SYLO — Sort Yourself, Lead Others

A 6-Day Leadership Programme · Open Cohort 2027

Sort Yourself, Lead Others

You're good at your job. You care about doing it well.
And somewhere in all of that, you've learned to make yourself smaller than you need to be.

The conversations you're not having. The authority you're not using.
The version of yourself you keep editing down before anyone else gets the chance to.
This is the programme that deals with that.

Block 1Thu–Fri Thu Thu 28–Fri 29 January 2027

Block 2Thu–Fri Thu 25–Fri 26 February 2027

Block 3Thu–Fri Thu Thu 8–Fri 9 April 2027

Reserve Your Place

Change Working · Northallerton · Maximum 12 places

Who Is This For

Sound familiar?

The capable leader whose head won't shut up

You're good at the job. People respect you. But you hold back when you should challenge, say yes when you mean no, and replay the conversation you should have had.

The one who's done training before

You've sat through the workshops. You've got the folder. And you came away thinking: "That was fine — but nothing really changed."

The newly appointed leader

Promoted because you're brilliant at your job. Nobody told you that leading people needs an almost entirely different set of skills — and a different relationship with yourself.

The leader who knows they're not using their full capacity

Capable, driven, and quietly frustrated with the gap between what you could be doing and what you're actually doing. That gap has a name. This programme works on it.

The Programme

What we cover

Six days across three blocks, with time between each to apply what you've learned before coming back for more. No jargon. No fluff. Small group. Real work on real things.

Sort Yourself

Thu 28–Fri 29 Jan 2027

Know Yourself First

How your brain filters reality — and why it matters
Why two people experience the same situation differently
The Chimp Paradox — your brain under pressure
Values, beliefs and what's actually driving your behaviour
Your default patterns under pressure
State management — practical tools for hard moments
Metaprogrammes — the filters you don't know you're running
Logical Levels — who you are as a leader

Lead Others

Thu 25–Fri 26 Feb 2027

Sort Your Relationships

Other people's Chimps — recognising and responding
Values in other people — why their behaviour makes sense on their map
The Drama Triangle — and how to exit it
Real assertiveness — not the aggressive version
Saying no clearly and without guilt
Giving Clean Feedback
Linguistic influence — language that actually lands
The difficult conversation you've been avoiding

Make It Stick

Thu 8–Fri 9 Apr 2027

Now Lead With Authority

Ethical influence — moving people without manipulating them
Delegation — letting go without losing control
Authority and being heard
Managing upwards
The Pulos Brainwave Model — state for influence
Integration — the leader you're stepping into
Your commitments to each other
Where next

The gap between Block 2 and Block 3 is intentional. It gives you six weeks to apply what you've learned before we bring it all together in April. Most people find this is where the real shifts happen.

Let's Be Straight

What this isn't.

✕Role play with a stranger

✕Death by PowerPoint

✕Trust falls

✕A folder of frameworks you'll never use

✕Motivational fluff

✕Therapy

✕Generic leadership theory

✕Content you'll forget by Friday

Six days of honest, practical work on the thing most programmes ignore — what's going on between your ears, and what you can do about it. The internal work that makes the external stuff actually stick.

Venue & Details

The practical stuff.

Venue

Change Working
33 High Street
Northallerton
DL7 8EE

Dates

Block 1 — Thu Thu 28 & Fri 29 January 2027
Block 2 — Thu Thu 25 & Fri 26 February 2027
Block 3 — Thu Thu 8 & Fri 9 April 2027

Times

9:30am – 4:30pm both days of each block.
Arrive from 9:15am.

Group Size

Maximum 10 people.
Small by design — the work requires it. Enough for rich discussion. Not so many that you get lost.

What's Included

All 6 days of delivery
Programme workbook
All materials
Refreshments throughout
Post-programme support

Sectors

Corporate · SME · Public sector · Charity · Healthcare · Education. If you lead people, this is relevant.

Investment

Pricing.

Evolved from Overthunk! Leadership. SYLO is the next iteration of the programme that ran its founding cohort in 2026. The content is proven, the format refined. Testimonials from the founding cohort coming soon.

Early Bird · Standard

£1,295

+ VAT · £1,554 inc. VAT

Full 6-day programme across 3 blocks. All materials and workbook included. Book before 30 September 2026.

All 6 days of delivery
Programme workbook
All training materials
Refreshments throughout
Post-programme support
Direct access to Alan

Early Bird · Third Sector

£795

+ VAT · £954 inc. VAT

Charity, not-for-profit and public sector. Book before 30 September 2026.

All 6 days of delivery
Programme workbook
All training materials
Refreshments throughout
Post-programme support
Direct access to Alan

Full price from 1 October 2026:
£1,695 + VAT standard · £995 + VAT third sector / charity / not-for-profit.
That's not a sales tactic — it's just honest.

Reserve Your Place

Questions

Frequently asked.

Is this therapy?

No. This is leadership development. We work on mindset, behaviour and practical skills. If something personal comes up — and it sometimes does — we handle it professionally and move on. You won't be asked to share anything you don't want to share.

I've done loads of leadership training. How is this different?

Most leadership training focuses on what to do. This focuses on what's stopping you from doing it — the internal patterns, beliefs and behaviours that are quietly getting in the way. That's the bit most programmes skip entirely. It's usually the bit that matters most.

Do I need any prior knowledge of NLP or psychology?

None at all. The content is accessible regardless of background. You don't need to know what NLP is — you just need to be willing to work honestly on what's actually going on for you.

Is it just presentations and listening?

No. There's input, discussion and practical exercises throughout. You'll be doing real work on real things relevant to your actual context — not hypothetical case studies about fictional companies.

What sectors do people come from?

All sorts — corporate, SME, public sector, charity, education, healthcare. The challenges we cover show up everywhere. If you lead people, this is relevant.

Can my employer pay?

Yes. We can issue a formal invoice to your organisation. Get in touch directly and we'll sort it. Many employers will fund this under training and development budgets.

What's the cancellation policy?

Cancellations more than 28 days before Block 1 receive a full refund. Within 28 days, your place can be transferred to a colleague or to a future cohort. We'll always try to be reasonable — get in touch if your circumstances change.

I need to commit to all three blocks?

Yes. The programme only works as a whole. Each block builds on the last, and the gaps between blocks are part of the design. If you can't commit to all three dates, this cohort isn't right — but get in touch about future cohorts.

Your Facilitator

Alan Johnson

Leadership Trainer
NLP Master Practitioner
Psychotherapist
Clinical Hypnotherapist
Author — Overthunk!

I've spent over 30 years working with leaders across the public, private and third sectors — in boardrooms, training rooms and one-to-one coaching sessions. I've seen the same patterns come up again and again. Capable people held back not by a lack of skill, but by what's going on inside their own heads.

I'm a qualified NLP Master Practitioner (INLPTA accredited), psychotherapist, clinical hypnotherapist and IEMT practitioner. I'm also the author of Overthunk! — Your Brain is Chatting Sh*t to You, an Amazon number one on the NLP charts, and the founder of Change Working.

Change Working has trained over 1,000 people across the public, private and third sectors, including Durham Constabulary, the Ministry of Defence, HM Prison Service and more than 30 local authorities.

I work directly with people. No associate trainers, no corporate delivery machine. When you book SYLO, you get me.