Innovative Group · Internal only

CKD Kickoff Run-of-Show

Wed · Aug 12 · Working session

Run it like a top-tier consulting session. We bring the structure and the questions; they talk it through; we export finished thinking. The goal is that CKD walks out feeling the session was easy and worth their time. Michael leads; Chris and Andy slow him down where a thread deserves more time.

Internal only · do not share this URL with CKD

The session flow

0–5 min

Frame it

Welcome + one enterprise-style opener: "Where CKD is today → where you want to be at 40 → what's in the way." Sets a consulting tone and gets them talking.

5–25

Brand discovery

Work the brand question bank below. Whiteboard the Public Place / Private Space split. Every answer, go two levels deeper.

25–40

Mission & vision

The 40th as the anchor. Pull out what the studio is for and where it's headed.

40–50

Amy's voice

Light touch in the group. Plant the seed; go deep 1:1 with Amy later (see Pocket).

50–55

Cadence + asset owner

Lock the session rhythm (Thu–Thu or Tue–Thu) and name the 40-for-40 assets owner.

55–60

Close

Recap the one first step, thank them, done. Recording stays on the whole time.

Discovery question banks: everything Claude needs to build the deliverables

① Brand guidelines & positioning

Goal: enough to write the brand platform, the Public Place / Private Space structure, and the voice.
  1. When a client picks CKD over another firm, what do they later say made the difference?
  2. Describe the last project that felt unmistakably "CKD." What made it yours?
  3. Public buyers vs. private buyers: what does each need to believe about you before they short-list you?
  4. What do you never want to be hired for, even if it pays well?
  5. If CKD disappeared tomorrow, what would the Bay Area lose that no one else provides?
  6. Three words your best clients use to describe working with you?
  7. Where does the current brand and website undersell the actual work?

② Mission & vision

Goal: a mission and vision statement anchored to the 40th anniversary.
  1. Forty years in, what has CKD made possible that wouldn't exist otherwise?
  2. What has to be true about the studio in 2028 for the 40th to feel like a real win?
  3. Who is the studio ultimately for, and whose lives change because of these landscapes?
  4. What work would you turn down even if it doubled revenue, and what does that say about what you stand for?
  5. What do you want the next generation of the studio to inherit?

③ Amy as a voice in the field

Goal: the seed of Amy's thought-leadership positioning (light in the group; deeper 1:1 later).
  1. What do you believe about public space / landscape that most of your peers get wrong?
  2. What question do clients keep asking you that you could own the answer to publicly?
  3. Where do project decisions actually get made before an RFP: which rooms, which people?
  4. What's a story only you can tell (a project, a fight won, a lesson) that others would learn from?
  5. If you gave one talk this year that people remembered, what would it be about?
Facilitation rule

Two levels deeper, every time. When they answer, ask "why" or "can you give an example" twice more before moving on. The gold is in the third answer. If Michael moves on too fast, Chris/Andy pull it back.

Enterprise touches: the "big consulting firm" moves

Current → Future → Gap

Open with it. Three columns on the whiteboard: today, the 40th, and what's in the way. Frames the whole session.

The 2×2

Public/Private × Trust/Craft. Place the practice areas so the "public-grade trust, private-grade craft" line lands visually.

Pre-mortem

"It's 2028 and the 40th fell flat. Why?" Surfaces the real risks and what they care about protecting.

What has to happen vs. what's optional

LandThe spine. These have to happen.

Get real brand material

Enough from the brand + mission banks to write the platform. This is the point of the session.

Lock the cadence

Agree Thu–Thu or Tue–Thu and get dates on the calendar before anyone leaves.

Name the assets owner

One CKD person owns 40-for-40 collection. Single owner, single ask.

FloatOnly if the room is warm. Read the energy.

The 2×2 + pre-mortem

Great if they're engaged; skip if time's tight or energy dips.

Amy's voice, lightly

Plant it in the group; don't push. The real conversation is 1:1.

Show a taste

If it lands, give one tangible takeaway they can use now. Don't over-promise turnaround speed.

PocketGood ideas to keep for later.
  • Amy's full personal-brand / podcast play. Strong, but personal. It lands far better one-on-one with Amy once trust is built.
  • The multi-session vision, monthly cadence, and expanding this model to other clients. All internal. None of it helps CKD on Wednesday.
  • Don't set a "we turn things around in hours" expectation. Show quality over speed, and protect the team from a burnout precedent (Michael's flag).
  • Deliverable specifics (brand-guide detail, mission wording). We generate all of it after the session with Claude, so there's no need to get in the weeds live.

The moment we hang up

  • Drop the recording into Claude → generate the brand + mission drafts and the session summary.
  • Send CKD a short recap of what was agreed.
  • Send the calendar invite for the next session (per the locked cadence).
  • Put the 40-for-40 assets ask in writing so nothing rides on memory.
Keep in mind

Short and confident beats thorough. Amy's number-one concern is time. A clean session that ends on one clear step is the win, and the questions do the heavy lifting, so let them talk.