# Pre-work — complete individually before the workshop Seven sheets. Due 48 hours before Session 1; submit only approved material. Dates and submission location remain to be confirmed. # 18-month retrospective **Pre-work 1 of 7 · Complete individually before the workshop** Before the workshop: complete this sheet independently. Due 48 hours before Session 1; submit only the material you approve. This is preparation, not an agreed session output. Participant / note owner: __________ Date: __________ Privacy: Private / not for synthesis ## Instructions Build a one-page timeline of 8–12 moments across the previous eighteen months. Include life as well as work. Observe first, then name what changed; finish with the three changes the others need to understand. Keep raw personal details private unless you choose otherwise. ## Fictional worked example — not Truffle facts Alex, a fictional founder: “February — caring for a parent meant reducing travel. I felt useful at home but depleted by late calls. My belief that being available all the time equals commitment weakened. I now protect two evenings a week. What others may miss: my capacity changed, not my ambition.” Top change: reliable availability matters more than constant availability. ## Blank worksheet ### Period covered From [month/year] to [month/year]; count back eighteen months from the workshop. [Your response] ### Timeline: 8–12 moments For each: month/period → what happened → life domain (family, health, identity, location, money, work, relationships) → energy gained/drained → pride, fear, disappointment or meaning → belief/priority changed. Use one short paragraph per moment. [Your response] ### The three changes that matter most 1. What changed / why it matters now. 2. What changed / why it matters now. 3. What changed / why it matters now. [Your response] ### What the others may not understand about me now What assumption about the old me would be misleading? What do I want them to understand? [Your response] ### Approved share-back only What am I explicitly comfortable sharing in the workshop? Keep raw details out of this summary if private. [Your response] --- # 12-month future story **Pre-work 2 of 7 · Complete individually before the workshop** Before the workshop: complete this sheet independently. Due 48 hours before Session 1; submit only the material you approve. This is preparation, not an agreed session output. Participant / note owner: __________ Date: __________ Privacy: Private / not for synthesis ## Instructions Write in the first person, as though it is twelve months after the workshop and the year went extraordinarily well. Start with your life, not a shared-business pitch. The venture may have a large, small or no role. Finish with five specific success conditions. ## Fictional worked example — not Truffle facts Alex, fictional: “It is one year later. I exercise three mornings a week and eat dinner with family four nights a week. I spend 15 focused hours weekly on a venture that has three repeat customers; we have not hired ahead of demand. I keep six months of personal runway. I lead customer discovery, not daily operations.” One success condition: a sustainable 15-hour role, reviewed monthly. ## Blank worksheet ### Future date and story Write 1–2 pages. Cover life/family; health/energy; work/professional identity; money/security; location/lifestyle; learning/growth; contribution/relationships; and the role, if any, of the shared venture. [Your response] ### Five success conditions For each: desired condition → observable evidence → why it matters. Include personal and professional conditions. [Your response] ### Protect / more / less What must be protected? What do I want more of? What do I want less of? [Your response] ### Boundaries and unacceptable sacrifices Which financial, health, family, ethical or reputational risks will I not accept? [Your response] ### Partnership fit How could the partnership advance this future? How could it threaten it? What remains uncertain? [Your response] --- # Partner feedback **Pre-work 3 of 7 · Complete individually before the workshop** Before the workshop: complete this sheet independently. Due 48 hours before Session 1; submit only the material you approve. This is preparation, not an agreed session output. Participant / note owner: __________ Date: __________ Privacy: Private / not for synthesis ## Instructions Complete both partner sections independently. Preserve two strengths per person. Describe 1–2 observable behaviors and use behavior → impact → request. Separate direct observation from interpretation; do not diagnose motives. The recipient can clarify and choose what to own or test. ## Fictional worked example — not Truffle facts Fictional feedback to Morgan: “Protect your calm in customer conversations and your ability to simplify choices. In the