High-stakes leadership Facilitation
Decide faster. Align better. Work smarter.
Dr. stefan Schaefer 🔸CEO | Visual Pathfinders
Clarity & Alignment for Leadership Teams – turning high-stakes meetings into moments of strategic success through Structured Visual Thinking and Strategic Co-creation.
When the stakes are high, Clarity and Alignment are non-negotiable
Too often, the most important discussions lack focus, drag on without resolution, and fail to create true alignment. Decisions stall, opportunities are missed, and momentum is lost – not because the team lacks talent, but because the conversation isn’t structured for success.
I’ve been in those rooms, and I know how to change that.
At Hewlett Packard, I helped establish a design-led, strategic customer-facing team – starting at HP’s Executive Briefing Center in Silicon Valley. Over time, this work continued through its successor organizations, HPE and DXC, facilitating high-stakes conversations for Fortune 500 companies and regional innovators across 36 industries and five continents.
Working with account, sales, portfolio and marketing teams, I saw how structured conversation frameworks, visuals and collaborative design can transform outcomes.
Quotes of Meeting Attendees:
“What we accomplished in one day with your facilitation would have taken us at least a year of discussions in our standard way of doing business.”
“It was a cathartic experience – you forced us to have the honest and truly relevant discussions we had actively avoided for a very long time.”
Clarity & Alignment for Leadership Teams can be designed! Â
I help leadership teams decide faster, align better, and work smarter.
- Reach clear, committed decisions faster.
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- Build trust and collaboration that lasts beyond the meeting room.
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- Create shared clarity on strategy and direction.
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- Turn high-stakes moments into breakthrough outcomes.
Talk to Me about Your next High-stakes Meeting.
What i DO
The Visual Pathfinders Method
At the heart of Visual Pathfinders is a proven approach designed to activate team intelligence, accelerate decisions, and strengthen strategic alignment.

Leadership Pathfinder
Develop high-trust, high-performance leadership teams where collaboration drives results.

Decision Pathfinder
Design and facilitate high-stakes meetings for faster, better decisions.

Partnership Pathfinder
Collaborate strategically with customers, partners, and stakeholders for shared success.
Discover the Pathfinder that’s Right for You!
Why Leadership Teams choose Visual Pathfinders
Structured Visual Thinking
Clarity through frameworks, visualization, and synthesis.
Strategic Co-creation
Collaborative methods that build shared ownership and commitment to the outcome.
Design-centric Facilitation
Purposeful meeting architecture that keeps momentum high, and ends with clear decisions, owners, and next steps.
Decide fast. Align better. Work smarter.
Why it Works
Your next high-stakes meeting could be a turning point.
From Silicon Valley to five continents – 100+ strategy engagements facilitated across 36 industries and five continents. Whether Fortune 500 boardrooms or regional innovators, I’ve helped leadership teams align faster, decide better, and build the trust needed to move forward with confidence.
High-stakes meetings that Matter!
With the right structure, visuals, and facilitation, your leadership team can turn even the most complex, high-stakes conversations into breakthroughs with lasting results.
Let’s make sure your next strategic discussion becomes the catalyst for measurable change.

