The curriculum, module by module
Five modules, each built around one skill you apply to a real situation at your own workplace. No hypothetical case studies, no generic frameworks divorced from your actual desk.
What each module actually asks you to do
01 Spotting Patterns Across Departments
You'll track a single recurring issue across at least two departments for a set period, logging where it shows up and how each team currently describes it. The goal is separating a shared root cause from two teams independently complaining about symptoms.
- A short observation log template
- A method for confirming a pattern before naming it
- Questions to ask colleagues in adjacent teams
- A worked example from an operations setting
02 Framing Observations as Business Opportunities
Complaints and opportunities can describe the exact same fact. This module rewrites raw observations into language that points at cost, time, or risk rather than frustration, and shows how to back the framing with something concrete instead of opinion.
- A before-and-after rewriting exercise
- A short guide to gathering supporting evidence
- Common framing mistakes that read as complaints anyway
- A checklist to self-review your draft framing
03 Building a One-Page Proposal
The core deliverable. You'll draft a single page covering the situation, the cost of leaving it alone, one or two realistic options, and a specific, small ask. Structure matters here more than polish. Two rounds of peer review are built into the module.
- The one-page proposal template used throughout the program
- Guidance on what to leave out, not just what to include
- A short section on choosing your specific ask
- Peer feedback exchange within the cohort
- A rehearsed verbal walkthrough, five minutes or less
04 Understanding How Decisions Actually Get Made
You'll map the formal approval chain in your organization next to the informal one: who gets consulted before a decision is announced, whose objection tends to stop things quietly, and where your proposal is likely to sit in that flow.
- A decision-mapping worksheet
- Interview prompts for informal information-gathering
- Notes on reading meeting dynamics and sign-off patterns
05 Choosing Which Battles Are Worth Fighting
Not every valid proposal should be raised this quarter. This closing module gives you a simple weighing method for effort, timing, and the cost to your own standing, so the decision to speak up or wait is made on purpose, not by instinct alone.
- A four-factor weighing worksheet
- Two worked scenarios with different outcomes
- A short reflection exercise on your own proposal
- Guidance on revisiting a shelved proposal later
Self-paced material, scheduled conversation
Reading and exercises are self-paced through the program portal. Alongside that, small cohort discussion calls give you a chance to talk through your proposal draft with people working through the same modules, in different organizations and industries.
There is no cohort-wide deadline. You move through material at a pace that fits your workweek, with the one-page proposal as the natural finish line for the core modules.
Deliverables, not just notes
A completed one-page proposal
Built around a real issue from your own workplace, reviewed by peers, ready to send when the timing is right.
A decision map of your organization
A working sketch of who actually influences approval, beyond the formal org chart.
A weighing worksheet for future ideas
A reusable method for deciding whether the next observation is worth raising now, later, or not at all.
A rehearsed five-minute pitch
Practice walking someone through your proposal verbally, in the time you'd realistically get in a hallway or a short meeting.
Want to walk through the modules in more detail?
A discovery call covers your specific situation and whether the program timing fits your current workload.