Six Degrees Executive: Defining success factors that reflect and reinforce culture
The brief
Six Degrees Executive (SDE), a specialist recruitment agency with a strong reputation and culture, emerged from the pandemic ready to grow. With a new five-year strategy in place, the team recognised the need for a shared understanding of what “great” looks like across roles, levels, and functions.
While previous frameworks had been developed, they hadn’t landed well in the business. What SDE was looking for this time was something different:
A practical, credible model to guide development, performance, and succession
A framework that could be applied across billing and non-billing roles
Something sharp, energising, and culturally aligned - reflective of the Six Degrees spirit
Critically, they wanted to use this framework to guide targeted investment in learning and development, enabling individual and business growth.
The response
We kicked off with a review of the current state, examining SDE’s previous framework, high-performer profiles, strategic documents, and values. This was followed by interviews with key stakeholders: the CEO, Head of People & Culture, and top performers from across the business.
From there, we blended internal insights with external research to develop a high-impact set of success factors that captured both what drives outperformance at SDE and what it feels like to work and lead there.
The process was collaborative and co-designed, with multiple validation points along the way to test and refine the framework. The goal: make it clear, useful, and unmistakably “SDE”.
The activation
The final output was the Our Success Factors framework: a brand-aligned, action-oriented guide that captured the essence of performance at SDE.
To bring it to life:
Each success factor was described at a high level, then detailed with five observable practices per proficiency level
A visual, user-friendly version was created, aligned with SDE’s brand identity
A suite of recommendations was provided to support rollout and embedding across the employee lifecycle
Implementation support was provided to launch the framework, and it was immediately utilised in end-of-year performance and development conversations.
The results
Clear, shared language for performance and potential across all teams and levels.
Immediate uptake. Used by line managers and team members to support meaningful development discussions.
Positive feedback from the business. “It’s so us. It’s like we created it ourselves.”
Now embedded in talent strategy, including the creation of ‘talent personas’ to guide succession and development.
Ongoing traction at the Executive level. The Success Factors are used as the anchor for quarterly Executive Leadership Team (ELT) talent strategy sessions.
What started as a framework has become a cultural touchstone, giving shape to what SDE values, recognises and invests in.
Why it worked
Deep listening, broad input. By involving a cross-section of leaders and high performers, the framework felt owned by the business from day one.
Culturally spot on. The final framework wasn’t just about performance; it was crafted in performance language. It was practical, motivating, and reflected how people already talk about what matters.
Designed to be used. Every element was designed to be picked up and applied, not filed away. Clean visuals, sharp language, and behavioural examples made it easy to integrate into existing conversations and processes.
Practical enough for now, flexible enough for later. The framework served as both a development guide and a strategic enabler, ready to evolve alongside the business.
Whether you're refreshing your approach to performance, launching a new strategy, or looking to embed culture in practical ways, I can help you co-create a set of success factors or leadership behaviours that are sharp, actionable, and aligned with what your organisation values most.
Looking to define what great looks like in your business? If so, I’d love to hear from you.