Template: Explore and clarify a new opportunity or direction. User-facing name: Chart a New Course.
Status: draft. The name, template, stages and the routing example are Kate's (12 October 2026). Everything else is Proposed: drafted by Claude from Step Up's recipe and the prototype, for Kate to confirm. Rules every plan shares are in plans/shared.md.
1. Plan card
| |
|---|
| Intended user situation | A senior leader who feels stuck or restless and wants something different, but can't yet name the role or direction. |
| Desired outcome | A direction specific enough to plan around, chosen on evidence rather than nerves, with a story that makes the move look deliberate, and a hand-off to the plan that helps her get there. |
| Common constraints | Uncertainty, confidentiality while she is still employed, limited time, an identity tied to her current role, and a fear of choosing wrong. |
1.1 How people arrive here
- Direction answer: "I know I want something different, but I cannot name the role yet."
- Timing answer: "I am still figuring it out."
- Refinement answer: "Clarifying what comes next."
- Driver: "I feel stagnant in my career."
When another plan fits better
- She can name the role, and has a moment coming → Make the Move.
- She wants to grow where she is, once she has named what is wrong → Lead Where You Are.
- What is wrong is the size of her role, not its direction → Step Up.
This plan is meant to end. Its last stage hands her to one of the other four.
1.2 Stages and success signals
| Stage | Success signal |
|---|
| 1. Name what is not working | She has written down what she would keep and what she would not miss about her current work, and what she is good at regardless of where. |
| 2. Test directions at low risk | She has named a few directions, talked to people already in them, and ruled out at least two for real reasons. |
| 3. Generate a new spark | She has tried something small and new and recorded what gave her energy and what did not. |
| 4. Build a transferable narrative | She has a story that connects her past to the direction she is drawn to, and her public profile no longer contradicts it. |
| 5. Navigate a direction | She can name the direction she is going for and why, and has chosen the plan that will get her there. |
2. Action playbook
The agent recommends the step whose trigger matches her situation now. If she names a clear direction early, it moves her to stage 5.
Stage 1: Name what is not working
1.1 Write down what she would keep and what she would not miss
| |
|---|
| Horizon | Short-term |
| Trigger | She chose "something different" or "still figuring it out", or describes feeling stuck without saying why. |
| Done when | She records at least three things she would keep and three she would not miss. |
| Evidence ExecHQ keeps | Her two lists, a completion timestamp. Kept private to her. |
| Plan area and signal | Plan area: what is not working. Signals: none directly. |
| Tool | None in V1. |
| Follow-up | None. |
1.2 Write what she is good at, separated from where she has done it
| |
|---|
| Horizon | Short-term |
| Trigger | She has named what is not working, and describes her strengths only through her current role. |
| Done when | She saves a short statement of strengths that would matter anywhere, and confirms it. |
| Evidence ExecHQ keeps | The saved statement, its edit history, her confirmation. |
| Plan area and signal | Plan area: transferable strengths. Signals: the base for a later narrative and profile. |
| Tool | Positioning Builder. Onboarding's one-sentence statement is the first version. |
| Follow-up | None. |
Stage 2: Test directions at low risk
2.1 Name two to four directions worth testing
| |
|---|
| Horizon | Short-term |
| Trigger | She knows her strengths and what she wants to leave behind, but has not named any options. |
| Done when | She records two to four directions, each with what draws her to it. |
| Evidence ExecHQ keeps | The directions, a completion timestamp. |
| Plan area and signal | Plan area: directions. Signals: none directly. |
| Tool | None in V1. |
| Follow-up | None. |
2.2 Talk to people already doing the work in each direction
| |
|---|
| Horizon | Medium-term (30 to 60 days) |
| Trigger | She has directions to test, and has not yet spoken to anyone in them. |
| Done when | She records at least four conversations across her directions, each with what she learned. |
| Evidence ExecHQ keeps | The conversations she records, their dates. |
| Plan area and signal | Plan area: directions. Signals: none of the six; this is private exploration. |
| Tool | Pitch Builder, for a short note asking for the conversation. |
| Follow-up | After each conversation, the Loop asks what she learned. |
2.3 Rule out what does not fit, for real reasons
| |
|---|
| Horizon | Short-term |
| Trigger | She has had conversations in at least two directions. |
| Done when | She crosses off at least one direction and records why. |
| Evidence ExecHQ keeps | The directions ruled out and her reasons. |
| Plan area and signal | Plan area: directions. Signals: none directly. |
| Tool | None: it is answered in the Loop. |
| Follow-up | None. |
Stage 3: Generate a new spark
A spark is a small, new experience that shows her what gives her energy. It tests interest, where stage 2 tested fit.