last two planning calls, the decision changed afterward without a written explanation (observation). I rebuilt the proposal twice (impact). Please log any changed decision with the reason and owner that day (request). I do not know why it happened.” ## Blank worksheet ### Partner 1: name and two strengths Name the person; give an example for each strength and explain what should be protected. [Your response] ### Partner 1: behavior → impact → request Describe 1–2 behaviors. For each: specific event/date → observed behavior → business/relationship impact → one concrete request. Label any interpretation or uncertainty. [Your response] ### Partner 2: name and two strengths Name the person; give an example for each strength and explain what should be protected. [Your response] ### Partner 2: behavior → impact → request Describe 1–2 behaviors. For each: specific event/date → observed behavior → business/relationship impact → one concrete request. Label any interpretation or uncertainty. [Your response] ### My part and approved share-back What contribution do I own? What may be shared with each recipient? Do not assume consent to wider circulation. [Your response] --- # Role and capacity truth **Pre-work 4 of 7 · Complete individually before the workshop** Before the workshop: complete this sheet independently. Due 48 hours before Session 1; submit only the material you approve. This is preparation, not an agreed session output. Participant / note owner: __________ Date: __________ Privacy: Private / not for synthesis ## Instructions Use sustainable capacity, not your best week. Make trade-offs visible. This is a proposal for discussion, not a binding commitment or approval of financial/legal risk. ## Fictional worked example — not Truffle facts Fictional Alex: “I can sustain 12 hours/week: 6 selling, 3 discovery, 3 coordination. My outside role takes 30 hours. I can meet 06:00–08:00 California Tuesdays/Thursdays, not Fridays; unavailable 10–17 December. I want customer discovery ownership, not finance operations. No personal guarantees. If sales needs 20 hours, we must remove another commitment or narrow scope.” ## Blank worksheet ### Current roles and outside commitments List roles, care responsibilities and other commitments with realistic weekly hours. [Your response] ### Sustainable capacity Total hours/week; allocation by activity; what must stop to make room; duration this is sustainable; warning signs of overload. [Your response] ### Availability and time zones Local time zone; working windows; overlap windows; response expectations; planned unavailability. Verify DST against actual dates. [Your response] ### Desired and unwanted roles What role do I want? What role do I not want? What evidence supports my fit? [Your response] ### Decision ownership and risk boundaries Which decisions will I own? What financial, legal or reputational risk could I consider? What needs separate explicit approval? [Your response] ### Non-negotiables and constraints What must the others respect? What trade-off or unanswered question must be resolved? [Your response] --- # Three hard-thesis cards **Pre-work 5 of 7 · Complete individually before the workshop** Before the workshop: complete this sheet independently. Due 48 hours before Session 1; submit only the material you approve. This is preparation, not an agreed session output. Participant / note owner: __________ Date: __________ Privacy: Private / not for synthesis ## Instructions Write three beliefs that deserve testing, not automatic agreement. Each card needs evidence, counter-evidence and the smallest bounded test. A thesis can concern AI, talent, services, construction, geography, ownership or customer value. ## Fictional worked example — not Truffle facts Fictional thesis: “Mid-sized service firms will pay for a faster onboarding workflow.” Why: two interviewees described costly delays (anecdotal, not demand proof). Could be wrong: they may prefer an internal workaround. Test: five buyer interviews and a manual pilot within two weeks, owned by Alex, capped at 8 hours. Pass signal: two buyers agree to a scoped paid pilot; otherwise revise the segment. No spending is approved by this example. ## Blank worksheet ### Thesis card 1 Belief / target customer or domain: Why I believe it (evidence, source, date, confidence): Counter-evidence / what could make it wrong: Smallest test / owner / deadline / time and cost cap: Success threshold / failure threshold / what result changes my mind: [Your response] ### Thesis card 2 Belief / target customer or domain: Why I believe it (evidence, source, date, confidence): Counter-evidence / what could make it wrong: Smallest test / owner / deadline / time and cost cap: Success threshold / failure threshold / what result changes my mind: [Your response] ### Thesis card 3 Belief / target customer or