Your Pathfinder to Strategic Success
FAQ
Will this actually deliver tangible results, or will it just be another “nice workshop”?
Everything I do is designed to deliver a clear outcome – and it starts with agreeing on the right question to answer. From there, the entire experience is built around achieving that result.
It will feel different from the start. We’ll set up a creative environment that removes traditional barriers – no endless PowerPoint decks, no rigid furniture layouts, no default meeting routines. Instead, we’ll use visual frameworks, interactive methods, and collaborative exercises to keep energy high and focus sharp.
The process is a catalyst: your team will co-create the ideas and solutions together, building ownership and commitment along the way. You won’t just leave with “good discussions” – you’ll leave with decisions, clarity, and a plan you believe in.
What kinds of challenges do you help leadership teams solve?
I work with leadership teams who need to make critical decisions, align on strategy, or navigate complex change – especially when time is short and stakes are high. My approach helps them decide faster, align better, and work smarter.
What makes your approach different from other facilitators or consultants?
Two things: Structured Visual Thinking and Strategic Co-creation. Instead of endless PowerPoint slides or scattered debates, I use visual frameworks to make complexity visible, and collaborative design to ensure everyone shapes the solution – because people support what they help to create.
What is the “Pathfinder” concept?
It’s my way of tailoring engagements to your needs:
- Leadership Pathfinder – Build trust, accountability, and high performance in your leadership team.
- Decision Pathfinder – Design and facilitate high-stakes meetings that matter – moments where strategic decisions are made, alignment is achieved, and commitment is secured.
- Partnership Pathfinder – Design and facilitate structured engagements with customers, partners, and stakeholders that build trust, strengthen relationships, and generate mutual value.
What do you mean by “High-stakes meetings”?
These are moments when alignment and decisions matter most – strategy off-sites, board meetings, opportunity assessments for collaborations with partners and customer, transformation workshops, or customer advisory boards.
The conversations in these rooms can shape the future of your business.
Where do you work - only locally, domestically, or internationally?
I work with leadership teams around the world, depending on availability and project scope. I’m based in Germany, but I regularly facilitate engagements internationally.
The location of the meeting will influence expenses and therefore the total price of the engagement. Whether in person or virtually, my approach is designed to work across time zones, cultures, and industries.
How will working with you feel?
I set up a creative, calm, and focused space where the real conversations can finally happen. We’ll uncover the real problems, co-create solutions, and leave with clarity, alignment, and visible results.Â
My approach combines rigorous structure with authentic human connection. I believe the best strategic thinking happens when people can speak openly, bring humor and creativity to the conversation, and step out of limiting corporate personas to collaborate as whole humans.
I sometimes refer to myself as a “company therapist”. You and your team already have the solution. I am simply the person who helps you have the right conversations to bring it to the surface in a collaborative way.
What outcomes can I expect?
- Faster, better decisions
- Clearer strategic direction.
- Clarity on complex issues
- Stronger team alignment and trust.
- Practical, actionable plans that stick.
What are the core pillars of your work?
My work mainly rests on five pillars – the essentials for turning high-stakes conversations into results:
- Relevance – We focus only on what matters most to your goals and strategy.
- Empathy – Understanding the perspectives and priorities in the room.
- Conversation – Creating space for honest, productive dialogue.
- Collaboration & Co-Creation – Building solutions together so they have real ownership
- Visualization & Facilitation – Making complexity visible and guiding the process so every voice is heard, and every decision is clear.
Will this work for my leadership team, given our complexity, politics, or history?
Yes – if your team is ready to engage.
I’ve worked with leadership teams in 36 industries across five continents, and no two are alike. Every team brings its own mix of personalities, priorities, and sometimes politics. What makes my approach effective is a foundation of empathy, active listening, and a strong focus on collaboration.
I create a space where everyone’s voice is heard, where the real issues can surface, and where we work together to shape solutions the whole team can support. That said, this approach works best when participants are willing to have open, honest conversations with their peers.
If your team isn’t ready to engage in that kind of dialogue, this format might not be the right fit – yet.
When the willingness is there, the results can be transformational.
Will it be expensive to engage you?
Compared to buying an “off-the-shelf” workshop, yes – my work is a premium investment.Â
That’s because it’s not a one-size-fits-all program. Every engagement is custom-designed to address your specific challenges, goals, and team dynamics.
But here’s the real question:
What will it cost if your team delays making the right decision, stays misaligned, or fails to solve the problem at hand? Stalled decisions, unclear priorities, and missed opportunities can be far more expensive than the cost of fixing them.
Our initial interaction is designed to pinpoint the real problem to be solved and assess – together – whether my approach is the right fit. If it is, we’ll know exactly what success looks like and why it’s worth the investment.
How can we start working together?
Let’s talk. We’ll identify your high-stakes moment and design the right path – whether that’s building your team’s capability, designing a breakthrough meeting, or engaging key stakeholders in a new way.
I’ll want to understand your core challenge or opportunity, what good looks like in your situation, and the context you’re working within.Â
Do you work alone?
It depends on the scope and nature of the engagement.Â
Most of my work is delivered directly by me, but I’m also part of a trusted global network of colleagues and friends I’ve worked with many times over the years.
During our initial interaction and assessment, we’ll look at the scope, complexity, and specific challenges of your engagement. Based on that, I’ll determine the options and the recommended alternative, whether I run it solo or bring in carefully selected partners with complementary expertise. Either way, you’ll have the right team to achieve the outcomes you need.