PARTNER | CORE STATE CONSULTING
Will McNelis
The steady hand for complex change. Will is the one you call when the roadmap goes off the rails. As a seasoned delivery leader and coach, he specialises in the messy, human side of large-scale transformation. He has guided major organisations through complex shifts—from recalibrating global supply chains to steering technical turnarounds—without losing sight of the people doing the work. Will’s engagement style is grounded in empowerment rather than ego. He doesn’t just talk about agility; he provides the practical tools teams need to own their decisions and thrive under pressure.
Workshop: DON’T PLAY THE GAME, HACK THE SYSTEM: THE ‘POLITICAL QUOTIENT’ FOR BAs
Lead Through Change & Complexity (influencing up, across, and down).
Most initiatives don’t die because the code is bad or the framework is wrong. They die in the “invisible currents” of the organisation. We tell teams to be transparent, yet we operate in opaque political systems where great ideas are blocked by “gatekeepers” and decision-making happens in the shadows.
It’s time to stop treating office politics as a dirty word and start treating it as a complex system. If you can map a legacy codebase, you can map a political landscape.
This session introduces “Political Quotient” (PQ)—the missing metric for success. We move beyond the org chart to map the real flow of influence, capital, and friction in your business. You will learn to identify the invisible walls blocking your progress and gain the clarity needed to move your ideas vertically to leadership and horizontally across silos. Stop flying blind. Learn to navigate the system with intent.
Key Topics
- The Shadow Org Chart: Why the official hierarchy is a lie and how to map the actual decision-making network.
- Decoding Gatekeepers: Distinguishing between those who protect the business and those who protect their turf.
- Vertical vs. Horizontal Momentum: Why you need different languages to influence peers (horizontal) versus executives (vertical).
- System Mapping: Applying systems thinking to human dynamics.
Will is co-presenting with Sharon Robson.