ABOUT ME

WHO I AM

I’m Matt Croker — a consultant, trainer, coach, and facilitator who helps organisations rethink how they work so they can deliver real value, without burning people out or chasing the latest management trend.

I care deeply about how work actually happens inside teams, not how it looks on paper. My role is to help leaders and teams slow down just enough to see what’s really going on, ask better questions, and experiment their way toward better outcomes.

People often describe my work as practical, playful, and thought-provoking. The feedback I value most is simple: “I never thought about it that way.” That moment — when something clicks — is usually where meaningful change begins.

HOW I GOT HERE

I didn’t start out as a consultant. I began my career as a software developer, working inside teams and living with the consequences of decisions made elsewhere. At one point, our project managers resigned, and the team proposed an experiment: we would self-manage. We were given three weeks to prove it could work. I became a Scrum Master overnight — with no formal training, no certifications, and plenty of uncertainty.

We made it work. Not because we followed a framework perfectly, but because we talked, experimented, learned, and adapted together. That experience shaped how I see organisations today. It taught me that real progress doesn’t come from rigid models — it comes from people being trusted to think, collaborate, and learn in context.

EXPERIENCE THAT’S GROUNDED IN REALITY

Since then, I’ve worked with teams, leaders, and executives across a wide range of organisations — usually under 300 people — helping them navigate complexity, improve flow, and build healthier ways of working.

I’ve coached middle managers trying to lead without authority, supported senior leaders grappling with “doing more with less,” and trained teams who were tired of theoretical solutions that didn’t fit their on-the-ground reality.

I’ve worked across product, technology, leadership development, and operational improvement. That breadth gives me perspective — and a healthy scepticism of one-size-fits-all answers.

I’m agnostic by choice and by design.

I don’t sell frameworks, certifications, or silver bullets. I focus on what works for you.

HOW I WORK

My work is rooted in experimentation, collaboration, and movement-building.

I don’t arrive with a fixed plan — we create one together.

I involve the people doing the work, because change only sticks when it’s owned, not imposed. Whether I’m training, coaching, or facilitating, my goal is to help teams build capability and confidence, not dependence on me.

I care far more about value than velocity, outcomes than rituals, and learning than looking busy. I’m interested in flow, quality, decision-making, and alignment — the things that quietly shape results over time.

ETHOS & PHILOSOPHY

At the heart of my work are a few simple beliefs:

  • Curiosity beats certainty
  • Collaboration beats control
  • Experimentation beats prediction

I value teamwork as a multiplier, commitment as a willingness to try again when things don’t work, and curiosity as the engine of improvement. I read, write, learn, and reflect constantly — not to collect badges, but to stay sharp, humble, and useful.

I think of myself as a partner — sometimes a guide, sometimes a mirror, sometimes a provocateur.

My job isn’t to have all the answers. It’s to help you ask better questions, see new possibilities, and build ways of working that make sense for your organisation and your people.