Client Relationship Teams
Our CRT Programme develops ambitious, collaborative teams that deepen client relationships and drive sustained growth.
From Individual Expertise to Collective Advantage
The Client Relationship Team Programme develops ambitious, collaborative teams that deepen client relationships, anticipate client needs, and drive sustained growth. It combines individual and team coaching, the Competitive Advantage Accelerator diagnostic to transform collective behaviour.
Developed by leading academics and practitioners with deep expertise in professional service firms.
Why CRTs Underperform
Most firms already have Client Relationship Teams. The challenge is to transform outstanding individuals into a high performing team. Common symptoms of underperforming client teams:
Inconsistent client experience across partners and practices
Weak internal coordination and slow follow-through
Missed opportunities because nobody owns the whole relationship
Over-reliance on one or two individuals to carry the account
What is the CRT Programme?
This is not abstract theory. Coaching is embedded in real client work so insight translates into action.
The CRT Programme builds ambitious, collaborative teams that deepen strategic client relationships.
It blends:
A behavioural diagnostic to benchmark the team
Individual coaching to shift personal habits
Team coaching to change how the account is run
How it Works
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Step 1: Benchmark what matters
Your CRT completes the Competitive Advantage Accelerator diagnostic to identify strengths, blind spots, and any misalignment across the team.
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Step 2: Turn insight into action
We run an alternating cycle of one-to-one and team coaching focused on behaviours that drive client success: trust, decision clarity, cross-practice collaboration, and collective accountability.
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Step 3: Embed habits in live client work
Coaching is tied to real client priorities, so improvements show up in how the team plans, executes, and communicates.
Implementation note: Some teams start with coaching first to build readiness, then use diagnostics to sharpen priorities.
Outcomes you should expect:
A CRT that is ambitious, collaborative, and commercial: faster decisions, better follow-through
Partners investing as much energy in leading the internal team as managing the external relationship
Stronger coordination across practices and geographies
More consistent client experience and fewer internal surprises
A commercial mindset shared across the team, not carried by one person
“Strategic client growth is rarely a solo act anymore”
Who it is for:
CRTs leading strategic or priority clients
Partner-led teams that need sharper internal coordination
Firms moving from individual origination to collective account growth
Faculty
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Portia Hickey
Portia is a British and Australian trained chartered psychologist who specializes in behavioural assessment and development. Her research has been published in academic journals and she is a member of the Educational Standards Committee of Moller Institute, Churchill College, Cambridge University.
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Portia started her career in academic research in Australia and Ireland working on WHO funded research. She then moved to the corporate world and, after becoming one of the youngest Client Account Directors of a global recruitment firm, Portia shifted her focus to consulting where she advised the senior leadership of FTSE and Fortune 100 firms on talent development and their use of psychometrics and other diagnostic tools. Portia co-founded Communication Labs (and its Thrive Matters platform) which creates skills accelerators built with world leading academics to help professionals of all levels to develop the skills they need to effectively navigate workplace challenges.
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Michael Smets
Michael Smets is a Professor of Management at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School. He studies CEOs and senior leaders in corporate, professional and public sector organisations. His work focuses on their leadership development and the delivery of large-scale digital transformations.
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Michael regularly contributes to Oxford Saïd’s flagship leadership programmes and speaks at academic and practitioner conferences. His research is published in leading academic journals, industry reports and professional handbooks and has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, the Financial Times, the BBC and other global media.
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David Sheldon
David is a qualified executive coach and has spent more than 30 years as an international lawyer. For 14 years he was a General Counsel at a global investment bank and prior to that worked in private practice including at Slaughter and May, Ashurst and as an equity Partner at Fried Frank.
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David contributes to various leadership programmes at the Moller Institute, Churchill College, Cambridge University, where he is an Associate. David now works with professional service clients, either individually or with teams, to drive greater effectiveness and engagement and has a particular interest in enabling great client relationships. David has a special focus in his coaching practice on business development. His intimate knowledge of the legal profession, its challenges, opportunities and demands means he is well placed to hit the ground running when working with his clients.
Make your Client Relationship Team perform like a team.
In a profession built on individual expertise, high-performing Client Relationship Teams transform individual excellence into collective advantage.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Pricing depends on team size and delivery format. We confirm after a short scoping call.
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Typically 12 months. Behaviour change needs repetition in real work.
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No. Some teams start with coaching first, then run diagnostics once trust and readiness are higher.
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Behaviours linked to client success at individual and team level.
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Yes. The goal is development, not internal politics. We set boundaries upfront.
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A partner-led CRT plus key contributors. Keep it tight enough to act.
Get in Touch
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