The models library

Is the organization aligned?

Use when Any org problem that might not be a people problem; pre-work before proposing programs

Why performance really lags

Use when Someone asks for training; you suspect the environment is the problem

The training-request triage

Use when The intake gate for every capability request

Getting under the stated problem

Use when Any sponsor conversation where the presenting problem smells like a symptom

Value is defined by the receiver, not the provider

Use when Writing a people strategy, or pressure-testing one that reads as an HR wish list

Where the function is being asked to move

Use when Setting an HR function's direction, or sense-checking a people strategy against where the profession is heading

The cheapest learning ritual there is

Use when Anything just ended: a project, a cycle, an incident, a launch

Where development happens

Use when Designing any development experience; defending against course-catalogue thinking

Proving learning worked

Use when Setting measurement at design time; answering the CFO's ROI question

The design spine

Use when Structuring any build; explaining timelines to sponsors

Organize by business problem, not content

Use when Structuring the L&D portfolio; the alternative to content-library sprawl

Write objectives that mean something

Use when Writing learning objectives; auditing vendor content depth

The event is 10% of the work

Use when Any program where behaviour must survive contact with the job

The coaching conversation's spine

Use when Any coaching conversation, or teaching managers to stop giving answers

The performance equation

Use when Diagnosing why an individual or team underperforms before acting

Without the spreadsheet theatre

Use when Connecting enterprise strategy to individual goals people can recite

Where a collective agreement applies, it governs. Check the agreement before applying any of this.

The cycle that replaces the annual event

Use when Designing or redesigning enterprise performance management

Where a collective agreement applies, it governs. Check the agreement before applying any of this.

Fairness, not politics

Use when Running rating or talent calibration sessions that survive scrutiny

Where a collective agreement applies, it governs. Check the agreement before applying any of this.

The sentence, and the stance

Use when Teaching managers to say hard things without breaking trust

When hard goals help and when they hurt

Use when Cascading targets, or when someone proposes a moonshot

Three gates before any stretch goal

Original

Use when A team wants, or is being handed, an audacious target

Where a collective agreement applies, it governs. Check the agreement before applying any of this.

The individual's journey through change

Use when Planning and debugging adoption for any initiative

The campaign view

Use when Large, visible transformations that need momentum and coalition

Managing the transition, not just the change

Use when Mergers, restructures, leadership changes; anywhere loss is real

Predictable dip, manageable depth

Use when Setting leader expectations; timing communication and support

Why people resist before they think

Use when Designing announcements and consultations; decoding resistance

The oldest model still earning its keep

Use when Quick strategy for shifting a stuck behaviour or norm

Why sensible change stalls

Use when A change everyone agreed to is not happening, and nobody is visibly opposing it

The two change programs in every company

Use when The cost program and the culture program are running on separate tracks

Scoring change risk before launch

Use when Deciding whether an initiative is set up to land, before money is spent

Kill the failure before launch

Use when Any major launch, program, or policy, in the last meeting before commitment

Imposing constraints without burning trust

Original

Use when Leadership must take something away and still needs commitment

A conversation, not a verdict

Use when Talent reviews; portfolio view of a leadership population

Where a collective agreement applies, it governs. Check the agreement before applying any of this.

Capability sourcing as a portfolio

Use when Any capability gap conversation before a requisition is raised

Coverage the board will ask about

Use when Critical-role coverage the board will ask about

From folklore to evidence

Use when Upgrading talent reviews from folklore to evidence

The 18-month foundation

Use when Planning the shift from jobs-only to skills-informed talent systems

Build-borrow-buy, with AI as the fourth option

Use when Any capability gap, before a requisition is raised

What actually predicts job performance

Use when Designing any selection process, or defending one against gut-feel hiring

Reading a culture honestly

Use when Diagnosing culture before attempting to change any of it

The performance quadrant

Use when Diagnosing team climate; coaching leaders on the 'nice culture' trap

What moves the number

Use when Choosing survey content and action priorities

The trust-building action loop

Use when Post-survey follow-through; rebuilding trust after hard periods

The team repair sequence

Use when Diagnosing and rebuilding a leadership team that is not working

The engine under engagement

Use when Designing motivation inside constraints; auditing why engagement is flat

What kind of culture is this?

Use when Profiling a culture fast, or naming the tension a strategy shift creates

Measure events, not opinions

Use when Asked to refresh the values, or to measure culture at all

The ledger employees already keep

Use when Imposing any constraint; diagnosing quiet quitting or sudden regretted exits

The burnout arithmetic

Use when Burnout signals in a team, or designing any role that keeps growing

The five-point design check

Use when Any reorg conversation; testing whether structure change will help

The arithmetic of structure

Use when Sizing management; finding cost and speed in the hierarchy

Where a collective agreement applies, it governs. Check the agreement before applying any of this.

Decision hygiene in one grid

Use when Seam agreements, project governance, any 'who owns this' friction

The operating-model choice

Use when Deciding how any capability (L&D, analytics, comms) should be organized

The three-legged stool, and where it cracks

Use when Designing or fixing how the HR function itself is organized

What the function is actually being paid for

Use when Auditing an HR function, designing HR roles, or explaining what HR is for

What separates a head of HR from an enterprise voice

Use when Assessing or planning the HR function's standing with the CEO and board

Nothing added without a removal

Original

Use when Any program is about to add rituals, reviews, or reporting to managers

The whole deal, not just the paycheque

Use when EVP conversations; retention diagnostics; offer design

Where a collective agreement applies, it governs. Check the agreement before applying any of this.

Deliberate, not accidental

Use when Comp philosophy discussions; explaining pay decisions to leaders

Where a collective agreement applies, it governs. Check the agreement before applying any of this.

Sequence beats scramble

Use when Annual equity cycle; new pay-transparency obligations

The decision framework

Use when Every 'should AI do this' question in a people process

The pre-pilot checklist

Use when Before any pilot that processes employee data or affects work

Sequencing AI in HR

Use when Building a credible roadmap instead of a vendor shopping spree