Outsized

A few weeks ago, I shared a story about a project that made me think differently about how organisations solve complex problems. The response was overwhelming. So many of you reached out saying you’ve experienced the same gap – where traditional consulting feels too slow or too big, but internal resources don’t have the distance or capacity. Today, I’m excited to share what we’ve been building at Outsized to address exactly that. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀. Fixed-scope (and fixed-price) project delivery combining the flexibility of independent talent and the accountability of consulting firms. We’re assembling hand-picked teams of senior independent consultants and sector specialists to deliver complete project outcomes – from strategic planning support and operating model design to digital product development and process improvement. Each team is led by an Outsized Capability Lead (think ex-big firm partners, boutique founders, former C-suite) who’ve actually delivered this work before. Not juniors learning on the job. Senior people who combine consulting rigour with real-world execution experience. They work with you to scope the project, assemble the team, and run delivery. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁: --> Speed: Deploy teams in weeks, not months --> Quality: Curated for what you need, not what’s available on the bench --> Value: Pay for expertise, not big brand overheads --> Flexibility: Scale teams up or down as your project evolves --> Accountability: Fixed-scope delivery with clear outcomes We’re not replacing your big firm relationships. We’re complementing them – handling implementation work, specialist projects, and urgent initiatives that need agility and transparency. Imagine being able to assemble a team, kick off in a week, and demonstrate real outputs in a matter of weeks. If you’ve felt that gap between what traditional consulting offers and what you actually need, I’d love to hear from you. https://lnkd.in/gvFRwKqB #futureofwork #talentteams #independentteams #flexiblework #Outsized

88% of business transformations fail. That’s according to a Bain & Company analysis in 2024. In financial services, it’s a stat that lands a little harder than most. When you're operating in a regulated environment, that kind of pressure doesn’t just slow things down - it introduces real risk. The kind you can’t tidy up with a ‘lessons learned’ slide. 😶 Here's the thing though: Transformations don't run into trouble because FS leaders don’t know how to design good strategies, because they do. The failure usually creeps in elsewhere. Not in the boardroom. But in the bandwidth. And in the lack of experienced specialists who’ve done a few before. Because transformation doesn’t fall apart in theory. It falls apart mid-programme, when the real work starts and the team realises the plan assumed time they didn’t have, or expertise they (or their junior management consultants) are quietly ChatGPT-ing. We hear about it all the time: -Risk teams split across five change initiatives Transformation leads managing delivery, exec reporting, stakeholder herding - and somehow also owning a workstream themselves -New hires meant to fix it all - arriving in six months, if they arrive at all It’s not really that the wrong people are in the room. It’s that they’re also in five other rooms. The talent model most FS orgs still rely on wasn’t built for the speed, complexity, or regulatory load of today’s change programmes. So the question isn’t “Why did the programme fail?” It’s usually “Who was missing when it mattered?” ------- We built Outsized for this exact gap, ie to help FS firms plug in independent talent with the scars, the t-shirts, and the receipts. People who’ve done it before, and know how to do it again. #Transformation #FutureOfWork #TalentOnDemand #FinancialServices

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝. In regulated industries, failure isn’t just delivery risk. It’s very real reputational, regulatory, and operational exposure. But here’s what sometimes gets missed: Projects rarely fail because of a bad strategy deck. They fail because of execution gaps - misjudged risk velocity, overly stretched internal teams, and talent learning on the job in zero-margin environments. In financial services, the learning curve can’t be built into the plan. Because real, 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 - not innovation labs or in decks. And the cost of “figuring it out as we go” is rarely just a line item. It’s a headline. You need people who: -Know where the bodies are buried -Have felt the ripple effects of a seemingly minor control gap -Understand how to modernise without setting off compliance alarms It’s not about headcount. It’s about judgment. The kind that comes from having worked in change processes before, not just observed it, or written about it. The kind that can spot second-order risks while still moving the work forward. Because in FS, it’s not just about getting things done. It’s about getting them done without triggering risk events six months later. 𝐉𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐚 𝐥𝐮𝐱𝐮𝐫𝐲. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭. If you’re balancing pace, control, and credibility across markets or programs you’re not alone. This is the reality for most FS leaders today. ----- Outsized was built for financial services, by former FS leaders. We connect you to independents (individuals or teams) with the scars, the t-shirts, and the track record. 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝐀𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 - 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐥𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲. The winners are already moving faster, leaner, and smarter. • CxOs and Directors running leaner, on-demand, more agile operating models • Transformation Leads building blended teams - in-house, consulting, and freelance • FS management consultants supplementing their project teams with independent professionals in blended teams for deeper, real-world execution experience Why it's happening: • 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝: Traditional hiring models can’t keep up with market change • 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: Deep FS expertise is scarce - and often independent • 𝐅𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: Project-based delivery has become the norm • 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭: The best specialists choose independence At Outsized, we’ve seen this shift accelerate over the last ten years, and - through a combination of our own backgrounds, luck, and design 😅 - built what is probably 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝’𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐒 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 to meet it. We now have over 𝟔𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 across transformation, digital, risk, compliance, data, product, strategy, and more. Many of our independents combine strong, big brand consulting background with deep implementation experience from hands-on industry roles. We work with global banks, insurers, fintechs, and consultancies to plug in high-impact FS talent, fast. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝? They’re not just filling skills gaps or adding capacity. They’re future-proofing how they build teams, without slowing down delivery. ❤️ Financial Services is changing, and we’re doing our best to help leaders move faster, smarter, and more flexibly. In our view, it’s no longer a question of if - but how fast the rest of the industry adapts.

What if hiring meant choosing between 3 perfect candidates instead of screening 50 CVs? Outsized's curated network delivers pre-vetted talent from leading brands - handpicked for your specific needs and ready to start in days.

The Times They Are A-Changin'... It's the quality of your shortlist that should be outsized, not the number of CVs. The old hiring game rewarded volume - more applicants, more data, more time spent. But the smartest organisations are realising that more isn’t better, it’s just noisier. What matters now is how well you can identify fit early, how clearly you define what “great” looks like for a role, and how intentionally you build your shortlists. That shift saves weeks of effort and produces better outcomes. Not because of luck, but because of focus. In a market where top talent moves fast (not least top independents), and projects can’t wait, efficiency isn’t just about speed. It’s about clarity, knowing who you need, why you need them, and how to find them without drowning in CVs. And if you use a talent partner, you should expect the same from them. Not receive 50 CVs in a 'shortlist' to review (because that's just homework), but rather 3 that really hit the mark.