Mission Launch

Purpose

Move from goal to action. This session defines the first decisive moves, assigns ownership, and establishes how the coalition will measure progress—without adding recurring meetings. It's where intent becomes measurable action.

Execution

Triggers:	After Goal Setting and Coalition Formation
Time:	45-60 minutes
Who:	The coalition responsible for the aligned goals - only people who can move the system or remove real constraints.
Outcome:	A first mission cycle with a clear focus, a handful of decisive moves, and simple signal triggers that tell the coalition when to react.

Event Agenda

This agenda is the HOW. It connects your goals and coalition to a concrete first cycle: what moves first, which moves matter, when to talk, and what to watch. You leave with decisions the coalition will act on - not a backlog.

Activity	Purpose
Energy Release	Identify what the coalition will stop doing to free the energy required to succeed. This is a precondition for success: things we currently do that we will no longer do.
Mission focus	Decide what this coalition will move first - the smallest change with the biggest impact.
Decisive moves	Identify a minimum set of high-leverage moves that actually shift the system.
Communication rule	Agree when and how the coalition talks - only when reality demands it.
Signals & risks	Clarify how progress and trouble will show up, and what triggers immediate attention.

Operating Manual

The facilitator's job is to keep this sharp: no backlog-building, no wish lists, no overcommitment. Make the mission small enough to move, the decisive moves real, and the constraints explicit.

Quick Checklist

Inputs: aligned goals, formed coalition, known constraints and key risks
Outputs: energy release decisions, mission focus for the first cycle, a short list of decisive moves, simple communication rules, and a few key signals/risks
When to run: after Goal Setting and Coalition Formation, or when mission direction changes significantly

Energy Release

Energy Release is a precondition for success. Before committing to new moves, the coalition must identify what it will stop doing to free the energy required to succeed. This prevents overcommitment and ensures the mission has the capacity to move.

Identify current activities, meetings, or commitments that can be stopped, simplified, or deferred.
Focus on things that consume coalition energy without contributing to the TOP Goal.
Make explicit decisions: what stops, what gets simplified, what gets deferred.
Ensure the energy released is sufficient for the decisive moves planned.

Energy Release:
• Stop: [what we will no longer do]
• Simplify: [what we will reduce or streamline]
• Defer: [what we will postpone]
• Energy freed: [time, attention, or capacity made available]

Mission focus

Frame the mission for the upcoming cycle in specific terms. This is not the whole journey - just the first stretch of road that must move now.

Revisit the goals briefly and the major tradeoffs already agreed.
Ask: "If this cycle succeeds, what will be visibly different in the system?"
State the mission as an outcome in the real world, not as a list of activities.

Mission (first cycle):
In the next [time window], this coalition will [change/establish/improve X]
so that [Y] becomes true, directly supporting our goals.

Decisive moves

Translate the mission into a few decisive moves. These are the actions that actually shift behaviour and outcomes - not a task list.

Identify 3-7 concrete moves that clearly support the mission.
Make ownership explicit: each move has a single, clearly responsible owner.
Keep them small enough that the coalition can see movement within this cycle.

Move: [what we will do]
Owner: [who leads]
Supports: [which goal / mission aspect]
Needs: [authority, resources, access]

Communication rule

The coalition does not set up recurring meetings. Communication happens when it is useful, triggered by reality. Decide what demands a conversation and how to reach each other fast when it does.

Agree the fastest channel for mission-relevant topics (chat, call, async update).
Define which signals, exceptions, or events require immediate communication.
Clarify who surfaces what: risks, delays, blockers, or deviations from expected patterns.
State explicitly when silence is acceptable: no signal, no issue, no meeting.

Communication rule:
We communicate via [channel] when [signal / exception / event] occurs.
Otherwise, no communication is required. Silence means "all is well".

Signals & risks

Decide how the coalition will know if the mission is working - and when it isn't. Connect this to the existing success and exception signals from your goals.

Pick a small number of signals that can realistically be seen and tracked.
Agree patterns or thresholds that trigger attention or escalation.
List 2-3 key risks that would derail the mission early if ignored, and who will watch each.

Mission signals:
• Progress: [what improvement we expect to see soon]
• Health: [what must stay stable while we change things]
• Exception: [pattern or threshold that triggers intervention]

Key risks: [top risks, each with an owner watching it]

Next Steps

After Mission Launch, the coalition runs the cycle in practice:

Use regular Signals & Alignment Meetings (SAM) to review progress, resolve friction, and decide when the mission needs to be renewed, expanded, or replaced.
Run periodic Coalition Sync events to check for missed signals and strengthen coalition bonds.
Continue executing the moves and watching signals, adjusting based on real outcomes.