving any business forward. More than having a “marketing department”, or outsourcing your marketing to a third-party, it needs to be embedded into every part of your business – from tech to HR to digital. 

But when not every employee is a “marketer”, how can this be achieved? This episode will lean into:

•  How do you collaborate with your marketers?  
•  How does your organizational vision get transmitted?
•  When do you rely on “the experts” and when do you veto with your “gut”?
•  How to set marketing priorities? (It all takes time, after all…)

Business Growth
Hacking Lab

Tuesday, February 4 at 12 noon ET

You’ve grown to a certain level, but breaking through to the next is new ground. What changes must be made in Marketing? Tech? People? Would a new approach to business development open up new markets? And how about the ROI of your current investments: events, email database, website, social media, CRM, amongst them. And the list goes on.

It’s likely that your approach – however good – might benefit from a fresh perspective… and put-into-action-now new ideas.  In this fast-paced session, Randall addresses these.

This session would be of interest to businesses looking to grow their sales, and associations/not-for-profits looking to grow membership and non-dues revenue.

Building a One-Page 
Marketing Strategy

Tuesday, January 14 at 12 noon ET

Marketing is a huge part of moving any business forward. More than having a “marketing department”, or outsourcing your marketing to a third-party, it needs to be embedded into every part of your business – from tech to HR to digital. 

But when not every employee is a “marketer”, how can this be achieved? This episode will lean into:

•  How do you collaborate with your marketers?  
•  How does your organizational vision get transmitted?
•  When do you rely on “the experts” and when do you veto with your “gut”?
•  How to set marketing priorities? (It all takes time, after all…)

Business Growth
Hacking Lab

Tuesday, February 4 at 12 noon ET

You’ve grown to a certain level, but breaking through to the next is new ground. What changes must be made in Marketing? Tech? People? Would a new approach to business development open up new markets? And how about the ROI of your current investments: events, email database, website, social media, CRM, amongst them. And the list goes on.

It’s likely that your approach – however good – might benefit from a fresh perspective… and put-into-action-now new ideas.  In this fast-paced session, Randall addresses these.

This session would be of interest to businesses looking to grow their sales, and associations/not-for-profits looking to grow membership and non-dues revenue.

See us in action (and learn more about how we think)

Listen in to these clips from our monthly Q&A sessions for leaders.

As a leader, you motivate and set expectations for everyone within your organization… but what about yourself?

For your partners?

For your partners? And for your leadership team?

Many leaders are feeling the challenge of steering their ship through recession, inflation, and economic uncertainty.

In this session I’ll share some very different strategies and non-traditional approaches that leaders can use to recession-proof their business. (And to preserve cash.)

Delegation Skills, Leadership and Business Growth

While entrepreneurial leaders can often do it all, it's rarely in their best interest to hold on to tasks that can be delegated.
This session will address delegation as a lever for business growth, and why it holds the key to being more effective in an age of hybrid work and rapid growth.

And register to join (or just listen in on) upcoming live sessions: See list of events.

We welcome your topic suggestions! Send your suggestions to [email protected]!

See us in action
(and learn more about how we think)

Listen in to these clips from
our monthly Q&A sessions for leaders.

As a leader, you motivate and set expectations for everyone within your organization… but what about yourself?

For your partners?

For your partners? And for your leadership team?

Recession-Proofing
Your Organization

Many leaders are feeling the challenge of steering their ship through recession, inflation, and economic uncertainty.

In this session I’ll share some very different strategies and non-traditional approaches that leaders can use to recession-proof their business. (And to preserve cash.)

Delegation Skills,
Leadership and
Business Growth

While entrepreneurial leaders can often do it all, it's rarely in their best interest to hold on to tasks that can be delegated.
This session will address delegation as a lever for business growth, and why it holds the key to being more effective in an age of hybrid work and rapid growth.

And register to join (or just listen in on) upcoming live sessions: See list of events.

We welcome your topic suggestions! Send your suggestions to [email protected]!

How "healthy" is your organization? And when is the right time to invest in external support?
Take the test.

(Diagnostic tool for download)

As you lead your organization through evolutions and transitions, there are always changing needs (and fires to put out). For all the time, effort, and stress that comes with leadership, you can't help but wonder: Can I do better? Am I missing something? And are there changes I need to make to take my organization to the next level?

