What operational prep or internal alignment must we establish before our first session so that our leadership team does not spend the entire day arguing about our basic business model?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You do not need to prepare a mountain of spreadsheets or draft a new business plan before we meet. In fact, doing too much prep work often creates unnecessary bias.

The only non-negotiable preparation is alignment on three core attitudes:

First, the leadership team must agree that the status quo is no longer acceptable and that you are ready to change how you run the business.

Second, everyone must be willing to be completely open and honest. This means leaving egos at the door and preparing to have uncomfortable but constructive conversations about the strengths and weaknesses of the business.

Third, you must agree on who actually belongs on the leadership team for the purposes of these sessions. The room should consist of three to five key leaders who have the authority and responsibility to run the major functions of the organization.

I will provide the necessary pre-reading materials to introduce the concepts, but your primary job is simply to show up with an open mind, ready to do the work. We will define your business model, your target market, and your vision together in the room using the structured tools. Do not try to solve these big picture questions before we meet.