Strategy & Leadership
Executive Traction Labs
A bespoke, one-day executive intensive built on deep stakeholder feedback. For senior leaders stepping into something bigger, holding more, or wanting to be deliberate about the next six months. Always paired with C-suite coaching afterwards to embed the work.
Why you'd want this
Why this, and why now
Most senior leaders we work with want more than a traditional 360. The Traction Lab moves beyond the standard review to something more engaging, safe, and growth-oriented, where feedback is embedded within a process of reflection, coaching, and team alignment.
The work succeeds when the leader feels supported in a high-trust environment and can see clear rationale and structure behind the intervention. Every Lab starts with individual insight and development, supports open and honest conversation, and builds towards a coherent and aligned strategy implementation culture. We pace the work to consider leadership transitions, ensure leaders are included at the right stage, and build team cohesion over time.
Leveraging feedback
Leveraging in-depth feedback from you and other key stakeholders, we create hands-on exercises linked to specific priorities, hopes and concerns related to success in the role, and examine how to best engage your key stakeholders and lead your talent effectively. The feedback becomes the spine of the day, not an aside to it.
Stepping back to reflect
Taking time to step back to reflect, and discern what is working and what is not, is critical at the individual, team and organisational levels. At executive level, those three things are essentially one and the same. Succeeding as a senior leader requires an individual and collective recalibration to the unique circumstances of your organisation's evolving strategy and structure.
The Lab is always paired with C-suite coaching afterwards. The day is the moment of clarity. The coaching is how the clarity becomes change.
Where we support
What you get
- Personalised executive guidance: bespoke coaching and direction to ensure your success in a new or evolving leadership role.
- Curated insights: a clear understanding of the challenges and opportunities awaiting you in this next chapter.
- Stakeholder and talent engagement plan: a well-defined plan to position yourself and your team for long-term success.
- Strategic roadmap: a six-month roadmap that sets the foundation for what comes next, in your own words and ready to share with the people who need to see it.
- Resilience and emotional intelligence: tools to develop the resilience, adaptability, and emotional intelligence to lead well under pressure.
Who delivers it
Every Traction Lab is led by Sally Schmall, Five's Head of Executive Leadership Development. Sally has more than 25 years of international experience at the highest level in HR leadership and executive development, including time as a consultant with Deloitte's Human Capital Team in the United States and as Director of the Greenhouse Experience Programme in New Zealand. She has dedicated her career to co-creating the conditions necessary to spark leadership development, spur executive alignment, and create lasting impact in complex global organisations.
Executive coaching following the Lab is delivered by Sally and Nick Mackeson-Smith, Five's Founder and Chief Curiosity Officer, with Strategic Advisory input available from James Kitney, Five's Chief Strategy and Transformation Catalyst, where the work calls for it.
From individual to team
The Traction Lab is designed first for individual senior leaders, but the same approach scales to the executive team. Where we have run individual Labs across a leadership group, we add a bespoke Executive Team Workshop afterwards — building on what surfaced in the individual Labs to create a team-wide perspective, a shared vision for the future, agreed ways of working, and a cross-functional approach to strategic priorities. Insights, priorities and actions identified in the team workshop are then woven into each individual's ongoing coaching, bringing the experience full circle for sustainable outcomes.
How it will benefit you
- Seamless transition: our support ensures you gain traction fast in your new leadership role, with a clear foundation for what comes next.
- Clear vision: curated insights so you understand what awaits you in your new chapter, with the clarity and confidence to act.
- Strategic positioning: a stakeholder engagement plan and strategic roadmap that position you for long-term success.
- Senior-tier leadership development: the tools, insights, and emotional intelligence necessary to establish yourself as an exceptional leader.
- Measurable change: by participating, you'll drive positive change in your own work, your team, and your organisation, with progress that can be observed and named.
- Built for scale: the same approach moves from individual leader to executive team, with team workshops and ongoing coaching designed to embed the work across the system.
Who to talk to at Five
"Working with Sally over the past 18 months has been instrumental in shaping both my leadership and the performance of a new executive team. Her strategically focused approach to leadership development and team alignment has helped us build a cohesive, high-performing leadership group capable of navigating strong personalities and complex business challenges. Sally has consistently brought insight, structure, and a deep understanding of executive dynamics. She has also served as a trusted thought partner, helping me navigate the complexity and visibility that comes with leading a community-owned bank. Her impact has been both tangible and enduring, and to top it off she is warm, engaging and enjoyable to work with. I can't recommend her enough."
Kerry Boielle, Chief Executive, TSB Bank
"Such an impactful day Sally Schmall! Thank you so much for your challenge and insights. You've certainly given me much to reflect on as well as some concrete actions which will lift my game immediately! Even if you're pretty comfortable with leadership there is always room for improvement and often much your unconscious bias makes you overlook. I'd unreservedly recommend Sally to everyone in my network and I'm looking forward to continuing to work with her going forward. Thanks Kiwibank for such as positive Executive on-boarding experience!
Paul Littlefair, CDTO, Kiwibank
"Thank you, Sally Schmall, for such an incredible week spent with our leaders. It's not often that leaders get to spend an entire day focusing on themselves with expert guidance, probing questions and a clear plan to enhance effectiveness. I'm also incredibly proud that Getinge ANZ has been able to make this investment in our senior team."
Kartik Natarajan, ANZ Managing Director, Getinge
Related articles
© Five New Zealand is a registered business in New Zealand, and is 100% NZ owned and operated.