How I Help
Four ways to work together.
Each solves a different problem.
Start where you are. Engage deeper when the situation calls for it.
The Lineup
Four engagements.
One discipline.
Each engagement delivers a finished outcome on its own. No model is a prerequisite for the next. Pick the one that fits your moment.
Calibrate
Diagnose where the CEO and leadership team are out of alignment. A clean read of what's working and what isn't.
- CEO private diagnostic
- Leadership half-day alignment
- Strategy assessment summary
Clarify
Define the real problem, the key choices, and the logic behind them. Fast clarity before committing to a full plan.
- Problem statement
- Possibility Set
- Strategy Cascade (As-Is)
- What Would Have To Be True
- Business Model Canvas (As-Is)
- CEO Summary
Build
Create a complete, validated strategy with a 12-month operating plan. Evidence, stress testing, and a board-ready package.
- Core Problem Definition
- Possibility Sets
- Strategy Cascade (To-Be)
- Validated Business Model
- Focused Operating Plan
- Stress Testing
- Board-ready Package
Sustain
Implement strategy as an ongoing discipline. Cadence of quarterly resets, monthly reviews, and continuous adaptation to signals.
- Everything Created in Build
- Quarterly Strategy Resets
- Monthly Leadership Reviews
- Continuous Signpost Updates
- Strategy Governance
- Quarterly Strategy Stress Tests
- Annual Strategy Refresh
How They Relate
Four distinct engagements. One shared method.
Each engagement is a complete piece of work. Calibrate isn't a lite version of anything. It solves a real problem (team alignment) on its own. The same is true for each of the other three.
All engagements share a common approach. If you engage with Calibrate and find the problem runs deeper, Clarify picks up where Calibrate left off. Build can absorb prior work. Sustain can follow any of the above.
You never pay twice for the same thinking.
1 Day
6 weeks
4 months
12 Months
HOW I HELP FAQ
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CEOs and executive teams at for-profit and nonprofit organizations between $5 million and $100 million in revenue. We work with leaders who want to validate, sharpen, or govern strategy with discipline rather than produce a binder.
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Most planning firms produce a document. We produce a living strategy. The work centers on three things: making the real problem clear, validating the choices, and giving the leadership team a way to govern strategy quarter by quarter.
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Engagements run from one day (PRIME) to one full year (SYSTEM). Pricing scales with depth and scope. We discuss fit and fee on a 30-minute introductory call before any commitment.
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Both. Most work is remote, with key sessions on-site. We are based in Gaithersburg, Maryland and serve clients across the United States.
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Energy, healthcare, biomedical research, education, nonprofits, finance, professional services, defense, technology, and manufacturing. Past clients include NIH, Office of Naval Research, Volunteers of America, Goodwin Living, NatureServe, and the Government of Tanzania.
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Schedule a 30-minute fit call. We discuss the situation, the choices in front of you, and whether HSS is the right help right now. No pitch, no obligation.
Not sure where you fit?
Many clients start with a Calibration because it gives both of us an honest read before committing to a deeper engagement. If you already know you need Clarify or Build, the Fit Call will confirm it. Either way, the conversation is the start.