Build Your Team

Act as an operations consultant specialising in team clarity.
Process or function  : [THE AREA YOU WANT TO MAP  e.g. client onboarding, 
                                        monthly reporting]
Team roles involved :
[LIST YOUR ROLES:  e.g. CEO, Sales Lead, Account Manager, Marketing Manager,
Operations Lead]
For each key task in this process, assign:
R  =  Responsible (does the actual work)
A  =  Accountable (one person - owns the outcome)
C  =  Consulted (gives input before action is taken)
I   =  Informed (told after action is complete)
Format as a clear table.
Flag any task with more than one A, explain the risk.
Flag any task with no clear R.
Recommend the 2 most urgent clarity fixes.
RACI Matrix Hierarchy
Accountable
Ultimately responsible for task completion
Responsible
Carries out the task
Consulted
Provided input and feedback
Informed
Kept up-to-date on progress
PRO TIP
If more than one person is marked Accountable for any task, the matrix is already
broken. There must be exactly one A per row that single constraint removes more
team friction than any team meeting ever will. When everyone knows who owns the
outcome, everything else becomes easier to delegate.

Act as an OKR coach and strategist.
My business context    :  [COMPANY STAGE, TEAM SIZE, MAIN FOCUS]
This quarter's priority :  [THE ONE THING THAT MATTERS MOST]
Current challenges       :  [WHAT IS HOLDING GROWTH BACK]
Write 3 OKRs for this quarter:
For each OKR:
OBJECTIVE      :  Inspiring, qualitative direction (1 sentence)
KEY RESULT 1 :  Specific, measurable outcome with number
KEY RESULT 2 :  Specific, measurable outcome with number
KEY RESULT 3 :  Specific, measurable outcome with number
Then: flag any Key Result that is actually a task disguised as an outcome - and rewrite it.
Suggest a weekly check-in question for each OKR.
Achieving Market Leadership
Define Key Results
Establish
measurable
outcomes
Set Objective Drive Action
Define market Launch feature X
leadership goal and track adoption
PRO TIP
The most common OKR failure is writing Key Results that measure activity instead of
outcome. 'Conduct 20 customer interviews' is activity. 'Identify 3 validated insights that
change our roadmap' is outcome. Your team can tick off activity without moving the
needle. Only outcomes tell you if you're actually winning.

Act as an executive coaching facilitator using the GROW model.
Team member context :  [ROLE, EXPERIENCE LEVEL, CURRENT PROJECT]
Presenting situation     :  [WHAT THEY HAVE BROUGHT TO THIS 1-ON-1]
Guide me through a GROW coaching conversation:
GOAL        :  What questions should I ask to help them define what they want to get from  
                      this conversation?
REALITY  :  What questions surface the honest current situation without my 
                     assumptions?
OPTIONS :  What prompts generate multiple paths forward not just the obvious one?
WILL        :  How do I lock in a specific, committed action with a timeline and 
                     accountability?
Give me 2–3 actual questions for each stage.
GROW Model for Coaching
Status Update Coaching Conversation
Coaching
Ineffective team Effective team
Conversation
communication communication
Define desired Assess current Explore potential Define actionable
outcomes situation honestly solutions creatively steps
PRO TIP
End every GROW conversation by asking the person to rate their commitment to the
agreed action on a scale of 1–10. Anything below 7 means the action is wrong, too big,
wrong timing, or not genuinely chosen. Ask what would make it a 9. The answer is
almost always a smaller first step or a removed obstacle.

Act as a structured hiring consultant.
Role I am hiring for  :  [JOB TITLE AND KEY RESPONSIBILITIES]
Team context             :  [STAGE, CULTURE, WHO THEY WILL WORK WITH]
Non-negotiables        :  [MUST-HAVE SKILLS OR EXPERIENCE]
Step 1  :  Define the top 4 success criteria for this role 
                what does excellent performance look like in year one?
Step 2 :  For each criterion, write 2 STAR-format behavioural interview questions.
               (Tell me about a time when...)
Step 3 :  For each question, define what a strong answer looks like vs a weak answer   
               2 lines each.
Step 4 :  Write one work sample task I could give candidates to test the most critical  
               skill directly.
Step 5 :  Write 3 red-flag signals to watch for in interviews.
Talent Filter Hiring Process
Define Success Criteria Consistent Scoring Rubric
Establish 3-5 key criteria for Use a rubric for fair and
success consistent scoring
Behavioral Questions AI-Assisted Analysis
Ask STAR format questions Analyze candidate data with
for each criterion AI tools
PRO TIP
The work sample task (Step 4) is the single highest-signal hiring tool available. A 2-hour
task relevant to the actual job outpredicts any amount of interviewing. Candidates who
decline the task often self-select out for good reason. Candidates who complete it
brilliantly and explain their thinking are almost always the right hire.

