What is it?

3 hour workshop designed around insights from the book Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works by Alan G. Lafley and Roger Martin to help your team think strategically and align their actions.

Why is it useful?

This workshop has 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.

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.

Resources Required

• Time: 3 hours
• Number of People: 6-20
• Flip charts or whiteboards
• Markers and sticky notes
• Pre-prepared templates for the 5 strategic questions
• Timer for breakout sessions

Process

Step 1: Icebreaker: Winning as a Team (15 minutes)

1. Objective: Set a collaborative tone and introduce the concept of "winning."
2. 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.
3. Outcome: A shared understanding of what “winning” feels like for the team.

Step 2: Defining the Winning Aspiration (30 minutes)

1. Objective: Align on a shared purpose or vision.
2. 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.”
3. Outcome: A clear, motivating purpose that aligns the team.

Step 3: Where to Play (30 minutes)

1. Objective: Identify the team’s focus areas.
2. 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.
3. Outcome: A prioritised list of focus areas.

Step 4: How to Win (30 minutes)

1. Objective: Define the team’s competitive advantage.
2. 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.
3. Outcome: Clear strategies for achieving success in chosen areas.

Step 5: Building Capabilities and Systems (30 minutes)

1. Objective: Identify what’s needed to execute the strategy.
2. 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.
3. Outcome: Actionable next steps for execution.

Step 6: Action Planning and Commitment (30 minutes)

1. Objective: Translate strategy into action.
2. Activity:
   • Assign ownership for each focus area and next steps.
   • Each participant commits to one specific action to support the team’s strategy.
3. Outcome: A collaborative action plan with clear responsibilities.

Step 7: Wrap-Up and Reflection (15 minutes)

1. Objective: Reflect on the session and confirm alignment.
2. Activity:
   • Round-robin: Each person shares one key takeaway.
   • End with a group affirmation of the “Winning Aspiration.”
3. Outcome: Motivation and alignment moving forward.