From Checklists to Clarity: Building a Culture of Purposeful Execution

Back in edition 35 of The Pulse, I shared a simple but important statement: “Transactional tasks create a transactional culture.”

That idea came from our work with countless organizations, helping them build Strategic Plans that prioritize purposeful work—not just another list of tasks. ❌

For many, it was a culture shift. A realignment of how people thought about their work and the impact it should have.

Why? Because far too often, strategic plans devolve into glorified to-do lists. And when that happens, employee engagement suffers, and so does execution.

Instead of a culture focused on impactful Objectives, teams get incentivized to rack up checkboxes. That’s how you end up with a plan full of “transactional tasks"... actions that may look productive, but ultimately lack connection to broader outcomes.

Needless to say, that post struck a nerve. 😳

With over 40 newsletter editions, I’ve developed a bit of a sixth sense for what hits home with strategy leaders based on replies. 💡 That edition? Easily the most replies I’ve ever received. And not just quick reactions. Many of you took the time to share thoughtful insights and context about your own orgs. (If you were one of them, thank you!)

So today, I want to build on that conversation. Here’s what we’ve seen in Q1 of 2025, especially from organizations working to shift away from strategy-as-task-management toward strategy-as-purposeful-execution.

Purposeful Work Fuels Cross-Department Effectiveness

Last week, I was on a sales demo with a university when someone asked,

“How do we orient our teams around shared priorities? We agree on initiatives at the leadership level that span multiple departments, but when it comes time to execute, everything breaks down.”

One of the most common symptoms of this breakdown is a culture built around transactional tasks.

In these environments, every team is heads-down on their own to-do list. There’s little visibility into how Objectives are connected or how they contribute to the bigger picture.

That’s where purposeful work makes the difference.

When you align Objectives around shared outcomes, teams start to understand how their work drives impact across the business. They can see (ideally in Elate!) not just what they’re doing, but why it matters—and how it ties into the work of others. (Below is a product shot of Hierarchy View in Elate that connects these dots).

Unlike spreadsheets or siloed project tools that only show part of the puzzle, we’re building a unified view of strategic work across the organization. Objectives should be visible, connected, and measurable... tied to real outcomes that matter. 💥

Whether you’re launching a new product feature, designing a curriculum, driving enrollment, or generating pipeline... if that work isn’t connected across departments, friction will follow. And when blockers inevitably show up, you’ll need a shared understanding of success to remove them.

Execution of a strategic plan is a team sport. It requires clarity, coordination, and context.

More Purposeful Work = More Results

Cross-functional alignment starts with a shared definition of success.

That visibility into what matters helps employees align their work, make better decisions about how to spend their time, and ensure everyone is playing from the same sheet of music. 🎼

And most importantly, it gets results. 🎯

But only if teams are focused on work that actually moves the needle.

That might mean saying “no” more often. It might mean doing less. But when you focus on the right objectives—those tied directly to your Operating Plan—you give your team a much better shot at hitting their goals.

The biggest blocker to this mindset shift?

Fear.

Fear of not having measurable outcomes. Fear that letting go of task volume means letting go of accountability.

I get it. It’s easier to count checkboxes than measure impact. But just because you’re not there yet doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start.

In Pulse 35 (part one of this edition), I recommended starting small:

📊 Aim for measurable outcomes on 50% of your objectives.

📈 Over time, work toward 100% having at least one outcome tied to business impact.

It’s a muscle. You won’t get it right immediately. That’s okay. The key is to practice.

(Below is a video from my Co-Founder Abby that breaks down how to convert Outputs into Outcomes.)

If your team is constantly asking, “Why does this Objective matter?” and “What outcome does it drive?”—that’s the culture shift you’re after.

The journey from transactional to purposeful starts there. And it starts with giving teams the space to learn.

Prioritization Unlocks Purpose

Here’s another common gap we see:

Most organizations don’t revisit their priorities.

They set a Strategic Plan in January… and then never touch it again.

At Elate, we believe strategic planning should be dynamic, not static. That means creating a clear, consistent way to set, validate—and revalidate—what matters most.

One of our favorite tools to kickstart this process?

A simple Value vs. Effort matrix.

This exercise surfaces a tough truth: a lot of your work is high-effort and high-value. But you can’t do everything. (Check out this past Pulse on the power of “Not Now” decisions.)

By prioritizing objectives that move the needle on your Operating Plan, you empower teams to focus, and give them a framework to say "no" with confidence.

If you’re not modeling prioritization at the leadership level, you can’t expect your teams to do it either.

Again, this is about building a culture where everyone thinks strategically.

Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast

One of our favorite phrases at Elate is:

“Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.”

Strategic planning is this phrase in action. It’s not something you can shotgun across the org and expect to stick.

If you try, it’ll fall apart—fast.

To shift from a culture of transactional tasks to one built around purposeful work, you have to start with your leadership team. Make sure they understand the why. Get them bought in.

Once that foundation is in place, everything else gets easier. And over time, you’ll start to see the kind of cultural transformation that makes strategic execution not just possible, but predictable.

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Email me at brooks@goelate.com, I respond to each one.

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Project Management ≠ Strategic Planning: Differences & How They Work Together

I shared this video recently, but because we're hosting a session on this topic next week, thought it was timely and very relevant to conversations we are having with Strategy and Operations Leaders.

That's all for today, have a great rest of your week.

-Brooks