Act as a leadership development coach.
Situation I need to give feedback on:
[DESCRIBE WHAT HAPPENED - THE CONTEXT AND BEHAVIOUR]
Format this as a clean SBI feedback statement:
SITUATION     :  When and where exactly did this happen? Be specific - meeting, call, 
                             report, date.
BEHAVIOUR   :  What specifically did I observe? Observable actions only, no 
                             interpretation.
IMPACT           :  What effect did this have? On me, on the team, on the outcome.
Then write 2 follow-up questions I should ask after delivering the SBI to open a dialogue.
Finally             :  rewrite the same feedback as it would typically be delivered badly,
so I can see the difference.
SBI Feedback Model
Situation Behaviour Impact
1 2 3
In Tuesday's client call... You interrupted the It made them feel unheard 
 client twice and reduced trust
PRO TIP
The most powerful part of SBI is what comes after the pause. Deliver the Impact
statement and stop talking. Most leaders fill the silence with justifications or softening
language that undoes the feedback. Let the person respond to what they heard. Their
response tells you everything about whether the feedback landed.

Act as a leadership development advisor using the Delegation Ladder.
My role   :  [YOUR TITLE AND KEY RESPONSIBILITIES]
Team       :  [TEAM SIZE, EXPERIENCE LEVELS, KEY ROLES]
I will list my current recurring decisions.
For each  :  assess the current delegation level I operate at,
recommend the target level, and explain what needs to be true to move there safely.
Delegation levels:
1 — Tell: I decide, inform
2 — Sell: I decide, explain why
3 — Consult: I ask for input before deciding
4 — Agree: We decide together
5 — Advise: They decide, I give input
6 — Inquire: They decide, tell me after
7 — Delegate: Fully theirs
My decisions to assess:
[LIST YOUR 8–10 KEY RECURRING DECISIONS]
Flag the 3 decisions I should delegate first
and what support each person needs to own them.

Act as a leadership development advisor using the Delegation Ladder.
My role   :  [YOUR TITLE AND KEY RESPONSIBILITIES]
Team       :  [TEAM SIZE, EXPERIENCE LEVELS, KEY ROLES]
I will list my current recurring decisions.
For each  :  assess the current delegation level I operate at,
recommend the target level, and explain what needs to be true to move there safely.
Delegation levels:
1 — Tell: I decide, inform
2 — Sell: I decide, explain why
3 — Consult: I ask for input before deciding
4 — Agree: We decide together
5 — Advise: They decide, I give input
6 — Inquire: They decide, tell me after
7 — Delegate: Fully theirs
My decisions to assess:
[LIST YOUR 8–10 KEY RECURRING DECISIONS]
Flag the 3 decisions I should delegate first
and what support each person needs to own them.
Delegation Ladder  7 Levels of Letting Go
Tell Consult Advise Delegate
Level 1 Level 3 Level 5 Level 7
Level 2 Level 4 Level 6
Sell Agree Inquire
PRO TIP
The hardest delegation move is not from level 2 to level 5  it is from level 3 to level 4.
Asking for input (3) still feels like control. Deciding together (4) requires genuine trust that
the person's judgment is sound. That trust is built through smaller delegations done well.
Start with level 4 on low-stakes decisions and build from there.

Act as an organisational design consultant specialising in meeting efficiency.
My team                : [SIZE, ROLES, WORKING STYLE  REMOTE / IN-PERSON / HYBRID]
Current meetings: [LIST YOUR STANDING MEETINGS AND THEIR FREQUENCY]
Main frustrations: [WHAT IS BROKEN ABOUT MEETINGS RIGHT NOW]
Design a complete Meeting OS for my team:
MEETING TYPES: Define 4 meeting types and when each is used
STANDING MEETINGS: For each existing meeting 
Type (decision / discussion / update / brainstorm)
Correct frequency and duration
Required attendees vs optional
Agenda format
MEETING RULES : 5 non-negotiable norms for all meetings
DECISION LOG     : How we capture and share what was decided
MEETING AUDIT  : Which of my current meetings should be cancelled, merged, or  
                                   reformatted?
Meeting Design Checklist
Most Important Item
Meeting Type Agenda 24hrs
First One Facilitator
Ahead
Decisions + Owners
Summary Within 1
Recorded
Hour
PRO TIP
The most productive meeting reform any team can make is adding a mandatory read-
out at the end of every meeting: 'What did we decide? Who owns each action? By
when?' This 3-minute habit prevents the most common meeting failure,  leaving with
different understandings of what was agreed.