Take  our organizational health diagnostic test.
Download 83 Opportunities for Business Growth and grade your performance on Strategy, Marketing, Sales, Client Experience, People, Technology, Risk, and more.




How "healthy" is your organization? And when is the right time to invest in external support?
Take the test.

(Diagnostic tool for download)

As you lead your organization through evolutions and transitions, there are always changing needs (and fires to put out). For all the time, effort, and stress that comes with leadership, you can't help but wonder: Can I do better? Am I missing something? And are there changes I need to make to take my organization to the next level?

Take  our organizational health 
diagnostic test.

Download 83 Opportunities for Business Growth and grade your performance on Strategy, Marketing, Sales, 
Client Experience, People, Technology, 
Risk, and more.

What people are saying
about Randall

"A top number one communicator and visionary with excellent skills and technical knowledge. I can recommend Randall without reservation."

Bob Coffey
Vice Chair, KPMG 

"Randall's astute counsel and strategic perspective have been invaluable to me as the CEO. His knowledge across the broad range of strategy, marketing, and technology has been invaluable."

Kirk Layton
President and Founder, eServus 

"Randall has the unique ability to cut to the heart of the issue and provides concrete ideas that change the way you think and clarify
what needs to be done."

Cass Bayley
President, Bayley Group 

"Randall is a perceptive, highly innovative thinker with an acute awareness of the fundamental principles of business."

Patrick Ferrier
President, McGraw-Hill Ryerson
Higher-Ed

What people are saying about Randall

Bob Coffey, Vice Chair of KPMG, smiling for picture

"A top number one communicator and visionary with excellent skills and technical knowledge. I can recommend Randall without reservation."

Bob Coffey
Vice Chair, KPMG 


Kirk Layton, president and founder of eServus, smiling for picture

"Randall's astute counsel and strategic perspective have been invaluable to me as the CEO. His knowledge across the broad range of strategy, marketing, and technology has been invaluable."

Kirk Layton
President and Founder, eServus 

Cass Bayley, president of Bayley Group, smiling for picture with grass in the background

"Randall has the unique ability to cut to the heart of the issue and provides concrete ideas that change the way you think and clarify what needs to be done."

Cass Bayley
President, Bayley Group 


Patrick Ferrier, President, McGraw-Hill Ryerson Higher-Ed, smiling for picture

"Randall is a perceptive, highly innovative thinker with an acute awareness of the fundamental principles of business."


Patrick Ferrier
President, McGraw-Hill Ryerson Higher-Ed

Frequenty Asked Questions

How do I drive change in my organization? How can the Braintrust Professional Institute help?

Rarely will change or growth happen with a “one-and-done” approach: there must be alignment, common vocabulary, skills, and motivation, at all levels of the organization. We support growing organizations with either an integrated, multi-layered approach or à la carte support: leadership coaching, leadership retreats, management and team training, ongoing Continuing Professional Development, self-paced courses, and keynote presentations. We focus on key dimensions of leadership, strategy, marketing, people, and entrepreneurial success.

How does the Braintrust Professional Institute support leaders of growing organizations?

Every leader is different, and every organization is different; and the supports that a leader and their organization requires also will be unique. In terms of where to start: some clients start with a keynote to create motivation and introduce concepts, then move to monthly CPD for team upskilling, then use management training to reinforce the learning. Other clients start with C-level coaching, then a leadership retreat to align the management team, then follow with coaching to key employees, etc.

We already work with an external partner and/or have internal resources – how would the Braintrust Professional Institute fit in?

We work well with others, and will always work with internal resources and external partners when they are in place. We are happy to address any gaps in your learning and development strategy, work exclusively with a key group or division, or somewhere in between. Of course, we would welcome the chance to prove ourselves with an initial engagement – particularly if your current provider doesn’t have our background or skill sets. Sometimes a new approach will yield new results.

What experience do you have working with multinational/global enterprises?

Our experience comes from advising - and working at - large global and national firms… and some of the most innovative “challenger” boutiques. We’ve worked with partnerships, corporate entities, and not-for-profits - they’re all quite different. Since must of our work is based on frameworks and models, we can scale up… and also down. (We’ve also built and sold several start-ups ourselves, and coached/advised founders as they’ve grown their business: we understand cashflow, making payroll, and the changes that are needed with growth.) Some of our programs (coaching or retreats, for example), are unique individual or group experiences. But the remainder of our programs can be delivered at scale.

