The Clever Tern Way
fearless. strategic. human.
We help you zero-in on what matters—so you can move forward with confidence.
We combine systems thinking with collaborative consulting to quickly uncover how your people, culture, and processes interact. Then we partner with you to shape strategies and practices that strengthen alignment and enable meaningful progress.
our expertise
aligning people, purpose, and performance.
Clever Tern combines strategic insight with deep expertise across all three to strengthen how people and systems work together—creating workplaces where people feel valued and motivated to do their best work.
our approach
strategic partnership tailored to your needs.
Through fractional advisory and project-based consulting, Clever Tern provides senior-level expertise tailored to your goals, culture, and pace.
Our approach is transparent, collaborative, and deeply human-centered—focused on strengthening the relationship between your organization and its people, creating clarity across systems, and supporting sustainable performance over time.
Consistency in our approach is driven by our guiding principles, below.
how we think
principles we live by.
Clever Tern’s philosophy is more than a mindset—it’s an elevated way of working. Our guiding principles shape every engagement; guiding how we listen, design, and lead alongside our clients.
Clarify the Common Cause
We listen for the shared purpose that unites your people. Then, by challenging assumptions and clarifying desired outcomes, we uncover the through line that drives bold, aligned action.
Mind the Gap
We map the space between where you are and where you want to be—across capabilities, opportunities, and access. This helps us prioritize what matters most, identify leverage points, and design a path that’s both ambitious and achievable.
Leverage Cultural Strengths
We’re not bound by fads. Every organization is unique, and your culture is a strategic asset. We uncover the values, behaviors, and systems that already work—and use them to fuel change that fits your context and constraints.
Get Creative
Creativity is in our name—Clever Tern. We don't seek creativity for the sake of it. We leverage it to get curious on the "why's," think outside the bounds, and rethink 'business as usual' to drive innovative solutions that overcome constraints and that are simply sustainable. Constraints don’t limit us—they spark innovation.
Ensure Steady-State Sustainability
Quick wins are only part of the story. We design strategies that can be maintained and evolved over time, even with limited resources. Our work connects today’s momentum with tomorrow’s resilience—so progress doesn’t stall when attention shifts.
Empower Independence, Not Dependence
Solutions have to stick and be successful. We listen deeply, think systemically, and co-create with your teams to build ownership and agency. Our goal is to enable your autonomy—so you’re confident leading forward, long after we’re gone.
why fractional?
high-impact expertise—without expanding your headcount.
Traditional options come with tradeoffs: a full-time executive costs upward of $200,000 a year plus benefits and overhead, while large consulting firms charge multiples of that—often without giving you direct access to senior talent.
Clever Tern offers a smarter path. Through fractional executive advisory, you get direct access to 20+ years of expertise in learning, change, and team performance—delivered in a service model that’s responsive to your business context and that eliminates the unnecessary layers of consulting intermediaries or long-term staff commitments.
It’s a smart, scalable, and budget-friendly option when you need deep expertise, steady progress, and leadership you can trust—but not on a 40-hour-a-week basis.
A powerful option when you need:
- More capability, not more overhead
- Objective thinking during complex and fast-moving change
- A trusted expert to coach leaders and teams toward higher performance
- A temporary boost in capacity—without lengthy ramp-up
- Fast traction on high-priority learning and change efforts
our coaching perspective
development in context.
At Clever Tern, coaching isn’t about labels, tests, or abstract frameworks. It’s about strengthening capability in real time. Simply put, we call it performance coaching—practical, situational, and deeply connected to the realities of organizational life.
Sometimes we’re a sounding board for a senior leader navigating organizational complexity. Other times, we’re stepping into a team meeting to observe and shift dynamics in real time.
Our aim is always the same: to clarify purpose, to strengthen capability and collaboration, and to strategically elevate what matters most.
what this looks like in action
We don’t bring a checklist of “to-do’s,” we think critically and custom-design strategies to match your circumstances and desired outcomes. A few examples of how we’ve done this for our clients may be found on “Our Impact” page.
Our process is simple: a conversation, a clear agreement, and momentum from day one.
let’s talk
Explore what flexible, strategic support could look like for your team.