Reader resources for The Systems-Building LeaderFind your starting point ↗
Reader resources for The Systems-Building LeaderFind your starting point ↗
For teams
Six sessions to work through the book as a team. Each session covers three chapters and one shared tool, and ends with one structural change the team commits to making.
How each session runs
About 90 minutes. Leave two to three weeks between sessions so there is time to act on the commitment.
90min
10 min
Check in
30 min
Compare results
30 min
Discuss
20 min
Commit
10 min
Review the commitment from the last session. Did it happen? What did it change?
30 min
Share what the tools surfaced. Look for patterns across the team, not scores for individuals.
30 min
Pick three or four questions from the chapter guides for this session's chapters.
20 min
Agree on one structural change: what it is, who owns it, the date, and how you will know it worked.
For the facilitator
Rotate the facilitator each session so the conversation does not depend on one person.
The most senior person speaks last. Ask before you decide.
Talk about conditions, not people. When a problem comes up, ask what allowed it, not who caused it.
Commit to one structural change per session. One that happens beats five that do not.
Record each commitment in the Tool Log at the back of the workbook.
Leave two to three weeks between sessions so there is time to act on the commitment.
01
Trust is designed
02
Signals and safety
03
From intelligence to expertise
04
Deciding well
05
Designing empowerment
06
Making it last
Session 1
Chapter 1
Trust Is More Than a Personality Trait
Chapter 2
Stewardship: Leaders Who Design Systems
Chapter 3
Accountability: Moving Beyond Micromanagement
Before the session. Read Chapters 1 to 3. Everyone completes Tool #1 before the session. Volunteers bring Tool #2 or Tool #3 on one real situation.
#1
The Trust Diagnostic
PDF ↓
Session 2
Chapter 4
Communication: Synchronizing Signals
Chapter 5
Psychological Safety: When Honesty Is Rewarded
Chapter 6
Continuity During Change
Before the session. Read Chapters 4 to 6. Everyone completes Tool #5 before the session. Volunteers bring Tool #4, or Tool #6 if a change is under way.
#5
The Safety Diagnostic
PDF ↓
Session 3
Chapter 7
Expertise Is Not Intelligence
Chapter 8
Stop Asking Who Failed
Chapter 9
Metrics Governance: Informed Decision-making
Before the session. Read Chapters 7 to 9. Everyone runs Tool #8 on one recurring problem. Volunteers bring Tool #7 or Tool #9.
#8
The Root Cause Worksheet
PDF ↓
Session 4
Chapter 10
When You Don’t Have All the Facts
Chapter 11
Operating Cadence: Learning from Experience
Chapter 12
Strategic Tradeoffs: The Discipline of Saying No
Before the session. Read Chapters 10 to 12. Everyone runs Tool #10 on one open decision. Volunteers bring Tool #11 or Tool #12.
#10
The Decision Quality Checklist
PDF ↓
Session 5
Chapter 13
Empowerment Is Not Delegation
Chapter 14
System Design: Build Things That Don’t Need You
Chapter 15
Calibrated Authority: Right Level Right Time
Before the session. Read Chapters 13 to 15. Everyone completes Tool #13 for one domain. Volunteers bring Tool #14 or Tool #15.
#13
The Empowerment Readiness Assessment
PDF ↓
Session 6
Chapter 16
Growth Infrastructure: Development by Design
Chapter 17
Reinforcement Loops: Making Change Stick
Chapter 18
Ownership Endurance: Protecting the Energy
Before the session. Read Chapters 16 to 18. Everyone runs Tool #17 on one recent change. Volunteers bring Tool #16 or Tool #18.
#17
The Change Reinforcement Diagnostic
PDF ↓
After Session 6, run Tool #1 again and compare it with your first result. A tool completed once is a baseline. A tool completed quarterly is a development practice.