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The Where and The Why simplifies strategic planning into two essential elements: your Moonshot (Where you’re going) and your Purpose (Why you’re going there). Unlike traditional 100-page strategic plans that gather dust, this approach creates a single-page visual plan that your entire team can understand and rally behind.
Start by defining your 3-year Moonshot using the S.T.A.R.S. framework – make it 80% impossible and 20% possible, measurable, time-bound, and exciting for your team. Then articulate your Purpose using the E.T.H.O.S. framework to create the emotional fuel that drives your journey. Learn more about crafting your Moonshot here.
The book includes downloadable templates and step-by-step activities proven with hundreds of Australian businesses – from tech startups to manufacturers.
The Where and The Why Plan on a Page template consolidates your entire strategy into one visual document that includes your Moonshot, Purpose, Values, and key projects. This replaces complex strategic planning templates with something your whole team can understand at a glance.
The templates work best when combined with the collaborative activities in the book, which guide you through filling them out with your team. This ensures buy-in and creates shared ownership of your strategic direction. Explore the complete methodology in the book.
Most strategic plans fail because they’re too complex, lack team buy-in, and sit on shelves rather than guide daily decisions. Research shows 95% of leaders communicate abstract, unclear visions that confuse rather than inspire teams.
The Where and The Why addresses these failures by: keeping strategy simple (just two core statements), involving your entire team in creation (increasing success likelihood by 3.4x), and creating visual reminders that stay on walls, not shelves. Teams using this approach report 34.47% culture improvement within 8 months.
A Moonshot goal (similar to Jim Collins’ BHAG concept) is an ambitious target that’s 80% impossible and 20% possible. Use the S.T.A.R.S. framework to ensure your Moonshot is: Stretch (pushes beyond comfort), Tangible (measurable and time-bound), Aspirational (excites your team), Relevant (within possibility), and Singular (one unifying focus).
For example, Oztix set their Moonshot to “Enable 30 Million Experiences by 2026” during COVID when they had zero revenue. They have nearly reached their target! Read more success stories here.
Avoid purely financial Moonshots like “double revenue” – instead choose goals that tap into passion and purpose. The book provides 8 types of Moonshots with real examples from each category.
Through analyzing hundreds of organizations, I’ve identified 8 proven Moonshot types, each with real-world success stories:
Each type suits different organizational strengths. Learn how to choose your Moonshot type here. The book includes detailed case studies and templates for each type.
Your Vision is a detailed picture of your organization’s future state – what you’ll be doing, who you’ll be serving, how you’ll operate, and what you’ll achieve. It’s a comprehensive snapshot covering all aspects of your business at a future point in time.
Your Moonshot is the singular, ambitious goal that emerges from this Vision – one clear, measurable objective that will drive your organization forward. While your Vision paints the full picture, your Moonshot is the concrete goal that will challenge, excite and unify the team.
For example, Kennedy’s Vision for NASA included detailed technical specifications about rockets, heat shields, and mission requirements, but his Moonshot was elegantly simple: “We choose to go to the moon in this decade.” The Vision was complex; the Moonshot was clear and memorable.
This simplicity is crucial – your Moonshot gives everyone in your organization one unified target to aim for. Learn how to extract your Moonshot from your Vision here.
Replace lengthy vision documents with The Where and The Why Poster – a visual representation showing your Moonshot destination and Purpose rocket fuel. Display it prominently where teams see it daily. Oztix reports this visual reminder keeps their 50-person team aligned and motivated.
Communication strategies include – monthly progress updates showing advancement toward your Moonshot, celebrating milestones when you hit stepping stones, and having team members explain how their work contributes to the Moonshot. The book includes specific communication templates and milestone tracking methods.
Team alignment starts with co-creation. When team members help develop your strategic plan, they’re 3.4 times more likely to achieve it. The Where and The Why process uses structured activities where everyone contributes equally – leaders present last to avoid influencing others, and “no bad ideas” ground rules ensure psychological safety.
Activities like “Purpose Show & Tell” where each person brings 5 items representing why your organization exists create emotional connection beyond rational understanding. This approach helped West End State School P&C align 99 volunteers around their mission. Discover more alignment strategies in the book.
Include your leadership team plus “true believers” – those team members who consistently go above and beyond, regardless of position. These are people who show genuine passion, take initiative, and deeply understand your customers.
