About
Practical Leaders is based in West Yorkshire, with easy access to Leeds, London, and Manchester.
Our consulting and skills development approach is based on extensive experience, figuring out the skills that lead to excellent outcomes at every level.
Our technology credentials give us credibility with those with strong technical backgrounds stepping into leadership roles, and an appreciation for the specific challenges in making this transition.
Our purpose
“To learn and share simple skills that lead teams to excellence.”
We believe non-technical skills are vital for technical individuals and teams to be effective.
The importance of these skills is often overlooked, leading to outcomes that fall below expectations.
But these skills are learnable and teachable, and relatively modest investments in skills development deliver enormous benefits.
Our values
Open
We are always honest and straightforward. We don’t play games. If something won’t work, we’ll tell you. If we mess up, we’ll own up.
Growing
We find opportunities to learn everywhere. We learned by doing and sharing with others. We take on challenges we know will stretch us.
Practical
We prefer simple solutions to complex ones. We do what works, and are pragmatic, not idealistic. If something isn’t working, we change it.
Effective
We measure success by the difference we make to our customers, colleagues, community, and ourselves. We get enjoyment from a job well done.
Founder Profile — Ivor Caldwell
Practical Leaders was founded by Ivor Caldwell.
Ivor is a highly acclaimed, versatile, people focused technical leader with a passion for learning and helping others learn.
With over 20 years experience in leadership roles, Ivor has held roles including engineering/ architectural leadership, delivery leadership at scale, and senior people leadership/management.
These roles have been at a variety of levels including team, department/function, and Director/Senior Leadership.
Endorsements
“Ivor is an exceptional technology leader with a rare ability to connect across disciplines and a clear vision of what excellence looks like for a technology organisation.” — CTO.
“Probably the smartest person I know! Incredibly solution-focused. Calm and level-headed approach at all times. Technically excellent and absolutely focused on our people.” — Director of People.
“Ivor possesses an impressive breadth of knowledge and experience in engineering, product development, and technology. His contributions were invaluable as we navigated a complex transformation process. One of Ivor's standout qualities is his innate ability to listen — a skill that is often underestimated but crucial in our field.” — Senior Product Manager.