domain: Why I believe it (evidence, source, date, confidence): Counter-evidence / what could make it wrong: Smallest test / owner / deadline / time and cost cap: Success threshold / failure threshold / what result changes my mind: [Your response] ### Priority and connections Which thesis is most consequential? Which assumptions overlap? Which evidence is missing? [Your response] --- # Workshop outcome card **Pre-work 6 of 7 · Complete individually before the workshop** Before the workshop: complete this sheet independently. Due 48 hours before Session 1; submit only the material you approve. This is preparation, not an agreed session output. Participant / note owner: __________ Date: __________ Privacy: Private / not for synthesis ## Instructions Define what must exist when these three sessions end. Prefer decisions or artifacts you can inspect over aspirations such as “alignment.” Name the difficult issue directly. ## Fictional worked example — not Truffle facts Fictional Alex: “1. An explicit proceed/pause/narrow decision. 2. A capacity-and-sales ownership proposal with gaps named. 3. Two bounded customer tests with owners and review dates. Biggest fear: enthusiasm hides incompatible weekly commitments. Truth not to avoid: I cannot commit full time.” ## Blank worksheet ### Three must-have outcomes 1. Outcome / evidence it exists. 2. Outcome / evidence it exists. 3. Outcome / evidence it exists. [Your response] ### Biggest fear If we get this wrong, what could happen? What safeguard would reduce that risk? [Your response] ### Truth or decision we must not avoid What needs to be spoken about directly? What would a useful resolution look like? [Your response] ### My contribution What will I do to make these outcomes possible? [Your response] --- # January & Makosi reality check **Pre-work 7 of 7 · Complete individually before the workshop** Before the workshop: complete this sheet independently. Due 48 hours before Session 1; submit only the material you approve. This is preparation, not an agreed session output. Participant / note owner: __________ Date: __________ Privacy: Private / not for synthesis ## Instructions Treat the January working positions as historical prompts, not present agreement or findings about anyone. For every position choose still true / changed / unclear / disagree and give evidence. Use the approved facilitator summary, not raw transcript excerpts. Apply the same leadership-feedback standard to both other partners. ## Fictional worked example — not Truffle facts Fictional Alex: “Lean until demand is proven — still true. Evidence: our two discovery calls do not yet establish repeatable demand. Safeguard: review pipeline before adding fixed cost; Casey owns the monthly check. Own risk: I avoid uncomfortable capacity conversations. New behavior: flag capacity conflicts within one working day.” This is an illustration, not a statement about Truffle or Makosi. ## Blank worksheet ### Position 1 · Founders personally own early selling Status: still true / changed / unclear / disagree. Evidence / source / date. What was never decided? What decision is needed now? [Your response] ### Position 2 · Customer value and market reality lead pricing Status: still true / changed / unclear / disagree. Evidence / source / date. What was never decided? What decision is needed now? [Your response] ### Position 3 · Lean operations until demand is proven Status: still true / changed / unclear / disagree. Evidence / source / date. What was never decided? What decision is needed now? [Your response] ### Position 4 · Technology creates measurable customer value Status: still true / changed / unclear / disagree. Evidence / source / date. What was never decided? What decision is needed now? [Your response] ### Position 5 · Preserve culture, consultant quality, talent pipeline, advisory leverage and agility Status: still true / changed / unclear / disagree. Evidence / source / date. What was never decided? What decision is needed now? [Your response] ### Preserve and prevent Which Makosi strength must we preserve? Which failure pattern are we most at risk of repeating? Define safeguard / owner / measure / review date. [Your response] ### Other partner 1 · leadership Name / where leadership helped / observable behavior that created drag / impact / request now. Separate memory, interpretation and verified fact. [Your response] ### Other partner 2 · leadership Name / where leadership helped / observable behavior that created drag / impact / request now. Separate memory, interpretation and verified fact. [Your response] ### My own repeating pattern Which behavior of mine could recreate a failure? What observable replacement behavior will I test? [Your response] ### Approved share-back What is approved for shared synthesis? What stays human-interviewer only or private? [Your response]