Groups of 7 or fewer work best for collaborative activities. For larger organizations, have junior team members provide input through their managers. The key is involving people who will champion the strategy, not just those with senior titles. Research shows 70% of employees define their sense of purpose through work – involving them in planning helps align personal and organizational purpose.
Review your implementation plan quarterly, but your Moonshot and Purpose should remain stable for 3+ years. Quarterly reviews focus on: celebrating completed milestones, adjusting project timelines, adding new initiatives based on learnings, and ensuring activities align with your Moonshot.
Monthly team meetings should include progress updates toward your Moonshot. Oztix tracks their “experiences enabled” monthly, creating regular celebration moments. Annual offsites can refresh implementation plans while maintaining your core Where and Why.
Avoid generic Values like “integrity” and “excellence” that could apply to any company. Instead, create distinctive Values reflecting your unique culture. Use creative association exercises (detailed in the book) to uncover authentic values, then pair each with specific behaviors.
For example, an industrial coating company created Values around their painting process: “Grit” (taking on challenges), “Primer” (ethics and safety), “Top Coat” (high quality). Each value has 3-5 specific Behaviors that make it actionable. Organizations report 35% culture improvement within 8 months of implementing authentic values.
Transform Values from wall posters into daily actions by defining specific behaviors for each value. If “Innovation” is a value, behaviors might include “We test new ideas weekly,” “We celebrate fast failures,” “We allocate 10% of time to experimentation.”
Implementation strategies include incorporating Values into hiring and onboarding, making Values part of performance reviews, celebrating Values-aligned Behaviors publicly, and using values as decision-making filters. The book provides complete implementation roadmaps with real-world examples.
Your Purpose already exists – you just need to uncover it. The E.T.H.O.S. framework ensures your Purpose is: Eternal (never changes), True (authentic), Heartfelt (emotional), Oneness (unifying), and Simple (under 7 words).
Through activities like exploring why team members joined and stayed, and gathering items representing your organization’s impact, patterns emerge revealing your true Purpose. Hooker Boats discovered theirs was simply “Dream Boats” – two words capturing their deep understanding of what boat ownership means to customers.
Effective Purpose statements are simple (under 7 words), emotional (connect to hearts not just heads), and eternal (won’t change with market conditions). They answer why you do what you do, not what you do.
Examples from the book: “Because we love it too” (Oztix), “Making people feel great at work” (Infectious Clothing), “Crafted for care” (Emery Industries). Notice how each captures emotional essence rather than describing products or services. See more Purpose examples and success stories.
I’ve identified 6 distinct Purpose types through field research with hundreds of organizations:
Most effective Purpose statements blend 1-3 types maximum. For example, “Care for Skin, Care for People, Care for the Environment” combines Customer, Community, and World Impact. Discover your Purpose type here. The book includes exercises to uncover your authentic Purpose.
Start with these foundational questions covered in The Where and The Why process:
The book provides complete question sets for each strategic element, plus facilitation guides for team sessions.
The core The Where and The Why process takes 8 hours of group work plus 2 hours of individual preparation – dramatically less than traditional strategic planning. You can run it as an intensive one-day workshop or spread across multiple sessions.
You have two options:
Learn more about facilitated workshops here or get the book for self-facilitation.
Yes! The Where and The Why was specifically designed for self-facilitation. The book includes detailed instructions, timing for each activity, materials needed, and troubleshooting tips. Hundreds of Australian businesses have successfully self-facilitated using this methodology.
However, some teams benefit from professional facilitation, especially when:
I offer both options: the book for self-facilitation or professionally facilitated workshops where I guide your team through the proven process. Many organizations start with the book and then bring me in for their annual strategic refresh.
Both approaches work brilliantly with The Where and The Why methodology! Consider these factors:
Self-facilitate with the book when:
Bring in professional facilitation when:
Having run hundreds of these workshops, I can quickly identify patterns, unlock stuck points, and inject fresh energy into your planning.
Explore facilitated workshop options or start with the book.
Ready to transform your team with The Where and The Why?
Option 1: Get the book with complete instructions, templates, and case studies to self-facilitate your strategic planning journey.
Option 2: Book a facilitated workshop and let me guide your team through this proven process with the energy and expertise gained from hundreds of successful sessions.
Not sure which is right for you? Start with the book and if you need help, just reach out for facilitated guidance. Either way, you’ll be joining hundreds of organizations who’ve successfully aligned their teams around their Moonshot and Purpose, with The Where and The Why.