A Practical Framework for Purpose-Driven Decisions
Inspired by the hard calls I've faced in my career, I've distilled my process into a free, one-page guide to help you navigate your own.
Reflecting on my career—the hard calls I've gotten right and the ones I haven't—I went back and reread some of my work. Thinking through posts like "How We Said 'No' to a Big Check" and my "Mind the Gap" series, I realized the decision-making process I used could be distilled into a helpful tool for others.
So I built it. I'm calling it The Purpose & Sustainability Framework.
It’s the tool I wish I’d had in the past. When I apply it retroactively to a project like PBS39 News Tonight, the red flags become clear: high mission alignment, but with low financial sustainability and high mission risk.
My plan is for practical resources like this to become a core benefit for paid subscribers down the road, but I wanted to share this first with the entire Backstory & Strategy community.
You can download the framework here:
An Interactive Version of the Framework
For those who prefer a digital tool over the printable PDF, I’ve also created an interactive version of the framework using a Google Sheet.
When you click the link below, you'll be prompted to make a copy of the template in your own Google account. The sheet will automatically calculate your scores as you select values from the dropdowns.
You can use it for multiple projects, it's completely private to your Google account, and includes a second tab with the full "How to Interpret Your Score" guide to help you make sense of the results.
Click here to Get Your Interactive Framework Template.
I encourage you to try it out, adapt it to make it work for you, and share it with colleagues. This is a starting point, and your experience with it is the most valuable part.
PLEASE share your thoughts, comments, and experiences with it.
And as always, thank you for reading and supporting Backstory & Strategy!