Online Leadership Communication Training
At Discretionary Efforts, we help experienced leaders and business owners who are under real people pressure. Founded by trusted experts Ali McCormick and Rachel Hillyer, our online training focuses on the practical, human side of leadership.
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We provide action-led, situation-specific support to help you improve how you communicate, handle conflict, and lead under pressure to drive real workplace outcomes.
Real Support for Real Pressures
When people issues reach a tipping point, it stalls progress and drains your energy. We provide the necessary intervention to unblock work and break unhelpful patterns that simply cannot continue.
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We help you solve the problems that are actively draining you.
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Our solutions include:​
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Immediate behaviour changes in response to real-world situations.
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Resolving issues that have slowed or stalled your team’s progress.
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Breaking patterns that hinder execution and performance.
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Action-led support tailored to your specific workplace challenges.​
Meet Ali & Rachel
Discretionary Efforts was founded by Ali McCormick and Rachel Hillyer to bridge the gap between business strategy and human behaviour.
Ali brings deep experience as a coach and trainer, focusing on the real humans in the room to help you build the practical skills and confidence needed to lead through pressure.
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Working alongside her, Rachel provides a strategy and consulting lens that looks at the bigger picture, ensuring every shift in communication directly supports your business goals.
Together, they combine these distinct backgrounds to give you a 360-degree view of your leadership challenges and help you create a workplace people actually want to be part of.
Our Online Courses
Our programmes combine live online training with supportive coaching to ensure you build confidence and embed meaningful behavioural change.
Why Choose Discretionary Efforts?
We believe in enhancing organisational performance through people and capability. Our work is evidence-based, grounded in proven research rather than trends, ensuring the shifts you make actually last.
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What you and your team will gain:
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Reduced conflict and friction in daily interactions.
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Higher engagement and retention by putting people first.
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More productive teams that require less constant intervention.
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Less wasted time and energy on avoidable people issues.
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Increased confidence to show up at your best every day.
Our Impact
Ali helps me appraise the thought processes that underpin my decision making with her humor and gentle quizzical manner. Much like an alchemist she draws on her vast knowledge, experiences and techniques which guide me to my aha moments.
Often I am genuinely surprised where we land. In these moments I have greater clarity in my reflection and practice that allows be to in turn become a better practitioner and leader.
Kerry Heslop
My growth as an early leader has been influenced through a variety of platforms and mentors. Discretionary Efforts has become an invaluable addition to my learning library.
Rachel and Ali have created bite-sized lunchtime reminders that continually encourage me to re-frame my thinking. The content speaks to both my personal and professional reasoning, fosters a supportive environment for shared learning, and offers practical applications for improving communication among my leadership team. Exactly what I need!
Ange Elsey
Ali's collegiate style and approach gave me the space and time to reflect and take my approach to leadership to a whole other level.
I have the added confidence now to work through tricky situations and back myself and my instincts.
Tracey Young