Act as a leadership communication coach using Kim Scott's Radical Candor framework.
Situation  : [DESCRIBE THE PERSON, THE PERFORMANCE ISSUE, AND WHAT YOU HAVE  
                     SAID OR AVOIDED SO FAR]
Step 1: Diagnose which quadrant I am currently in:
Radical Candor (high care + high challenge)
Ruinous Empathy (high care + low challenge)
Obnoxious Aggression (low care + high challenge)
Manipulative Insincerity (low on both)
Step 2: Write the Radical Candor version of this conversation  what I should actually say.
Step 3: Write the Ruinous Empathy version the version I am probably tempted to give.
Step 4: Give me 2 opening lines that demonstrate both care and directness simultaneously.
Radical Candor Matrix
Radical Candor
Top right quadrant
High Care, High Challenge
High Care, Low
Ruinous Empathy
Challenge
Bottom right quadrant
Low Care, High
Challenge
Obnoxious Aggression
Top left quadrant
Low Care, Low
Challenge
Manipulative Insincerity
Bottom left quadrant
PRO TIP
Ruinous Empathy is the most harmful leadership style precisely because it feels kind.
When you protect someone from honest feedback, you protect yourself from an
uncomfortable conversation and deny them the information they need to grow. The
person who needs the feedback most is the one whose manager feels worst about giving it.

Act as a Hoshin Kanri strategy consultant.
Company vision (3–5 years)  :  [WHERE YOU ARE HEADING]
This year's priority                 :  [THE ONE BREAKTHROUGH OBJECTIVE FOR THIS YEAR]
Team structure                       :   [LIST YOUR TEAMS OR FUNCTIONAL AREAS]
Build a Hoshin Kanri cascade:
TRUE NORTH               :  The 3–5 year vision in one clear sentence
ANNUAL OBJECTIVE  :  The single most important thing to achieve this year
TEAM OBJECTIVES     :  For each team what they must deliver to support the annual  
                                            objective
MONTHLY MILESTONES  : Key proof points for each quarter
CATCHBALL QUESTIONS : 3 questions I should ask each team lead to align their objectives
WARNING SIGNALS           :  What would tell me the cascade has broken down?
Hoshin Kanri Hierarchy
Company Vision & Goals
Overall vision and annual objectives of
the company
Department Goals
Objectives set by each department
Team Daily Actions
Specific tasks performed by teams daily
PRO TIP
The most common Hoshin failure is confusing activity alignment with outcome
alignment. Every team can be busy doing things that connect to the objective on paper
but don't move the metric. Build the cascade around outcomes at every level  not
initiatives. If you can't draw a straight line from a team member's daily work to a
company metric, the cascade has a gap.

Act as a situational leadership coach.
Team member                 :  [ROLE, EXPERIENCE LEVEL, PERSONALITY]
Specific task or project :  [WHAT YOU NEED THEM TO DO]
Step 1 :  Assess their Development Level for this task:
D1 — Low competence, high commitment (enthusiastic beginner)
D2 — Some competence, low commitment (disillusioned learner)
D3 — High competence, variable commitment (capable but cautious)
D4 — High competence, high commitment (self-reliant achiever)
Step 2 :  Recommend the matching leadership style:
S1 — Directing    S2 — Coaching
S3 — Supporting   S4 — Delegating
Step 3 :  Write the specific conversation I should have with them this week using that 
               style.
Step 4 :  What would move them to the next development level  and how long should  
                that take?
Adapt Leadership to Team Competence
Inflexible Leadership Adaptive Leadership
Situational
One-size-fits-all Tailored approach for
Leadership
leadership style each team member
Low task, low Low task, high High task, high High task, low
support support support support
PRO TIP
The hardest Situational Leadership move is stepping back to Directing with someone
you've been Delegating to when they've taken on a new challenge they're not yet
ready for. Leaders resist this because it feels like demotion. Frame it as 'this is a new
area  let's work through it together' rather than a reversal of trust.

Act as a McKinsey organisational consultant using the 7S Framework.
My company               :  [DESCRIBE YOUR BUSINESS, STAGE, RECENT CHANGES]
The strategy I am trying to execute: [WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE]
What is not working :  [WHERE EXECUTION IS STALLING]
Diagnose all 7 elements for my organisation:
STRATEGY            :  The plan, is it clear and understood?
STRUCTURE         :  How are we organised,  does it serve the strategy?
SYSTEMS              :  Processes, tools  do they enable or block?
SHARED VALUES :  Culture - does it support or resist the change?
SKILLS                   :  Do we have the capability we need?
STYLE                     :  Does leadership behaviour match the strategy?
STAFF                     :  Do we have the right people in the right roles?
Identify the 2 most misaligned Ss.
Recommend the sequence to address them with a suggested timeframe for each step.
McKinsey 7S Framework
Shared Values
Structure Skills
The core beliefs and The organizational Style The expertise and
principles that guide the hierarchy and reporting The leadership and capabilities of the
organization management approach. workforce.
lines.
.
Strategy Systems Staff
The processes and The employees and their
The plan to achieve
procedures that support skills.
organizational goals. operations
.
PRO TIP
The most common 7S misalignment is between Strategy and Shared Values. Leadership
changes direction but the culture hasn't moved  and culture always wins. If your strategy
requires behaviours that your current culture punishes or ignores, fix the culture
alignment before investing more in the strategy.