Leading with Strategy

38The One‐Page Action Plan Template

After working on the North Star and the Strategy Sketch, you've clarified your strategic objectives, summarized in the Joint Strategic View (JSV) document. The next step is to develop the roadmap that brings them to life: the action plan. If you're like many of the leaders I work with, you want your action plans to connect back to the North Star, align with culture, and drive execution. But you also need something even more concrete.

Over the years I've reviewed countless action plan templates. Some were overly complex, dozens of tabs, cascading layers, and project trackers that left people more confused than committed. Others were so minimal that they lost the essence of what actually drives execution.

Eventually I found myself returning to a simple truth: There's mastery in simplicity, but only when it preserves meaning. Oversimplification is just as dangerous as overcomplication. What we need is the middle ground: a structure simple enough to be usable but rich enough to drive the right conversations.

Three Lenses of Action Planning

That's how I landed on a one‐page action planning format I've used and refined over the years. I've seen variations of it adapted in several organizations, including during my early days at Procter & Gamble. What makes it powerful is not just the layout; it's the leadership mindset it invites. I call it the Three Lenses of Action Planning:

1. Build the Business/Lead the Mission
2. Build the Organization/Lead the ...