In the latest instalment of his Leadership in Focus series for Business MK, Freddie Guilmard talks to Greg, Group CEO of Impact HR, about the challenges of rapid growth, integrating acquired businesses and learning when a leader needs to let go.

Impact HR has undergone a significant transformation in the past two years. Following a series of acquisitions, it has grown from five colleagues and £250,000 in revenue to a group of more than 55 people with annual revenues exceeding £4.6 million.

But, as Greg tells Freddie, buying businesses is only the beginning. The harder task is bringing together different teams, cultures and ways of working to create one organisation — while continuing to grow it.

“I’ve effectively been leading a start-up and an integration project at the same time,” Greg says. “That gives you a very honest view of what leadership looks like when everything is changing.”

That experience sits at the heart of Freddie’s latest conversation: how does a leader move from being involved in everything to building a business capable of succeeding without them?

Creating one organisation from many

The greatest challenge, Greg believes, isn’t growth itself.

It’s coherence.

“When you acquire businesses, you inherit different histories, different cultures and different ways of doing things.” The leadership challenge is deciding what becomes the new standard, what should remain unique, and what no longer serves the organisation.

“Done badly, it creates resentment and people leave. Done well, it’s the difference between simply owning a collection of businesses and creating one organisation.”

Technology changes tools, not judgement

“As an HR consultancy, AI is enabling us to accelerate our ability to analyse data, but without losing the human connection which remain at the core of our service”.

Yet Greg believes the bigger leadership question is not about technology itself.

“It’s understanding which parts of our value come from genuine expertise and judgement, and which parts are simply the manual labour of expertise.”

Get that balance wrong, he warns, and organisations either fail to embrace technology or remove the very value clients are paying for.

Alongside AI, today’s economic uncertainty has also sharpened Greg’s focus on commercial discipline.

“Growth for its own sake isn’t a strategy.”

Instead, leadership increasingly means protecting margins, managing risk and building a resilient business for the long term.

Learning to let go

One of Greg’s biggest personal lessons has been recognising that being involved in everything isn’t the same as leading effectively.

“I used to think reviewing every contract and every decision was diligence.”

Today, he sees it differently.

“The real job is building frameworks and developing people who can apply the same standards without me needing to be involved.”

It’s a shift many growing organisations eventually face — moving from being the person with all the answers to creating an environment where others can thrive.

Performance and wellbeing aren’t competing priorities

Greg rejects the idea that organisations must choose between high performance and looking after their people.

“The moment you treat wellbeing as the thing you sacrifice when pressure increases, you’ve already lost something.”

Instead, he believes leaders need honest conversations before workloads become crises, protecting time for meaningful one-to-ones and ensuring people feel supported long before burnout becomes a risk.

Preparing for the next chapter

Looking ahead, Greg believes the future of Impact HR depends less on founder-led heroics and more on building leadership capacity across the organisation.

“The next stage requires systems, delegated authority and leaders who can run significant parts of the business independently. I am a true believer that happy and engaged employees, will result in service excellence.”

It’s a conscious move from building a successful business to building one that can sustain success long into the future.

Quick Fire Reflections

  • A leadership quote: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Every acquisition reinforces just how true that really is.
  • A lesson learned: Great policies mean very little if people don’t understand or believe in them.
  • Advice for new leaders: Don’t confuse being involved in every detail with being in control. Real leadership comes from developing judgement, trust and the confidence to let go.

Freddie’s Reflection

What struck me most during my conversation with Greg was that, despite leading an HR consultancy, he wasn’t really talking about HR. He was talking about leadership maturity.

Many organisations begin with a founder who makes every decision, knows every client and carries every responsibility. That’s often exactly what’s needed in the early days.

But successful growth demands something different.

The challenge is no longer doing everything. It’s creating an organisation that no longer depends on one person.

I was particularly drawn to Greg’s reflection that being involved in everything isn’t the same as leading well. It’s a lesson many leaders learn the hard way.

Perhaps that’s one of the greatest transitions in leadership. The measure of success is no longer how indispensable you become.

It’s how capable your people become without you.