Help me understand how you charge for your services.

There are far more expensive providers than us, and there are those that don’t have our level of experience or skill – in terms of fees, we’re in the middle. We build every quotation from the ground up: we include the appropriate amount of research, interviews, IP, dates, etc, and then arrive at a custom-for-you “all-in” quotation. We don’t charge by the hour, and you will never receive a “surprise” invoice from us. Before we have our introductory conversation, a useful exercise is to determine the size/scale of the problem you’re looking to solve, or the opportunity/potential that you’re looking to take advantage of. This will help you determine whether our particular approach is “right-sized”: a $10,000 solution makes no economic sense if you have a $10 problem. And a $10 solution won’t move the needle with a $10,000 problem.

How do we know that you can deliver?

Listen to our “Informed Decisions” podcast to get a sense of how we think. Then read the recommendations on our individual LinkedIn pages, and ask for our credentials documents. We’re also happy to provide client references.

Where do we start?

Give us a call to set up a meeting (no commitment and no cost) and let’s see if we are a good fit. Here’s our calendar link: www.RandallCraig.net/30.

Frequenty Asked Questions

How do I drive change in my organization? How can the Braintrust Professional Institute help?

Rarely will change or growth happen with a “one-and-done” approach: there must be alignment, common vocabulary, skills, and motivation, at all levels of the organization. We support growing organizations with either an integrated, multi-layered approach or à la carte support: leadership coaching, leadership retreats, management and team training, ongoing Continuing Professional Development, self-paced courses, and keynote presentations. We focus on key dimensions of leadership, strategy, marketing, people, and entrepreneurial success.

How does the Braintrust Professional Institute support leaders of growing organizations?

Every leader is different, and every organization is different; and the supports that a leader and their organization requires also will be unique. In terms of where to start: some clients start with a keynote to create motivation and introduce concepts, then move to monthly CPD for team upskilling, then use management training to reinforce the learning. Other clients start with C-level coaching, then a leadership retreat to align the management team, then follow with coaching to key employees, etc.

We already work with an external partner and/or have internal resources – how would the Braintrust Professional Institute fit in?

We work well with others, and will always work with internal resources and external partners when they are in place. We are happy to address any gaps in your learning and development strategy, work exclusively with a key group or division, or somewhere in between. Of course, we would welcome the chance to prove ourselves with an initial engagement – particularly if your current provider doesn’t have our background or skill sets. Sometimes a new approach will yield new results.

What experience do you have working with multinational/global enterprises?

Our experience comes from advising - and working at - large global and national firms… and some of the most innovative “challenger” boutiques. We’ve worked with partnerships, corporate entities, and not-for-profits - they’re all quite different. Since must of our work is based on frameworks and models, we can scale up… and also down. (We’ve also built and sold several start-ups ourselves, and coached/advised founders as they’ve grown their business: we understand cashflow, making payroll, and the changes that are needed with growth.) Some of our programs (coaching or retreats, for example), are unique individual or group experiences. But the remainder of our programs can be delivered at scale.

Help me understand how you charge for your services.

There are far more expensive providers than us, and there are those that don’t have our level of experience or skill – in terms of fees, we’re in the middle. We build every quotation from the ground up: we include the appropriate amount of research, interviews, IP, dates, etc, and then arrive at a custom-for-you “all-in” quotation. We don’t charge by the hour, and you will never receive a “surprise” invoice from us. Before we have our introductory conversation, a useful exercise is to determine the size/scale of the problem you’re looking to solve, or the opportunity/potential that you’re looking to take advantage of. This will help you determine whether our particular approach is “right-sized”: a $10,000 solution makes no economic sense if you have a $10 problem. And a $10 solution won’t move the needle with a $10,000 problem.

How do we know that you can deliver?

Listen to our “Informed Decisions” podcast to get a sense of how we think. Then read the recommendations on our individual LinkedIn pages, and ask for our credentials documents. We’re also happy to provide client references.

Where do we start?

Give us a call to set up a meeting (no commitment and no cost) and let’s see if we are a good fit. Here’s our calendar link: www.RandallCraig.net/30.

Curious? Questions? Interested in exploring the possibilities?

Curious? Questions? Interested in exploring the possibilities?