When leadership feels heavy, clarity is the way forward
OnDemand Leaders works with organizations and senior leaders who want to slow down, think clearly, and define what success actually means before taking action.
Leadership enablement for real conditions
OnDemand Leaders helps managers and leadership teams lead effectively when priorities shift, information is incomplete, and the cost of being wrong is high. This is not inspiration. It is structured support that improves how teams align, decide, and execute under pressure.
Most change fails because it ignores behaviour under pressure
Strategy can be sound and execution can still collapse when stress rises, teams are remote, and priorities shift weekly. The common failure is not effort. It is the absence of shared clarity and a process that holds in real conditions.
What we see
- Decisions accelerate, but teams stop moving in the same direction.
- Urgency becomes the operating system and priorities change midstream.
- Remote work reduces signal and increases assumptions, especially across functions.
- Technology adoption outpaces change readiness and creates friction instead of leverage.
Why it matters
In complex environments, people do not fail because they lack motivation. They fail because the system is unclear, the constraints are hidden, and accountability is not aligned with a real definition of success. Our work restores clarity, decision quality, and alignment so change becomes deliberate and sustainable.
Clarity before action
Many organizations are moving quickly, but not moving in the same direction. Our process brings structure to uncertainty so leaders can define success, align decisions, and proceed with intent.
Clarify what is happening
We surface what feels unclear, identify recurring friction, and separate symptoms from root issues so we are solving the right problem.
Ground insight in reality
We examine behaviour, decision patterns, and system constraints using structured inquiry and validated tools, not assumptions.
Define success with precision
We interpret findings, challenge mental models, and establish a shared definition of success that teams can align to.
Act intentionally and refine
We support deliberate action, reflection, and adjustment so progress holds under pressure and change remains sustainable.
Outcome: A clear definition of success, aligned leadership behaviour, and a decision making approach that creates progress you can measure.
What clarity looks like inside the week
This work shows up in the moments where execution usually breaks: prioritization meetings, handoffs across functions, decisions made under time pressure, and the “we are busy but not sure we are moving” feeling. We bring structure that leaders can use immediately, not a deck that lives in a folder.
The people behind the work
Two disciplines, one mandate: improve decision quality and execution under pressure. Practical. Evidence-led. Built for modern operating conditions.
Chris Schafer
Founder & Managing Director
Execution leadership across public and private organizations in Canada, the United States, Asia, and Australia. Focused on decision structure, operating cadence, and clarity when priorities shift fast.
Notable outcomes
- Built and scaled partner ecosystems across APAC
- Launched and stabilized new regional offices through change
- Led go-to-market execution through rapid organizational shifts
Elisha Schafer
Co-founder · Professor · Behavioural science depth
Adjunct Clinical Professor at McMaster University and owner of Lotus Counselling. Brings behavioural and clinical leadership to improve the human factors that determine whether change holds or erodes.
Notable outcomes
- Built and scaled a multi-clinician care organization
- Led outpatient psychiatry operations across intensive programs
- Improved access through operational redesign and program optimization
What is usually happening when leaders like you reach out
This is direct, hands-on support for senior leaders and executive teams who need decisions to hold under pressure. The work is structured, evidence-led, and oriented around what you can execute in the operating environment you actually have.
It is not motivational coaching, personality-based advice, or generic consulting. It is disciplined clarity work: priorities, decision rights, accountability, and a plan that reduces noise and rework.
When leaders typically engage
- Priorities keep shifting and execution is fragmenting across teams
- Decisions are slow, reversible, or constantly revisited
- Accountability is unclear (owners, handoffs, decision rights)
- A change program needs structure without adding bureaucracy
- High-pressure periods where alignment must happen quickly
Most engagements begin with a short diagnostic conversation to clarify the situation, confirm fit, and define what “success” should mean. If it is a fit, we move into a focused working cadence with clear outcomes and next actions.