Summary
Utility Warehouse (UW) are a UK-based company founded in 2002 that operates as a multi-utility provider, offering a range of essential services to residential customers. The unique aspect of UW is its emphasis on bundling essential services into a single package, providing their customers with the convenience of managing multiple utilities through one provider. Their focus is on affordability and making the process as simple as possible for their customers. UW relies on a Partner Network Programme which is a referral and commission-based initiative. The Partners are independent distributors who tend to run their UW business as part of a multi-income portfolio. I.e., they could be running the business alongside a full-time job, as they enter retirement, or to the extent that it is their only job.
Listen to UW's CEO Andrew Lindsey's account on the impact Will It? has had on their organisation:
How Did we Get There?
The Challenge
UW found themselves navigating the complexities of the 2022 energy crisis. Given their ability to provide affordable energy solutions, they experienced a period of monumental growth. The challenge UW faced was ensuring the business was able to keep up with market demand in a sustainable way while also allowing them to invest in and equip their leaders in the Partner Network to capitalise on said market.
They needed to develop the Partners skills and tools to enable them to grow their businesses and develop further as leaders to maintain the growing trajectory of the UW business.
The Solution
As a subsidiary of Telecom Plus a FTSE 250, UW yields considerable influence and recognition. With a strategic focus on fostering growth and supporting individuals to advance through the network, Will It Make The Boat Go Faster? designed a High Performance Leadership Programme purposely targeted for the highest performers of a specific level within the network.
Utility Warehouse facilitated an application process where the top performers were invited to apply for the programme. UW selected 24 Senior Group Leaders (SGLs) of those most likely to achieve a promotion to National Group Leader status within a qualified timeframe.
The Diagnostic Process
Will It Make The Boat Go Faster? conducted in-depth diagnostic interviews with the 24 individuals to gain a complete understanding of the their challenges, individual situations and the personalities involved. The diagnostic process helped identify the areas for development that would have the greatest impact with this group. Natalie Macaluso, Senior Performance Consultant, translated these diagnostics into the design of a bespoke high-performance solution.
Design, Delivery & Leadership Challenge
The diagnostics and design work resulted in three one day in-person workshops, specifically designed to address three key Leadership facets:
- ‘Getting the best out of me’
- ‘Getting the best from others’
- ‘Delivering when it counts’
All three of these days included a series of practical modules focusing on specific habits, tools and solutions to accelerate high performance leadership and ultimately maximise individual and team performance to drive results.
A vital component was our Leadership Challenge. Specifically crafted by each participant, they created their own ‘Crazy Goal’ with the strategic aim of advancing their business. This provided the real opportunity to apply all the learnings in a practical way and reinforced the commitment that this Leadership Programme is rooted in the reality of the participants with a clear focus on delivering measurable outcomes.
Maintaining Momentum and Accountability
The in-person workshops gave all the UW Partners access to the broader Will It? toolkit of practical tips and strategies to improve their performance. However, it was essential that each individual leader was held to account for the actions they committed to take. Therefore, Will It? delivered three momentum sessions between each workshop where the Partners were able to evidence where they had achieved success in implementing their new high-performance behaviours. These 90-minute virtual sessions were just as important as the Workshops as the cohort was broken into smaller groups, allowing for more intimate and focused conversations. The sessions offered another opportunity for the Partners to consolidate their learnings from the previous Workshop/s.
Podium Event
In November 2023 we concluded the programme with a Podium Event that was attended by the delegates, regional managers and leaders from UW head office as well as the Will It Make The Boat Go Faster? executive team. The objective of this day was for the Partners to provide a clear demonstration of their own advancement towards their personal ‘Crazy Goal’ created for the programme and reflect on their personal learnings. Each partner delivered a presentation outlining their successes, progress and greatest takeaways from the programme. Whilst the Podium Event is a day of celebration, it is also a jumping off point for the individuals to make commitments to what they need to continue doing to progress towards their own Crazy Goals.
The Results
The programme’s cohort developed the mindset, skills and ability to lead through a time of huge change. The delegates have noted considerable change in their leadership style with a far greater focus on intention, structured around a clear direction. The Partners are now building the capability of their teams around their strategic ambition with the performance tools we have provided. Will It?’s strategic approach has provided the UW Partners with a tangible framework and helped make their “Crazy Goals” feel more achievable. The clarity that setting Layered Goals has provided has significantly contributed to their professional advancement.
Another common theme across the group was that as a result of the programme they were delegating more, freeing up their own time to do less of the “do” and spend more time on strategy and the business itself.


Partner Results
Achieved an 33% average increase in promotions within the partners individual teams.
95% of the cohort are clearer on what they need to do to build their business because of the Layered Goals framework.
95% of the cohort now delegate more frequently as they now know how to empower their team.
95% of the cohort agreed spending time with other business owners in a learning environment had helped improve their performance.
Programme Implementation
To highlight the immediate outcomes and impact consensus from each workshop, Will It Make The Boat Go Faster? sought feedback from the cohort via three questions. Below are the average scores across all three workshops:
- The overall quality of this session = 9.6/10.
- The quality of delivery/facilitation of this session = 9.8/10.
- The likelihood that this session will make a difference to individual performance = 9.5/10.
The Expansion of the Will It Make The Boat Go Faster? and Utility Warehouse Partnership
We began our second piece of programmatic work with UW in November 2023. This is a Leadership Performance Programme supporting their full time senior leaders at headquarters.
The internal team at UW has also experienced exponential growth in the past three years going from 1000 employees to over 2700 (at time of writing). There has been a huge focus to expand and enhance their development with many stepping up into leadership roles for the first time. It was important to UW that they retain what makes them unique, whilst also recognising the need to evolve and develop. Given the rapid pace of these changes, UW recognised that senior leaders across the internal business needed the right skill set for maximum effectiveness and efficiency whilst staying true to the UW culture. Alongside this growth, UW have just unveiled their big North Star strategy that is being embedded throughout the wider team.
As we look ahead to the next 12 months, through our high-performance workshops and regular momentum sessions we are focusing on:
- A Leadership Programme which directly brings to life the UW leadership values. Their cultural DNA is interwoven throughout the programme. UW has stipulated the ‘what’ they want to see so Will It? can facilitate the ‘how’ to make it happen by providing a consistent approach to leadership across the business.
- Creating a Leadership Challenge ‘Crazy Goal’ for each leader to apply their learning to, aligned to the North Star, with the opportunity to drive their personal development and advance the business at large.
- Driving cross functional collaboration by bringing together leaders throughout the business so that they can work together and leverage the collective power across the business.