In this article, I’m sharing an effective workshop framework you can easily adapt to help your team clarify its purpose, priorities, and path to success.
It’s inspired by the powerful insights from the book Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works by Alan G. Lafley and Roger Martin.
Sidenote: you don’t need to read the book to get value from this workshop.
It’s tailored specifically for teams looking to align and execute their strategy with confidence.
Why does this matter?
Because teams often get bogged down in day-to-day tasks, losing sight of the bigger picture.
Even the most talented groups need a clear sense of purpose and focus to achieve meaningful, lasting success.
The truth is that most teams fail to develop a winning strategy because they avoid making tough choices.
They try to be everything to everyone, spreading their efforts too thin and diluting their impact.
Strategic alignment isn’t just for CEOs or business strategists—it’s a critical skill for every team.
When teams think strategically and align their actions, they create a multiplier effect that drives exceptional results.
What You’ll Gain from This Article
- A practical workshop framework to create alignment and clarity in your team.
- Step-by-step guidance for identifying your team’s purpose and priorities.
- Tools to foster collaboration and shared ownership of your strategy.
- Actionable outcomes that your team can implement immediately.
- A repeatable process to keep your team aligned and focused over time.
By the end, you’ll have everything you need to help your team move from confusion to clarity, from reactive to proactive, and ultimately, from playing to survive to playing to win.
Let's get into it…
Playing to Win Together: Aligning Team Strategy"
Objectives
- Align the team around a shared purpose (winning aspiration).
- Clarify where the team should focus its efforts (where to play).
- Define how the team will succeed (how to win).
- Identify key capabilities and systems needed to execute the strategy.
Duration: 2.5–3 hours
Materials Needed
- Flip charts or whiteboards
- Markers and sticky notes
- Pre-prepared templates for the 5 strategic questions
- Timer for breakout sessions
Workshop Agenda
1. Icebreaker: Winning as a Team (15 minutes)
- Objective: Set a collaborative tone and introduce the concept of "winning."
- Activity:
- Ask each team member to share a brief story of when they felt their team "won" in a work or non-work setting.
- Discuss common elements of these success stories.
- Outcome: A shared understanding of what "winning" feels like for the team.
2. Defining the Winning Aspiration (30 minutes)
- Objective: Align on a shared purpose or vision.
- Activity:
- Pose the question: "What does success look like for us as a team in the next 12 months?"
- Teams brainstorm individually for 5 minutes, then share and discuss.
- As a group, craft a concise "Winning Aspiration" statement. Example: "To become the most trusted team for delivering creative solutions within our organisation."
- Outcome: A clear, motivating purpose that aligns the team.
3. Where to Play (30 minutes)
- Objective: Identify the team’s focus areas.
- Activity:
- Split into small groups. Each group answers: "Where should we focus our time and energy to achieve our aspiration?"
- Consider customer segments, project types, internal/external priorities, etc.
- Groups present their ideas, and the team votes on the top 3–5 focus areas.
- Outcome: A prioritised list of focus areas.
4. How to Win (30 minutes)
- Objective: Define the team’s competitive advantage.
- Activity:
- Reflect on strengths and opportunities in each focus area.
- Ask: "What unique value can we deliver in these areas?" and "How can we ensure we’re the best at this?"
- Teams create a simple "How to Win" strategy for each focus area.
- Outcome: Clear strategies for achieving success in chosen areas.
5. Building Capabilities and Systems (30 minutes)
- Objective: Identify what’s needed to execute the strategy.
- Activity:
- Brainstorm the capabilities (skills, tools, resources) needed to win.
- Discuss what systems (processes, communication, metrics) are required to support these capabilities.
- Prioritise 2–3 immediate actions to build or improve capabilities and systems.
- Outcome: Actionable next steps for execution.
6. Action Planning and Commitment (30 minutes)
- Objective: Translate strategy into action.
- Activity:
- Assign ownership for each focus area and next steps.
- Each participant commits to one specific action to support the team’s strategy.
- Outcome: A collaborative action plan with clear responsibilities.
7. Wrap-Up and Reflection (15 minutes)
- Objective: Reflect on the session and confirm alignment.
- Activity:
- Round-robin: Each person shares one key takeaway.
- End with a group affirmation of the "Winning Aspiration."
- Outcome: Motivation and alignment moving forward.
Follow-Up
- After the workshop, summarise the team’s "Winning Aspiration," focus areas, strategies, and next steps.
- Schedule a check-in within 30–60 days to assess progress and refine as needed.
Conclusion
This workshop creates alignment, clarity, and actionable strategies while fostering a sense of ownership and shared purpose.
Using this workshop, you’ll never have to guess what’s holding your team back or waste time on unfocused efforts that don’t move the needle.
Instead, it becomes a simple process of clarifying your team’s purpose, prioritising what matters most, and building a focused plan to achieve meaningful results together.
See you next week.