About Own Your Development
We work with organisations that know growth isn’t just about headcount or hierarchy—it’s about people. Real people. The kind with quirks, blockers, brilliance, and untapped potential. Our Learning & Development and Talent Management consultancy helps businesses of all sizes create environments where skills are visible, leadership is lived, and coaching isn’t a tick-box—it’s a habit.
Leadership Development
Capability. Mindset. Impact.
At O.Y.D, we believe leadership isn’t about titles, it’s about how you show up, what drives you, and what gets in your way. Our leadership development approach helps individuals and teams lead with confidence, clarity, and purpose in a world that refuses to sit still.
At the heart of this sits The Skilled Leader—our six‑month, skills‑focused development programme designed to build the specific capabilities leaders need to succeed. Instead of relying on subjective behaviours or one‑off workshops, The Skilled Leader combines a rigorous skill audit, expert‑led LinkedIn Learning recommendations, and targeted one‑to‑one coaching to help leaders apply what they learn in real situations. It’s practical, personalised, and built for genuine, observable change.
And we don’t stop there. We don’t just teach models, we help people unpick their own. Through coaching labs, metaphor‑driven reflection, and tools like LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®, we surface what’s beneath the surface: values, blockers, blind spots, and brilliance. Because let’s be honest, if you can’t build it in bricks, you probably haven’t understood it yet.
LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® is a trademark of the LEGO Group
Skills Consultancy
Real capability. Not just buzzwords.
We help organisations build cultures where skills are visible, valued, and aligned with the future of work. Whether you're scaling fast or stuck in legacy mode, our consultancy connects your people strategy to actual capability—no fluff, no filler.
We design practical, inclusive learning experiences that stick. From modular frameworks to smart tools like Copilot, we make sure your development offer isn’t just another corporate theatre piece. It’s grounded in evidence, shaped by curiosity, and delivered with creativity.
We don’t do off-the-shelf. We co-create solutions that fit your culture, your goals, and your people—warts, wonders and all.
At O.Y.D, we’re not just consultants—we’re partners in your growth.
Matt Hayward
I’m Matt - strategic disruptor, learning designer, and founder of O.Y.D. I help people and organisations grow by making development practical, provocative, and just the right amount of playful. My work blends evidence-based frameworks with metaphor, coaching, and a dash of sardonic wit to challenge norms and spark real change.
With over 15 years in Learning & Development and Talent Management, I’ve worked across sectors, from housing to Professional Services, designing leadership programmes, building coaching cultures, and shaping future-ready strategies. I’m accredited in psychometrics, trained in executive coaching, and fluent in turning complex challenges into engaging, actionable experiences.
I believe that growth doesn’t come from ticking boxes or memorising models, it comes from understanding what’s going on within. When people surface their blockers, explore their values, and own their mindset, they unlock capability that lasts. That’s why I design learning experiences that go beyond the corporate theatre and into the messy, meaningful stuff that actually drives performance.
I’m also the husband of Lucy, a Kundalini Yoga teacher who keeps me grounded (and occasionally upside down), and the father of two brilliant boys, one of whom has a self-confessed obsession with building LEGO. So yes, I live and breathe development, metaphor, and plastic bricks… professionally and domestically.
If you’re looking for learning that sticks, leadership that lands, and solutions that reflect your culture, not someone else’s template, I’d love to build something with you.
