ONE DAY · FOUNDER PLUS UP TO FOUR LEADERS
Good people, wrong direction? One day to tell the same story.
The Executive Alignment Workshop is one day with Ivanka Menken for a founder and up to four executives, in person in Brisbane or on Zoom, at A$8,000 ex GST for the team. It uses Alignment Risk, the pattern from her book The Clarity Shift where good people pull in slightly different directions because the direction was never made clear. The team leaves with the three decisions that drive the next 12 months, each with a named owner, written and signed.
THE THREE QUESTIONS
From Alignment Risk in The Clarity Shift. Simple and consistent beats perfect.
- 1Where are we going?What the business looks like in three years if things go well
- 2What matters most right now?The one or two things that count most in the next 90 days
- 3What are we not doing?The markets, products and opportunities we are saying no to
SOUND FAMILIAR?
Everyone is working hard. Not in the same direction.
- “Each of my leaders would describe our priorities differently”
- “Meetings end with everyone nodding and nobody doing”
- “Two of my leaders have overlapping mandates and it shows”
- “I have changed direction in my head and not said it out loud”
- “We adopted a planning framework and it faded after a quarter”
THE FIVE ARROWS
Five stories in, one direction out
Alignment Risk rarely looks like conflict. It looks like good people each telling a slightly different story about where the business is going. The day puts the stories side by side, then narrows them through three questions until one remains.
Hover over or tap a part of the model to see what it means.
The Five Arrows · a framework by Ivanka Menken
THE DAY
The shape of the day
One day, the founder plus up to four executives. Ivanka facilitates; the team decides.
- MorningSeparate answersBefore anyone speaks, each leader writes their own answers to the three questions.
- ThenThe same story?The answers go side by side. The gaps between them are the work of the day.
- ThenThree decisionsThe team settles the three decisions that drive the next 12 months.
- CloseOwner and signatureEach decision gets one named owner, a first step and a review date, written down and signed by everyone in the room.
Before the day: A short conversation between the founder and Ivanka, because the clarity a team needs starts with the person at the top.
THE TERMS
| Who | The founder plus up to four executives |
|---|---|
| Where | In person in Brisbane, or on Zoom |
| Length | One day |
| Fee | A$8,000 ex GST for the team, not per head |
| You leave with | Three decisions for the next 12 months, each with one owner, written and signed |
“Ivanka is a no fuss, to the point advisor who doesn’t shy away from the tough questions and challenges you on your excuses. She has a unique ability to be tough when you need it and warmly supportive when you are really in a hole.”
Business owner
FREQUENTLY ASKED
About the workshop
What is the Executive Alignment Workshop?
The Executive Alignment Workshop is one facilitated day with Ivanka Menken for a founder and up to four executives. Each leader first answers three questions alone: where are we going, what matters most right now, and what are we not doing. The gaps between the answers become the agenda, and the day ends with three signed decisions.
How much does it cost?
The Executive Alignment Workshop costs A$8,000 ex GST for the whole team: the founder plus up to four executives. It is a flat fee, not a price per head. Ivanka Menken runs it in person in Brisbane or on Zoom, and for an in-person day elsewhere, travel is agreed with you before the date is confirmed.
What is Alignment Risk?
Alignment Risk is the pattern Ivanka Menken describes in her book The Clarity Shift: good people pulling in slightly different directions because the direction at the top was never made clear. It rarely looks like open conflict. The Executive Alignment Workshop treats it as a clarity problem, not a people problem, and starts with the founder.
What do we leave with?
You leave the Executive Alignment Workshop with the three decisions that will drive the next 12 months, each with one named owner, a first step and a review date, written down and signed by everyone in the room. Ivanka Menken also hands back the answers each leader gave at the start, so the gaps stay visible.
Who should be in the room?
The founder and the leaders who own the decisions, up to four executives. Ivanka Menken keeps the Executive Alignment Workshop to five people so that everyone can speak to every question. If more people need to hear the outcome, the signed decisions are written so they can be shared with the wider team after the day.
How do we book?
Email Ivanka Menken with the subject Executive Alignment Workshop, the size of your leadership team and what is pulling them in different directions. You then book a 20-minute conversation to agree the date, the format and who is in the room. The Executive Alignment Workshop is confirmed by invoice once the date is agreed.