Leadership Connection & Performance
John Cooksey March 10, 2026
I was recently involved in a pitch to implement leadership workshops across a large retail business, and also asked to facilitate a series of roundtables
BDC Performance is a team with international experience that partners franchisors and retailers to deliver enhanced performance and profit through better engaged employees and franchisees. Invest in your people to enhance business performance and outcomes for all stakeholders.
We believe key head office and field management roles are the lifeblood of an organisation, and their collective impact is often equal to or more significant at times than senior leaders.
For this reason, we will apply the same rigour, industry insights and proven methodologies as we do for Executive Search, including our unique profiling technology, Zorakle, to measure your values, preferred work styles, business competencies and your company’s stage of growth.
We will provide you with an executive overview, and then consult with you to determine the experience, values, competencies and work styles required for the ideal candidate.
Our services are tailored to meet your needs and leverage technology, including video-based screening, to ensure a successful outcome for a single role, building a team or an ongoing talent pool for the future.
Specialized recruitment services targeting top-level executives, C-suite professionals, and senior management positions.
Rigorous candidate screening processes, including comprehensive background checks, competency assessments, and reference verification.
End-to-end recruitment solutions for permanent or direct-hire positions across all levels and industries.
Personalized candidate vetting processes, including behavioural interviews, skills assessments, and cultural fit evaluations.
Flexible staffing solutions to meet short-term, project-based, or seasonal staffing needs.
Rapid deployment of qualified temporary staff for roles ranging from entry-level positions to specialized professionals.
Dedicated recruitment teams embedded within client organizations to manage end-to-end recruitment functions.
Scalable and customizable RPO models to accommodate fluctuating hiring demands and business growth.
Strategic talent mapping services to identify and engage with passive candidates in target industries and markets.
Comprehensive market intelligence reports providing insights into talent availability, compensation trends, and competitor analysis.
the Operations Performance eXchange—an initiative tailored for Retail & Franchising Leaders. Running on the last Wednesday of each month, BDC Performance will host monthly online forums. These sessions are designed for franchise and retail leaders actively involved in managing multiple business units, such as field managers, operations managers, region managers, and franchise consultants.
Structured to extract ‘best practice’ insights, participants will engage in a collaborative environment, fostering connections and gaining fresh perspectives to advance both their professional and personal goals. Moreover, attendees will have the chance to validate coaching techniques and approaches, receiving key takeaways after each session.
Going with your gut doesn’t cut it in today’s data-driven business environment. In order to make informed decisions and drive strategic initiatives, tapping into the valuable insights of your franchisees is essential for success.
Our franchisee satisfaction surveys measure satisfaction and engagement and provide you with detailed, objective data on the health of your franchise system.
In partnership with global survey leader Franchise Business Review, we utilize our industry-leading survey platform to collect honest, actionable feedback from franchise owners to benchmark franchisee satisfaction and engagement compared to other franchise organizations, provide operational insights on the current state of the franchisee network, and identify growth opportunities.
CEO BDC Performance
John is the CEO of BDC Performance, a division of BDC Partners, a multi-disciplinary advisory firm that helps franchisors and retailers to grow successful businesses.
A highly consultative executive, John has partnered with leaders in emerging businesses and multi-national organisations across talent assessment and development, employee and franchisee engagement, human resources and stakeholder engagement, in Australia, South East Asia and the Middle East.
His specific industry experience includes franchising (Franchise Relationships Institute, KFC/Pizza Hut, CML Group), professional services consulting (CML Group, Drake International, Gartner Consulting, The Leading Edge) and performance psychology (Australian College of Applied Psychology, Sportswise).
A registered psychologist and accredited Mental Toughness coach, John has lectured in Human Resource Planning and Sports & Performance Psychology at the Australian College of Applied Psychology, APM College of Business, Sydney University, NSW Institute of Sport, Fitness Institute of Australia and the Conservatorium of Music.
A certified Advisor with the Advisory Board Centre, John provides business guidance and systems to ensure clients achieve individual and organisational excellence.
I was recently involved in a pitch to implement leadership workshops across a large retail business, and also asked to facilitate a series of roundtables
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