Leadership Launch

Get strategic leadership focus with structured synchronous and asynchronous facilitation
Contributed by

Operational_Excellence_CoOp

Published May 24, 2025
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What Is Leadership Launch?

Photo by NASA

A structured facilitation process designed to help leadership teams:

  • Align priorities and clarify roles.
  • Delegate effectively by refining decision-making frameworks.
  • Establish communication channels to reduce redundant meetings.
  • Model desired behaviors through intentional collaboration and vulnerability.
    The practice combines synchronous workshops and asynchronous activities to create a "living document" that evolves with the team’s needs.

To align leadership teams, shift focus from operational tasks to strategic leadership, and establish collaborative frameworks that enhance decision-making, communication, and accountability. This practice ensures leaders model behaviors that foster trust, empower teams, and drive organizational improvement.

Why Do Leadership Launch?

Signals indicating the need:

  • Leadership fatigue or misalignment.
  • Excessive time spent in meetings or operational tasks.
  • Lack of transparency or communication between leaders.
  • Organizational restructuring or shift to hybrid/remote work.

Key benefits:

  • Stronger alignment: Creates shared understanding of roles and priorities.
  • Efficiency: Reduces time spent in low-value activities through clear communication protocols.
  • Trust-building: Encourages vulnerability and collaboration via exercises like Story.Me and SCARF model discussions.
  • Scalability: Outputs serve as onboarding materials for new leaders and adapt to organizational changes.

How to do Leadership Launch?

Preparation

  1. Async Setup:

    • Prepare a digital board (e.g., Miro) with sections for activities like Lifting Our Eyes and Decision Design.
    • Share pre-work (e.g., SCARF assessments, delegation policies) to streamline sessions.
  2. Team Briefing:

    • Communicate goals and pre-work requirements (15-minute recorded briefing).

Key Activities

  1. Lifting Our Eyes (90 mins live):

    • Discuss time allocation across Setting Direction, Building Systems, Improving Systems, and Stuck in Weeds.
    • Compare ideal vs. actual time distribution; identify actions to align priorities.
  2. Decision Design (Async + Live Validation):

    • Map decisions to four tiers: Executive, Leader, Team, Individual.
    • Define support systems (e.g., frameworks, escalation policies).
  3. Measures (Live):

    • Agree on metrics for continuous improvement (customer, group, team).
    • Stress-test metrics to avoid misuse.
  4. Collaboration & SCARF Model (Live):

    • Rank SCARF dimensions (Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, Fairness) to understand team motivations.
  5. Leadership Behaviors (Live):

    • Define team norms for Vibe, Difficulty, Growth, and Support.
  6. Communication Channels & Scheduling (Live):

    • Align on tools, response times, and emergency protocols.
    • Schedule recurring events (e.g., strategy reviews) with clear ownership.

Post-Workshop

  • Document & Share: Convert outputs into a living document accessible via the team’s knowledge platform.
  • Track Actions: Assign owners and deadlines for follow-up tasks.
  • Revisit: Schedule quarterly reviews to update agreements and metrics.

Look at Leadership Launch

Links we love

Check out these great links which can help you dive a little deeper into running the Leadership Launch practice with your team, customers or stakeholders.


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