3.1 Try one small, new thing in a direction she is drawn to
For example: a short course, an advisory conversation, a volunteer or side project, or writing about a new area.
| |
|---|
| Horizon | Medium-term (30 to 60 days) |
| Trigger | She has narrowed her directions but can't tell which one she actually wants. |
| Done when | She records what she tried and what gave her energy and what did not. |
| Evidence ExecHQ keeps | What she tried, her reflection, the date. |
| Plan area and signal | Plan area: spark. Signal: published content if she writes; otherwise none. |
| Tool | Thought Leadership Builder, if she writes. |
| Follow-up | The Loop asks how it felt, a week after she starts. |
3.2 Respond to a Briefing read in a direction she is curious about
| |
|---|
| Horizon | Short-term, recurring |
| Trigger | A read in today's Briefing touches a direction she is exploring. |
| Done when | She writes a short response, published or kept private. |
| Evidence ExecHQ keeps | The draft linked to its source read, its lifecycle state. |
| Plan area and signal | Plan area: spark. Signals: published content, if she publishes. |
| Tool | Thought Leadership Builder, started from the Briefing. |
| Follow-up | None. |
Stage 4: Build a transferable narrative
4.1 Write the story that makes the move look deliberate
| |
|---|
| Horizon | Short-term |
| Trigger | One direction stands out, and she can't yet explain how her past leads to it. |
| Done when | She saves a story connecting her strengths and experience to the direction, and confirms it. |
| Evidence ExecHQ keeps | The saved story, its edit history, her confirmation. |
| Plan area and signal | Plan area: transferable narrative. Signals: the base for LinkedIn and published content. |
| Tool | Positioning Builder. |
| Follow-up | None. |
4.2 Bring her public profile quietly in line with the narrative
| |
|---|
| Horizon | Short-term |
| Trigger | Her narrative is saved, and her profile describes only her current role. |
| Done when | She confirms she has updated her headline and About section, as far as she is comfortable while employed. |
| Evidence ExecHQ keeps | Her confirmation and the date. ExecHQ does not read her profile in V1. |
| Plan area and signal | Plan area: transferable narrative. Signals: LinkedIn and AI discoverability. |
| Tool | Positioning Builder: copy the narrative for her About section. |
| Follow-up | None. |
Stage 5: Navigate a direction
5.1 Name the direction she is going for, and why
| |
|---|
| Horizon | Short-term |
| Trigger | She has a narrative and has tested at least one direction for real. |
| Done when | She records the direction, specific enough to plan around, and her reasons. |
| Evidence ExecHQ keeps | The direction, her reasons, the date. |
| Plan area and signal | Plan area: direction. Signals: decides which signals the next plan leans on. |
| Tool | None. |
| Follow-up | None. |
5.2 Move to the plan that will get her there
| |
|---|
| Horizon | Short-term |
| Trigger | She has named her direction. |
| Done when | She accepts a new plan, or chooses to keep exploring. |
| Evidence ExecHQ keeps | The plan change, carrying over everything she has saved. |
| Plan area and signal | Plan area: plan adjustment. |
| Tool | None. |
| Follow-up | The agent offers the plan that fits: Make the Move for a specific role or moment, Step Up for a bigger role where she is, Make Your Mark for a new field to be known in, Lead Where You Are to stay and grow. It never switches without asking. |
3. Feedback
Kate, 14 Oct. Which steps ask her for feedback, and of which type. The types and their answers are in plans/shared.md, section 6. Proposed, all of the table: the source names no feedback.
