It usually starts with a familiar call: “Can you run a one-day workshop for our team day next week?”

It’s well intentioned. Sometimes even urgent. A team’s struggling to work together. A project’s hit a wall. Energy is low, silos are up. You need something, fast.

And our answer is usually “yes” – we’ll do everything we can to support you. But here’s the thing we’ve learned over years of working with major projects and across many different complex organisations and industries:

If a workshop is your only intervention, you’re solving today’s problem, not tomorrow’s challenge.

A workshop isn’t the work.

Workshops can be powerful. Done well, they spark ideas, build connection, and shift energy. But we’ve all left a workshop feeling pumped, only to be met by a wall of unread emails and habits that pull us straight back to square one.

As Simon Sinek puts it (and we’re paraphrasing), you don’t buy a car to fill it with fuel, you buy it to go somewhere. A workshop is the fuel - not the destination.

At Advance, we believe in creating the conditions for long term success, not just delivering a great day out of the office.

A better starting point, focus on outcomes.

Before we talk about what to do, let’s talk about why.
What do you want to achieve? What will be different six months from now? What will success feel like?

That’s where real change begins. It’s not about ticking a box or delivering a session – it’s about working in partnership to build capability, change behaviour, and create a culture that delivers outcomes long after we’re gone.

When we write proposals, we always define the aim and intended outcomes, not just a list of activities. And we expect the same clarity from our clients, because if you don’t own the outcomes, they won’t stick.

But if you're not sure what success looks like yet? That’s still a great place to start. Because that’s exactly where we thrive, helping you define the real goal, not just the format.

What you’ll get with Advance: not just a day, a direction.

We don’t just facilitate. We challenge. We support. We integrate into your team and walk with you through the journey, not just the kickoff. We challenge you and then support youto build the culture, leadership and behaviours that make great delivery happen.

And yes, sometimes that starts with a one day workshop. But more often, it starts with a different kind of question:

“We want to achieve [X] – can you help us figure out how?”

Absolutely. That’s what we’re here for.

Don’t wait for the crisis.

You don’t need a perfectly formed brief. You don’t need the whole plan. You just need the curiosity to ask: “What would be possible if our people were truly aligned, energised and equipped to deliver?”

So whether you’ve got a date in mind or a goal you haven’t yet defined, call us.

Not for a workshop.

For a conversation.