Take a Sounding
One problem. One session. Someone whose only job is making sure you think it all the way through.
You bring the problem. We’ll facilitate, push on the thinking, help you see it differently, and move you towards a decision.
You already know what the problem is. You just can’t get to the bottom of it.
- You have one decision you keep circling and never landing.
- You have three options and no great way to choose between them.
- You’ve had the same conversation four times and it resolves differently every time.
- You’re about to commit real money and you want it pressure-tested by someone with nothing at stake.
- Your leadership team agrees in the room and does something else afterward.
- You need to think, and your calendar has quietly made that impossible.
- It isn’t strategic planning facilitation. We don’t run the annual offsite. We’ll help you think before you walk into it, or make sense of it afterward.
- It isn’t a pep talk, and it isn’t therapy. We’re here to help you think, not to make you feel better about a decision you’ve already made.
- It isn’t a standing engagement. These are one-offs by design. If you want a thinking partner, that’s what At the Helm is for.
Deep, not wide.
A sounding measures the depth at an exact spot. Not the whole lake. That’s what we do. We go deep on one thing. One place, one question, and an honest answer about what’s actually down there.
We agree on one goal for the session, in writing, so we both know what a good day looks like. You send anything we should read first. We read it.
We’re part facilitator and part participant. We keep the session on the goal, slow you down when you’re racing toward an answer you already had when you walked in, and say the thing nobody in the room wants to say first. You get to think instead of run the meeting.
Your choice of output:
Documented. A notetaker summary of the discussion, what was decided, and what’s still open.
Confidential. No transcript, no record of who said what. Just the decisions and any open/action items.
Two hours, virtual, just you.
One problem, one session, not a standing appointment, clarity at the end.
Half a day, in person.
You and two or three of your leaders on a single problem.
A full day, in person.
For something with more moving parts, or when you want two related problems in one sitting.
On site, or somewhere else entirely. Sometimes getting out of the building is the whole point. Travel outside the greater Twin Cities is billed separately.
They were winning work. Just not the work they really wanted.
The question
Is our sales and marketing strategy actually right? They were winning business but what they won didn’t match the clients they said they wanted.
What we found
The business couldn’t compete for those clients, yet. Revenue was filling the space where focus should have been. We defined the ideal client around what they already did best, refocused their marketing strategy. Plus created a list of good business ideas they agreed not to chase until it was time to expand focus.
What came next
We built the marketing plan and brought in a partner to run it until their own team was ready to take it in-house. We coached on that too.
“Going through the process helped us identify our ideal customer and ultimately where we should focus our efforts. It brought clarity to how we could better align our business goals with our customers’ needs and deliver solutions that create the greatest impact.”
Questions we get.
What is a strategy sounding session?
A focused working session on one decision or problem you can already name. You set the goal, we facilitate and push on the thinking, and you leave with a decision or a clear picture of what it will take to make one.
Why not take this to my board or peer group?
You can. They know you, and they have opinions about how it turns out. We don’t. Our only job is making sure you think it all the way through including the hard questions no one is asking but us.
What if we don’t land a decision?
Most sessions do. When one doesn’t, you leave knowing exactly what’s missing and what it will take to decide. That’s progress, and it’s written down so you have action items to keep moving forward.
Should I Take a Sounding or Map the Current?
If you can name the problem, take a Sounding. If you can’t, or there are twelve of them, Map the Current.
Can I bring my leadership team?
Yes. Half-day and full-day sessions are built for you plus two or three of your leaders.
Four ways to work with us.
TAKE A SOUNDINGDecision strategy session
For one problem you can already name. Worked all the way through in a single session.
You’re hereMAP THE CURRENTBusiness process, workflow & AI readiness assessment
For when something isn’t working and you can’t see why. We map how the work actually moves.
Explore →READY TO LAUNCHSpecial projects & strategic initiatives
For the project that’s been on the list too long. We scope it, build it, and hand it off.
Explore →AT THE HELMExecutive thought partnership
For the leader making the calls. A thinking partner who already knows your business.
Explore →Not sure which? That’s what the call is for. We’ll tell you honestly, including if the answer is none of them.
Bring us the thing you keep circling.
Thirty minutes, nothing to prepare. Tell us what you’re wrestling with and we’ll tell you whether a session would help, and which format fits.