Deploying CBC as Leaders

This guide walks leaders through adopting CBC step by step: framing the concept, preparing yourself, introducing it in 1-1s, selling the value, gaining buy-in, drafting the first agreement, executing, reviewing, scaling, and sustaining CBC as a lasting discipline.

1. Framing the Concept
We begin by laying out what CBC is in plain English: a way to replace vague promises with concrete agreements. Leaders will learn how to frame CBC as a tool for partnership rather than control, and why even two people can benefit from applying it.

2. Preparing Yourself
Before introducing CBC to your team, you’ll need to get grounded in your own leadership philosophy. This section explains how to align CBC with principles like clarity, trust, and accountability, while also helping you identify the right direct report or project to start with.

3. Introducing CBC in 1-1s
The real work starts in individual conversations. Here, leaders will learn how to explain CBC in contrast to traditional frameworks like OKRs, highlighting why mutual agreements prevent scope creep and missed expectations. You’ll see how to position CBC as dual accountability — clarity on your side, results on theirs.

4. Selling the Value
In this section, you’ll explore how to communicate the tangible benefits of CBC to your reports. It’s about showing them that CBC shields them from unclear direction and shifting goals while giving you both a shared record of commitments. You’ll learn the pitch that makes CBC a win-win.

5. Gaining Buy-In
Buy-in doesn’t happen by decree — it’s negotiated. This step guides you in creating space for feedback, turning CBC into a collaborative experiment rather than a mandate. You’ll learn to frame the first agreement as a low-risk trial rather than a wholesale shift.

6. Drafting the First Agreement Together
Here you’ll walk through building a simple CBC agreement. The section explains how to define objectives, deliverables, ownership, dependencies, and success criteria in a way that’s practical and lightweight. You’ll learn why one page is usually enough and how to finalize the agreement with mutual sign-off.

7. Executing Under CBC
Execution is where most frameworks fall apart. In this section, you’ll learn how to hold the line on agreements, resist scope creep, and manage check-ins without sliding into micromanagement. The focus is on letting the agreement do the heavy lifting.

8. Reviewing and Closing Agreements
When the work is complete, you’ll review results against the contract. Leaders will learn how to close agreements fairly, celebrate fulfilled commitments, and use failures as a chance to refine definitions or execution. This creates a cycle of continuous clarity.

9. Scaling Beyond 1-1
Once CBC works at the individual level, the next step is scaling it to teams. This section explains how to expand the practice, encourage peers to experiment, and introduce CBC as a cultural norm of execution discipline rather than a personal quirk.

10. Sustaining CBC as a Discipline
The final section shows how to keep CBC alive over time. You’ll learn how to normalize the principle of “no agreement, no work,” keep agreements short and mutual, and fold CBC into your coaching and performance reviews. The result is an enduring discipline of outcomes over optics.