Palio Chess Reversal Video Final 2K_1.mp4

Military leaders in camouflage in a field with a gradual transition to a man in a suit delivering a presentation in a corporate setting.

PREPERATION | DISCIPLINE | EXECUTION

Master The Fundamentals
Perform When It Matters Most

Our philosophy is to Make High Performance More Accessible.

Too often management consultants deal in complex theory with little credibility of real world experience of implementing high performance.

Palio do things differently. We use our combined 50+ years of military leadership and proven record of translating this into success in the corporate world to bring a new approach to High Performance.

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TAILORED

REPEATABLE

PRACTICAL

SIMPLE

Applied to your Context and Culture

Built into Behaviours and Routines

Designed to be used in the Real World.

Focussed on the Fundamentals.

High Performance Should Be:

A line of people in suits walking together in a corporate setting looking professional and serious.

Making High Performance More Accessible

A businessman alone looking over a cityscape

Leadership

Often talked about. Rarely understood. Poorly implemented,

Leadership doesn't have to be a mysterious or complicated concept.

It can be SIMPLIFIED

It can be BEHAVIOURAL

It can be ACTIONABLE

Organisational Culture

Organisational Culture is not as simple as putting up a few value statement posters around the building. It is something that grows and develops through people.

Culture is built through:

STANDARDS

BEHAVIOURS

CONSISTENCY

A group of people putting their fists together in the centre in a show of unity.

A person building a tower using wooden blocks.

Structure

Structure is often where most organisations fail. It is the missing piece.

Without the right structure, leadership and culture cannot stick.

We put the scaffolding in place so performance becomes repeatable not accidental.

Culture Built By Design, Not Hope

Sustained High Performance

The Team

James Knight

James Knight MC is a former Royal Marines Commando Officer, award-winning leader, and trusted adviser to business owners and senior professionals.

In 2007, James was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry after leading troops in combat operations.

James has over two decades of leadership and business experience, bringing a blend of real-world experience and strategic insight to the work he does with clients. Drawing on lessons from the military, business, and financial planning, he helps leaders make better decisions, build resilience, and create clarity around what truly matters — both professionally and personally.

Sarah Furness

After graduating from Cambridge university Sarah Furness followed her dream to be a combat RAF helicopter pilot. As a Squadron Leader she led combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and was the first female helicopter pilot to fly and lead UK Special Forces missions.

She taught human performance, risk management and error management training at the world renowned Defence Academy of the UK.

Cognitive behavioural therapist and mindfulness coach and best selling author of two books Sarah now translates battle-tested leadership and teamwork strategies into practicable and implementable tools that will transform mindset, behaviours and culture that ultimately wins more business.

Tom O'Keeffe

Tom O'Keeffe has spent 20 years building and leading teams of Royal Marine Commandos, including multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As former Chief-of-Staff of the UK's Commando Brigade, Tom is consistently recognised as one of the preeminent leaders of his generation within the Royal Marines.

Tom is a highly experienced leader of diverse high-performance multi-disciplinary teams and is driven by an inherent belief in the importance of organisational culture and ethos as the basis for cognitive excellence.