The Acuity Lab Story – Cultivating The Garden of Clarity
I don’t sell a secret sauce. I help leaders and organizations see clearly. And this year, I’m taking The Acuity Lab to the next level.
Early Days
When I first entered the consulting world, I noticed something troubling. There were plenty of impressive models on paper, but very few seemed to stick in practice. Some consultants behaved like drug dealers - stringing clients along until they were drained of resources. Others shifted the blame: “They didn’t follow the plan.” “They weren’t ready for change.”
On the other side, clients often blamed the consultant: “They didn’t listen to us.” “They don’t understand our culture.”
That’s why Edgar Schein’s process design approach resonated so deeply with me. It felt like withness instead of blame.
For 5 very formative years, I worked under the umbrella of another company as an independent consultant; walking alongside nonprofits, schools, and churches through seasons of change. I watched leaders navigate complexity, boards rediscover their purpose, and staff pour themselves out for the mission.
But everywhere I looked, I also saw the same pain: exhaustion, cluttered agendas, hidden tensions, vision clouded by noise. Leaders second-guessing themselves. Boards stuck in endless cycles of debate. Staff quietly burning out.
I knew what organizations needed wasn’t another binder, another template, or another round of jargon. They needed clarity.
Designing the Practice
That realization gave shape to the next chapter of The Acuity Lab. I don’t want to be just another consulting firm in an already crowded market.
Instead, I’m building The Acuity Lab as a human and organizational development company rooted in the gift of clarity.
A place where clarity isn’t a luxury, but a lifeline:
Listening deeply for what leaders already know but haven’t named
Cutting through complexity until the essential comes into focus
Offering frameworks leaders can actually use, not just admire
I don’t show up with canned solutions. I show up as a partner - an expert guide and a steady presence - helping leaders and organizations see their own best path forward.
It’s not about more binders, decks, or models. It’s about sharper perception. It’s about clarity in the fog.
The Garden of Clarity
For me, clarity is like a garden.
Clarity is cultivated, not forced. It requires preparing the soil, pulling weeds, and patient tending. Some seeds sprout quickly, while others stay hidden underground until the time is right.
Clarity is nurtured. It isn’t one breakthrough moment, but the steady watering, pruning, and protection that helps vision grow strong and resilient.
Clarity thrives in community. Like a shared garden, each person brings what they can - sunlight, water, shade - and together we share the fruit at one table.
That’s how I think about my work. A place where clarity is cultivated with patience, nurtured with care, and shared in community.
Perfect Positioning
Most consulting is transactional. Process consulting and The Acuity Lab is relational.
Traditional firms position themselves as expertise for hire - show up, download their answers, hope it works.
I’ve chosen a different path.
I don’t want to rent out expertise. I want to walk with leaders. To uncover the strengths they didn’t know they had. To ask the questions no one else is asking. To create a process where everyone can own the outcome.
This isn’t about control. It’s about clarity. Not about blame. It’s about shared discovery. Not about dependency. It’s about helping leaders stand stronger on their own.
Because when leaders see clearly, they lead differently. And that’s the edge of The Acuity Lab.
Not a flashy logo. Not a binder on the shelf. But the moment when a leader finally breathes easier, sees straighter, and knows their next step.
That’s the work I’ve been called to do. And that’s the story of The Acuity Lab.
May your withness be your superpower today!
Kevin