Work feels broken. From ICs to CEOs, people are exhausted from constantly firefighting, solving the wrong problems, and watching decision-making get stuck in endless debates.

Sound familiar?

  • Your team keeps revisiting the same issues despite implementing “solutions”

  • Strategic initiatives stall because nobody can agree on what the real problem is

  • Decisions create confusion rather than clarity, leaving people disengaged

You need someone who can help teams identify what's really getting in their way. The sweet spot exists where organizations naturally focus on the right problems, make effective lasting decisions, and ensure every action advances their primary strategic goals. I help organizations reach this sweet spot through assessment-driven interventions that make work more human. Let's uncover the right problems, smart decisions, and clear focus together.

Meet Janelle Ward.

I thrive on uncovering what's really going on before prescribing what should happen next.

I start with assessment rather than solutions, helping organizations understand what challenges they're really facing before jumping to fixes. I bring an investigative approach developed over 20+ years in academia and organizational leadership, working with teams to develop approaches that fit their specific context. In my experience, when you ask the right questions and get the right people around the table, the assessment becomes the intervention, creating clarity, alignment, and momentum for change.

Here’s how I work.

  • Assessment-Driven Discovery.

    Rather than arriving with predetermined frameworks, I begin with stakeholder interviews, group sense-making sessions, and systematic observation.

    This assessment process examines all three critical elements and reveals where they work in isolation versus integration.

  • Flexible Engagement Options.

    Focus Track: Deep capability building in your highest-impact area while monitoring effects on other elements.

    Broad Track: Simultaneous strengthening across all three elements when resources and readiness allow.

    Sequential Track: Systematic progression through elements based on assessment findings and organizational capacity.

  • Building Integrated Capability.

    Rather than implementing my solutions, I help teams develop their own skills for distinguishing symptoms from root causes, creating durable decision-making processes, and connecting daily work to strategic priorities.

    The assessment process itself builds internal capability while creating momentum for change.

Let’s explore The Problem Space.

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The Problem Space is where we go to learn about:

  • Our organizations, so we can understand how we identify real problems, make effective decisions, and create clarity about what matters most

  • Our teams, so we can build better ways of working together and advancing shared priorities

  • Ourselves, as leaders navigating complex challenges

Work with Janelle Ward Insights.

Ready to reach the sweet spot where the right problems meet smart decisions and clear focus? Let's start the conversation.