120 min
Write the one-page case, today. Three parts, pulled from your file: the scope you already operate at, what it's produced, and the target you're aiming at. Script 1.
Week 13 of 13Phase 3: Build the case
Make the case, and the day-90 re-score
The read (3 minutes)
Here you are. You've owned an outcome, moved something through someone without rank, and built a record of how you lead. The case for your target is not a speech about wanting more. It's showing, plainly, that you're already operating at it. The strongest version is almost boring: here's the scope I'm carrying, here's what it's produced, here's where I'm headed, what would you need to see.
This week you write that on one page and put it in front of the person who decides, the one you named back on day one and mapped in phase 2. The aim is not to demand a title. It's to find out exactly what your target requires, in their words, and to make sure they can see you're already doing most of it. Two things follow no matter what: you're on the record as someone aiming at this, and you walk out with a concrete list instead of a vague hope.
Here's the honest part, and it's the line this whole program runs on. What you control is the case, the ask, and the evidence. The answer, and when it comes, is not yours to control, and that is genuinely fine. Plenty of these conversations don't end in a yes that day; they end in "here are the two things I'd need to see," which is worth far more than silence. You're not chasing a promise. You're making sure the decision gets made with you in the room. Then you re-score, set all four columns side by side, and see the 90 days whole.
This week's moves
220 min
Put it in front of the right person. Have the conversation in a 1:1, or send the email if there isn't one coming soon (script 2 spoken, script 3 email). If the answer is "not yet," use script 5 to turn it into a roadmap.
315 min
Set up the standing system, and take your day-90 score. Put two recurring events on your calendar: a monthly file update and a quarterly version of this conversation (script 4). Then take the same four-statement score and set all four columns side by side.
Script bank
Word for word, ready to use. Edit any script to make it yours, then copy it.
1.The one-page case
"Scope I'm operating at: [the outcomes you own]. What it's produced: [two or three results]. Where I'm headed: [your target]. What I'd like to understand: what you'd need to see from me to get there." Four lines, evidence underneath.
2.The growth conversation
"I want to grow into [target]. I'm not asking for a decision today. I'd like to understand what that looks like to you, and where you see me against it." Then stop, listen, and take notes.
3.The growth email (when there's no 1:1 soon)
Subject: "Time to talk about my growth." Body: "I'd like to put time on the calendar to talk about my path toward [target]. To make it useful, here's a short summary of what I've been owning lately: [three lines]. What would you want to see from me to get there?"
4.The standing habit
Two recurring calendar events: "Update my How-I-lead file" (monthly, 15 min) and "Growth check-in" (quarterly). The case stays current without you ever scrambling to rebuild it.
5.The "not yet" turn
If the answer is not now: "Understood. What are the two things that would most change that, and can we check in on them in [timeframe]?" A no becomes a roadmap and a follow-up date.
Friday debrief prompts
Your Friday email carries the reply template. These are the prompts inside it.
- What's on your one-page case, and who did you put it in front of (or when will you)?
- What did you learn about what your target actually requires?
- Day-90 score across all four columns: which statement moved most over the 90 days?
Your self-score: Day 90
Score each statement from 1 (not true) to 5 (true).
Re-entry note
However many weeks you finished, write the one-page case anyway (move 1). Even a rough one changes how you see your own work, and it's the piece that keeps paying after the program ends. Your final page is next.