The First 30 Days

What we're agreeing to

Our first 30 days set the pattern for everything after. This document sets the foundation for our working agreement: what each of us commits to, how we'll communicate and decide, and what we'll do when things change. It's a starting point, not a fixed plan. We'll adjust it together as I assess the problem, the team and the organization as a whole.

Before day one

We'll hold a scoping conversation and agree, in writing, on:

• The friction we're here to address, in your words
• A sponsor who owns the outcome and can make decisions
• The people, data and systems I'll have access to
• The history and context behind the problem, not just the org chart
• What would have to change for this to be worth it
• How we'll meet: a weekly check-in with the sponsor, and where day-to-day conversation happens

How we'll define success

Before the work starts, we agree on what success looks like. This is the picture I'll hold us both to: value that keeps compounding after I leave or move onto a different focus.

Success looks like

• The people I work with have the confidence to put what we built together into practice, without needing me in the room
• Teams decide with evidence, ship, and learn from the results
• People say what they think without fear that they will be sidelined afterwards
• Skills development changes how people work on Monday, not just how they feel on Friday
• The foundation holds: clean data and clear roles before the shiny thing
• What we learned ends up somewhere other people can use
• Teams share a common toolkit, and the judgment to adapt it or set it aside when the problem calls for it

Thinking and making decisions

These are the lenses we'll use to look at problems together. Which one leads depends on the problem.

How we'll get to a decision

• Gather inputs from the people who have to live with the call
• The deciding question is always: which option creates the most value?
• When the evidence points in a strong direction and supports a solid hypothesis, not when it's complete
• Name what we're giving up before we commit
• Easy-to-undo calls get made fast. Hard-to-undo calls get a baseline and roadmap
• New evidence reopens a decision. New opinions don't

Communication

We set these standards in our first week, so we never have to negotiate them in the middle of the work.

My style: Plain, warm, direct. Blunt when something is actually harmful. Kindness always. Witty sometimes.

Philosophy: Good work depends on honest communication, in both directions. These are the standards I hold myself to, and the ones I'll ask you to hold me to.

Where we'll talk

We'll agree up front which channel is for what.

How we'll give and take feedback

What to know going in

A few things are true about how I work. Better you hear them now than discover them in week two.

How we'll work together

What working together looks like

• I start by mapping the system: people, process, product and data
• I make the full picture visible: what we're building and how we're building it
• I help my clients structure goals that are clear and measurable
• I validate a baseline early, so we can track what changed
• I work alongside the team, not above it
• I share what I'm seeing as I see it, including the messy parts
• I build a culture of reflection, so the learning outlives the meeting

What I'll ask

Where we'll point the work

When we scope the engagement, we aim it where my leverage is highest.

To get the most from our time together

• Give me a mandate to coach and change, not just observe and report
• Bring me in before the decision, not after it's made
• Put me in the room with the people doing the work, not just their leaders
• Set goals and a baseline with me up front, so we agree on what success means
• Protect time for reflection. That's where the learning sticks

What we'll watch for

These are the things that slow an engagement down. We agree to name them when we see them.

How we'll handle trade-offs

Some of these principles pull against each other. Here's how we'll resolve it when they do.

What you'll bring to the table

The best engagements are real partnerships. I bring an outside view and experience with problems like yours. You bring what only you have: the context, the access, and the commitment to keep the work going after I leave.

• A sponsor who owns the outcome and can make decisions
• Access to the people, data and systems that matter
• Honest context, including the history and politics behind the problem
• Time from your team to do the work, not just attend the sessions
• Professionalism: on-time, prepared meetings and written follow-through

If things change

• If priorities or alignment shift: raise it directly
• If expectations feel unrealistic: surface it early
• If your team is stretched thin: tell me before it breaks, so we can adjust the scope together

Closing

When communication is open, expectations are clear and nothing is hidden, something shifts. People stop spending their energy protecting themselves and start spending it on the work. Problems surface while they're still small. Decisions stick because the people who live with them helped make them. The team runs on shared principles, not on whoever argues loudest. It becomes safe to show up, speak up and focus on doing great work. That's when people love the work they do.

Getting there isn't easy. It's not a straight line, and there will be setbacks along the way. It takes commitment from leaders and teams alike, and it takes time. I've seen what's on the other side, and it's worth it.

This is a living agreement. If something here is wrong, tell me. If something here works, use it.

We are better together.