| Step | Asks? | Type | When ExecHQ asks | What her answer changes |
|---|
| 1.1 What she would keep, and what she would not miss | No | None | | Recording them is done |
| 1.2 What she is good at, apart from where she has done it | Yes | Is this right? | As soon as it is drafted | "Yes, that's it" completes the step; "Change it" reopens Positioning Builder |
| Stage 1 ends | Yes | Stage check-in | When 1.1 and 1.2 are done | Partly or Not yet: Stage 2 opens with what she is least sure of. Stuck: one step, and offers talking it through |
| 2.1 Two to four directions worth testing | No | None | | Recording them is done |
| 2.2 Talk to people doing the work in each direction | Yes | What came of it? on the note; How did it go? on the conversation ("What did you learn?") | 5 days after she sends the note; the day after each conversation | A yes to the note: prepare for the conversation. What she learned is kept against that direction and feeds 2.3. Nothing yet: copies the follow-up |
| 2.3 Rule out what does not fit, for real reasons | No | None | | Crossing a direction off, with why, is the answer |
| Stage 2 ends | Yes | Stage check-in | When 2.2 and 2.3 are done | Partly or Not yet: one more conversation in the direction she knows least. Less sure: Stage 3 starts small |
| 3.1 Try one small, new thing in a direction she is drawn to | Yes | What came of it? ("How did it feel?": Gave me energy · Mixed · Not for me · Haven't started · It's no longer relevant) | A week after she starts | Gave me energy: that direction leads into Stage 4. Not for me: another direction to try. Haven't started: asks again a week later |
| 3.2 Respond to a Briefing read in a direction she is curious about | Only if published | What came of it? ("How did it land?") | 7 days after she marks it published; nothing if she keeps it private | It went well: offers that direction for 3.1 |
| Stage 3 ends | Yes | Stage check-in | When 3.1 is done | Yes: Stage 4 builds the narrative for that direction. Partly or Not yet: another small thing to try |
| 4.1 The story that makes the move look deliberate | Yes | Is this right? | As soon as it is drafted | "Yes, that's it" completes the step; "Change it" reopens Positioning Builder |
| 4.2 Her public profile, quietly in line with the narrative | No | None | | Confirming the update is done, as far as she is comfortable |
| Stage 4 ends | Yes | Stage check-in | When 4.1 is done | Partly or Not yet: one step on the part of the story that doesn't hold yet |
| 5.1 Name the direction she is going for, and why | No | None | | Recording it is done |
| 5.2 Move to the plan that will get her there | No | None | | Her choice is the answer: a new plan, or keep exploring. It never switches without asking |
| Stage 5 ends | Yes | Stage check-in | When 5.2 is done | Closes the plan. Her feeling shapes how the next plan starts |
4. Signal emphasis
Internal only, never shown to her. A dash means the plan does not recommend work in that signal in that stage. Most of this plan is private exploration; signals come in once she has a direction to show.
| Signal | 1. Name what is not working | 2. Test directions at low risk | 3. Generate a new spark | 4. Build a transferable narrative | 5. Navigate a direction | How it helps her find a direction |
|---|
| LinkedIn | — | Foundation: notice how people in each direction describe themselves | — | Primary: bring the profile quietly in line with the narrative | Evidence: a profile ready for the next plan | Where a new direction first becomes visible |
| Press | — | — | — | — | — | Rarely relevant before a direction is chosen |
| Speaking | — | — | Foundation: notice which topics she would want to speak on | — | Evidence: carry that into the next plan | A later way to show the new direction |
| Podcasts | — | Foundation: listen to shows in each direction to learn the language | — | — | — | A low-risk way to learn a field before committing |
| Published content | — | — | Primary: write about a new area, published or private | Primary: express the narrative in her own words | Evidence: carry what she wrote into the next plan | Shows her thinking in the new area |
| AI discoverability | — | — | — | Evidence: check her public picture doesn't contradict the narrative | — | Whether people in the new field can find her for it |
5. How the agent behaves on Chart a New Course
It adds to the rules every plan shares (plans/shared.md, section 5).
- Curious, not prescriptive. It asks before it suggests, and never tells her what she should want.
- Evidence over nerves. It helps her rule options in or out for real reasons, and notices when fear is doing the deciding.
- Discreet. She may still be employed. It never suggests anything that would make her search visible at work unless she chooses to.
- Low risk first. It favours small, reversible tests over big moves until she has a direction.
- It aims to end. The plan succeeds when she leaves it for another plan, not when she stays.
6. Open questions
- "Generate a new spark". The meaning above (a small, new experience that shows what gives her energy) is Claude's reading. Is that what you meant?
- "Navigate a direction". Does the plan end when she chooses, with a hand-off, or does stage 5 include early steps toward the direction?
- Order of stages 3 and 4. A spark sometimes comes before testing. Should the agent be free to recommend stage 3 steps during stage 2?
- Private records. Her lists, directions and conversations need a private place to live. None has a V1 screen. Are they V1?
- Pace. No suggested period per stage yet. The prototype uses four weeks a stage.