Module 5
To the exec: Welcome to your first Executive Session. You’ve done the workshop, you’ve done the pre-work for today, now is your chance to really get critical, to question, to poke and prod until you have shaped exactly what you need (don’t worry, we’ll explore any refinements too). If the workshop was research, intelligence gathering, the collation of contributions, this is the deeper discussion, a chance to tease out every angle, very honestly, and get right to the bottom of what’s important.
No disruptions!
One of the toughest challenges for execs is getting time to focus uninterrupted. But to succeed in these sessions, time is everything.
Openness
This is your final point of deliberation when it comes to very important decisions. Be open, critical, debate, leave no stone unturned.
Space
A big flipboard or white board helps keep the ideas flowing and unrestrained. Space to think, deliberate, test and jot down every thought is important!
Activity: What do we stand for?
60 minutes
Before we can move forward, we need to lock in the core foundations that will guide this next stage of business growth.
In your workshops and pre-work, you’ve already done the thinking: surfacing, reviewing and refining your vision, mission, values, business objectives (underpinned by TBL thinking).
Now, as an executive team, you need to align on these. This is where the foundations get closer to being clear, agreed, and ready to guide decision-making, behaviour, and strategy from here on. Your Write Way Up consultant will also review and refine these as needed as part of your bespoke strategy.
Take the time to test each element. Is it clear? Is it meaningful? Does it align with where you are going as a business?
Then: take the next step
With these foundations set, it’s time to derive your purpose. This is the throughline; the ‘why’ behind what you do. A clear, motivating statement that connects your goals to your impact and defines the difference you want to make.
Your purpose is the ‘why’ behind what you do. Not what you sell or how you operate, but why your business exists in the first place. It’s the enduring reason you’re here, beyond profit, and it should inspire your people, your customers, and your community.
A strong purpose isn’t about lofty words. It should be authentic, specific, and meaningful, something that can guide decisions, shape culture, and underpin the impact you want to make over the long term.
How to shape your purpose
You’ll already have done some of the heavy lifting by defining your vision, mission, values, and business objectives underpinned by your triple bottom line thinking. Now, draw the thread through those and look deeper:
Why does this business really exist?
What difference do we want to make?
If we were gone tomorrow, what would our absence mean?
What do we want to be known for, respected for, valued for?
Who do we ultimately serve, and why does that matter to us?
What impact do we want to leave behind, not just outcomes, but legacy?
Testing your direction
Once you’ve drafted your purpose, ask yourselves:
Does it feel authentic to who we are and what we stand for?
Does it resonate with the people inside this business?
Is it clear, meaningful and useful, not just words on a wall?
Will it help us navigate choices and trade-offs in the future?
Does it have the potential to inspire, both internally and externally?
Activity: Creating leadership alignment
A few years ago, a new client came to us, their leadership team had agreed to a major software change within the business and launched it. But six months in, things were stuck.
Progress was patchy. People were disengaged.
When we sat down to unpack what was happening, the issue wasn’t the strategy or the structure — they had a solid change plan — the software selection was also the right choice. What was wrong was leadership alignment.
Some execs were all in. Others weren’t sure how it connected to their priorities. A few were supportive but hadn’t shifted how they led or what they communicated day-to-day. Some just flat out didn’t care.
So we fixed it by creating leadership alignment, by getting genuine and enthusiastic buy-in at the top level, and of course, that trickled down.
That clarity changed how they approached every big shift from then on. They learned that no matter how good the plan, it wouldn’t fly without clarity at the top: alignment on goals, language, actions, and priorities. A clear signal to the business, not just in words, but in behaviour.
That’s what this session is about. Getting that clarity, and setting that pace.
60 minutes
With your purpose, vision, mission, values, and objectives now more clear, this is the moment to create alignment in your actions.
The leadership team must own and drive this change; not only through what they say, but through how they lead, act, and decide. To do that well, there needs to be clarity and consistency: on direction, on priorities, on why this approach matters, and on the role each leader plays.
In this activity, as the heads of the leadership team, you’ll work together to shape a one-page leadership alignment plan. This will give you a clear reference point to align leadership actions, communication, and behaviours as you take the business forward, through this program, and beyond.
