The Choice Point: Above the Line Leadership

Leadership happens in moments of choice.
High-performing leaders aren’t defined by what they know or can do, but by who they are under pressure.

The Choice Point is a practical framework that helps leaders see the choice, pause, and respond intentionally, rather than react habitually.

What The Choice Point Is

The Choice Point is a leadership framework built on a simple truth:

Leaders Always Have a Choice

In every moment, leaders can move above the line — open, curious, and committed to growth — or below the line — reactive, closed, and protective. By recognising this choice, leaders can:

  • Strengthen self-awareness and presence

  • Communicate with clarity and impact

  • Take responsibility rather than blame

  • Navigate complexity and change with confidence

Why it Matters

Leadership capability is rarely about knowledge gaps. It is about patterns, behaviour, and mindset.

Leaders who operate below the line

  • Avoid accountability

  • Escalate conflicts unnecessarily

  • Miss opportunities to influence

  • Create tension in teams

Leaders who operate above the line

  • Respond with clarity and calm

  • Build trust and accountability

  • Make decisions aligned with values

  • Foster collaboration and high performance

The Choice Point helps leaders recognise their patterns and take action that consistently improves outcomes.

How the Model Works

The framework is built around three pillars

Relate

Understanding self and others. Recognising triggers, assumptions, and patterns that influence behaviour.

Communicate

Conducting conversations with clarity, intention, and impact. Creating space for accountability, challenge, and collaboration.

Navigate

Managing complexity, change, and challenge effectively. Making deliberate choices under pressure, rather than reacting to circumstance.

Practical Applications

The Choice Point is designed for leaders at all levels, embedded into real leadership practice rather than abstract theory.

  • In coaching: Leaders reflect on real decisions and behavioural patterns.

  • In development programmes: Teams learn to recognise above/below the line dynamics and apply the model together.

  • In organisational culture: The model encourages consistent language and approach across leadership levels.

The result is behavioural change that is visible, measurable, and sustainable.

Who Benefits

  • Emerging leaders learning to lead with awareness

  • Mid-level leaders managing teams and accountability

  • Senior leaders navigating organisational complexity

  • HR and People & Culture leaders seeking applied tools for leadership growth

This is practical, actionable, and immediately relevant to organisational leadership challenges.

Outcomes

Leaders and organisations that adopt The Choice Point typically experience:

  • Increased self-awareness and intentional behaviour

  • More consistent above-the-line leadership across teams

  • Clearer conversations and decision-making

  • Greater alignment between leadership intent and impact

  • Stronger team engagement and culture

  • Improved confidence in navigating change and challenge

Nicola Brightwell

Head of People & Culture, Mr Apple

What separates Matt from the others is his realness and genuine partnership style. Matt is curious about your business challenges and people, and wants to make a difference to business outcomes and personal growth.

Lisa Buckley

CEO, Leisure TV Rights

Matt helps you to recognise what others see about you, but you don't yourself. He establishes a safe space for doing development work. You and your team go deeper and build resilience, positivity and performance.

Sandy Fettes

Global Wells Director, Howgarth Energy

It’s Matt's approach that differentiates him from others. He brings psychological insight and takes you to challenging places where you form commitments to developing consciously and subconsciously.

Begin with a Conversation

Understanding The Choice Point begins with dialogue.

If you want your leaders to operate above the line more consistently, explore whether this framework fits your organisation.

Helping Organisations Build Better Leadership