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Episode #447 - Transforming Leadership and Culture - with Tess Cope — ScaleUp Radio Episode #447

Episode #447 - Transforming Leadership and Culture - with Tess Cope

Episode #447 20 Jan 2025

Show notes

Jan 20, 2025

In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, Kevin Brent is joined by Tess Cope, the founder of The Transformation Agency, to explore her systemic coaching framework, leadership development strategies, and the scaling journey of her business.

Tess shares her expertise in working with medium to large organisations to enhance leadership team dynamics and organisational culture. She also reveals how her coaching approach, HARNESS, helps leaders identify behavioural patterns and navigate complex transitions. Whether you're scaling a team, hiring new leaders, or trying to maintain your organisational culture through growth, Tess offers invaluable advice for founders and leaders alike.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

  1. The HARNESS Framework:
    • How unpacking personal and organisational history can lead to sustainable behavioural shifts.
    • The importance of addressing root causes, from stakeholder feedback to mapping family patterns.
  1. Leadership Transition Challenges:
    • How to “clean the seat” for new leaders while honouring past contributions.
    • Managing allergic reactions to new hires and balancing autonomy with legacy relationships.
  1. Advice for Founders Scaling Their Business:
    • Recruiting for cultural fit, involving your team in hiring, and using competency-based tools.
    • Staying consistent in business development efforts, even during tough times.
    • Practical tips for managing time and staying intentional about growth.

Make sure you don’t miss any future episodes by subscribing to ScaleUp Radio wherever you like to listen to your podcasts.

For now, continue listening for the full story from Tess.

Scaling up your business isn't easy, and can be a little daunting. Let ScaleUp Radio make it a little easier for you. With guests who have been where you are now, and can offer their thoughts and advice on several aspects of business. ScaleUp Radio is the business podcast you've been waiting for.

If you would like to be a guest on ScaleUp Radio, please click here:

https://bizsmarts.co.uk/scaleupradio/kevin

 

You can get in touch with Kevin here:

kevin@biz-smart.co.uk

 

Most founders I speak to feel busy but stuck; plenty happening, but not always clear on what genuinely matters most this quarter. If that’s you, the G90 Summit is worth a look. A structured half-day where we work through everything competing for your attention, get clear on the three to five things that must happen in the next 90 days, then commit to them and build the system to make sure they actually happen. Quarterly, virtual, £97 a seat.

Smart90 Summit

 

Tess can be found here:

https://thetransformationagency.com/

linkedin.com/in/tesscope

 

Resources:

Harness by Tess Cope - https://www.waterstones.com/book/harness/tess-cope/9781784529628

Your Team Is Not The Issue by Tess Cope - https://www.waterstones.com/book/your-team-is-not-the-issue/tess-cope/9781915771230

The New Psychology of Winning by - https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-new-psychology-of-winning/denis-waitley/9781722503611

Otter app - https://otter.ai/

Liked this conversation? Bring the same thinking to your business.

ScaleUp Radio is hosted by Kevin Brent — founder of Smart90, author of the Entrepreneurial ScaleUp System (ESUS), and the same Kevin who works directly with founders inside the G90 Summit.

The Summit is a structured half-day — quarterly, virtual via Zoom — where founders and their teams get clear on the three to five things that must happen in the next 90 days, and leave with a plan committed to making them happen.

Reserve Your Place at the G90 Summit →

Next session: 26th June 2026 · £97 for a standalone seat · smart90.co.uk/summit