Black Dog Consultants

04/04/2026

Oscar’s not impressed.

He’s questioning
the job description.

Why do we keep dressing things up…
instead of changing them?

But we think he's oh so cute.

Wishing you a Happy Easter,
if you’re celebrating.

17/02/2026

The horse doesn’t ask for directions.
The dog never leaves your side.

One charges forward.
One holds the line.

Together, they change the pace.
Because disruption goes further when someone stands beside you.

Kung Hei Fat Choi and Gong Xi Fa Cai.
Happy Chinese New Year.
From all the pack at Black Dog Consultants 🐾

Where do you want 2026 to take you - and who’s running beside you?

13/01/2026

We’ve been sold a lie.

Executive presence isn’t about commanding the room.
It’s about reading it.

But corporate culture still rewards the loudest voice.
The biggest energy.
The one who speaks first - and most.

Meanwhile, the most powerful person in the room might be the one who hasn’t said a word.
Yet.

We’ve confused presence with performance.
Charisma with competence.
Volume with value.

And let’s be honest - how many brilliant ideas get bulldozed because they don’t shout?

It’s time to rewrite the script.

Real presence isn’t loud. It’s tuned in.
It holds space. It doesn’t hijack it.
It listens before it leads.

This piece is a provocation. A call to question what we reward in leadership.

👉 What if your next great leader isn’t the one with the booming voice...
But the one who shifts the room by simply showing up?

🔗 Read: What if we’ve got executive presence all wrong?
https://www.blackdog-consultants.com/blog/executive-presence-in-leadership

Rethink executive presence. It’s not about being loud—it’s about being attuned. Quiet power is rising. Are your leaders ready?

26/11/2025

Ready to do something wildly meaningful?

Next week, December 2nd is Giving Tuesday 2025 🐾
We’re shouting from the rooftops about a cause close to our pack’s heart: Chamboi, our adopted orphan rhino through the incredible Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

Chamboi’s story reminds us that giving doesn’t always look like a cheque or a campaign. Sometimes, it looks like soft ears, steady eyes and a second chance at the wild.

✨ On Giving Tuesday, every donation will be matched (up to campaign limits).

This holiday season, become part of a remarkable story. Gift an adoption and help Sheldrick Trust give the orphans in their care the family and the wild future they deserve.

🐾 Meet the orphans

This holiday season, become part of a remarkable story. Gift an adoption and help us give the orphans in our care the family and the wild future they deserve...

31/10/2025

👻 Oscar’s Corner: Halloween Edition 👻

Our unofficial Chief of Mischief, decided to embrace spooky season with... minimal effort.

Oscar wanted to be a ghost.
Oscar got... tired halfway through.

Behold: the “Ghost of Good Intentions.”

👀Sheet? Half on.

😱Scary? Not remotely.

🍬Will he still demand a treat? 100%.

Honestly, same.

Sometimes showing up kind of counts, right?

(P.S. Yes, this is going on a Halloween post. No, he didn’t approve the design.)

Happy Halloween from all of us at Black Dog Consultants.

20/10/2025

A quiet light in the chaos.

This week, many of us are celebrating Diwali - a festival that honours the victory of light over darkness, clarity over confusion and hope over hustle.

Whether or not you celebrate, it's a timely reminder for all of us.

To pause. To reflect.

To make space for light - however that looks in your world right now.
From all of us (Oscar included), we wish you a moment of stillness, a flicker of insight and maybe a good snack.

Here's to clearing what no longer serves and lighting the way forward.

17/10/2025

Before you log off this Friday evening. Pause.
Most people slam their laptop shut and head straight into the weekend.

No reflection. No learning. Just - gone.
That's why next week looks exactly like the last one.

What if you took just 10 minutes - right now?

Ask yourself:

What actually went well this week?
What did I avoid, fumble or miss entirely?
What needs reshuffling before Monday hits?

Simple, but a leadership habit in disguise.

The kind that turns chaos into clarity.
To-do lists into traction.

Then have a lovely weekend.

11/10/2025

40% of L&D leaders fear AI will replace them.
But here's the twist - most still believe their work is irreplaceable.

That’s not a stat.
It’s a standoff.

A standoff between fear and faith.
Between disruption and meaning.

Latest research doesn’t just highlight trends.
It holds up a mirror.
And it asks a brutal question:

If you believe your work is meaningful… why are you scared of being replaced?

This isn’t about AI.
It’s about identity.

Transformation starts when the fear becomes the flashlight.

🟡 So - what does this shift force YOU to confront?

🔗 Want more insights like this?
Subscribe to “Ahead of the Pack.”
https://www.blackdog-consultants.com/aheadofthepack

08/10/2025

Could better spaces be the key to hybrid actually working?

Should your office feel like a hotel?
Future of Work expert Annie Dean is rethinking offices as human-centered, community-first spaces.
Less beige box. More boutique retreat.

Thoughts?
https://www.fmj.co.uk/cbre-lab-aims-to-transform-offices-into-more-human-focused-empowering-and-delightful-places-to-work/

24/09/2025

🎥 We didn’t just talk about transformation - we felt it.

You can’t fake real connection.
And at this year’s ICF Hong Kong Flagship Event, it was everywhere. We were proud sponsors and speakers and we loved every minute.

✨ 18 global thought leaders
🔥 Keynotes that made us pause
⚡ Breakout labs with real a-ha moments
💬 150+ bold, curious, change-hungry humans

The Black Dog Consultants Team didn’t just show up.
We listened. We learned.
And we left charged with possibility.

🖤 To the ones we met: thanks for the sparks.
To the ones we didn’t: next time?

20/09/2025

Tomorrow is International Day of Peace.

Peace feels far away right now. Newsfeeds full of heartbreak. Headlines heavy with conflict.

It’s easy to feel small. Powerless.

But here’s the thing: peace doesn’t start with just presidents, palaces and world leaders. It starts in kitchens. In team chats. In school drop-offs and awkward lifts.

It starts with us.

Psychologist Adam Grant calls it pebbling. Tiny gestures that say: I see you. I thought of you. You matter.

Penguins do it, too. They bring pebbles to show affection. No flowers. No fanfare. Just a well-chosen stone.

A text that says “good luck today.”
A coffee for someone who always forgets to take a break.
A “how are you, really?” that waits for the answer.

Not grand.
But grounding.

You might not be able to fix the world.
But you can calm the waters around you.

So today - drop a pebble.
It might be exactly what someone needs.
https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/star-psychologist-adam-grant-pebbling-secret-stronger-relationships.html