For as long as I’ve worked in strategy — and it’s been more than two decades now — I’ve searched for tools that do one thing well: help people think clearly.
Not just think big, or think fast, or think lean. But to think clearly. Because clarity is the most underappreciated resource in leadership. And strategy, at its best, is just clarity made visible.
Over the years, I’ve used every tool in the book: the Business Model Canvas, the Value Proposition Canvas, Balanced Scorecard strategy maps including. I’ve tested them across sectors — in business and social enterprise, in education and real estate, in community development and philanthropy. They’ve helped me design new ventures, scale ideas, and unpack what’s getting in the way. But none of these tools mattered more than the relationships and learning moments that shaped how I used them. This article is not only about a model. It’s about what it means to inherit wisdom and pass it forward. It’s a warm, wholehearted tribute to someone who did that for me: Michael Lachapelle.
When I first met Michael, what he offered wasn’t just access to tools. It was access to permission. Permission to use, adapt, remix, and explore. He shared generously, but more importantly, he shared with trust. No caveats, no gatekeeping. That kind of mentorship changes how you lead. It changed how I lead. And today, I want to pay that forward.
So, I’ve taken the time to compile and release a workshop framework — one I’ve been refining for years — into something any coach, strategist, or practitioner can use. It’s called Your Bold Path, and it’s designed to help individuals and organizations clarify where they are, where they’re headed, and how they’ll get there — with one intentional step at a time.
At its core, this framework is built on a simple but deep pyramid: Context, Business Model, Operating Model. And while it borrows from some of the classic thinking — Good to Great, Blue Ocean, Lean Startup, even McKinsey’s 3 Horizons — it doesn’t overwhelm with theory. Instead, it invites participants into a structured, intuitive, and reflective process. It helps you zoom out to see the why, zoom in to shape the how, and ground yourself in what’s real.
Context is about worldview. Some folks use the term “Ambition”, but I find that ambition often misleads people into bravado. Context forces you to start with meaning. What are you building? Why does it matter now? And what pain in the world does it respond to? This isn’t a place for slogans. It’s a place for truth. Apple didn’t build iPhones first — they started with the belief that technology should be beautiful and personal. Airbnb didn’t invent short-term rentals — they reimagined what it means to belong anywhere. Uber didn’t just offer rides — they envisioned access to mobility as infrastructure. Context helps surface the difference.
Then comes the Business Model, which connects the dots between that context and the real world. It pushes you to answer: how do you create value, deliver it, and sustain it? Too many people skip this step or race through it with a canvas filled with jargon. But the real value of modeling isn’t in filling boxes — it’s in making trade-offs visible. What are you really offering? Who are you really serving? And what must be true for that exchange to work? The workbook asks participants to map both a current and future version of their model. That gap — between what is and what could be — is where real strategy lives.
The final layer, Operating Model, is often the least exciting but the most essential. It’s where dreams die if you don’t get it right. This is where you answer: how are your people, processes, and platforms organized to bring the strategy to life? Here, the most common obstacle is legacy — legacy systems, legacy habits, legacy assumptions. It’s easy to talk about transformation. But if you don’t rewire how things run, the future never arrives. And the future has a habit of not waiting.
I’ve packaged all of this into a practical workbook, with tools and prompts and space to think. And to support those delivering the workshop, I’ve created a full coaching manual as well — one that helps facilitators know when to lean in, when to hold back, and what to listen for. The goal is not just to offer a model, but to enable momentum. Because clarity isn’t the endgame — action is.
But if I’m honest, what makes this whole project meaningful to me is not the elegance of the framework. It’s the memory of Michael Lachapelle — of the way he handed me the keys, shared freely, and left the door open. Too often, we hoard knowledge in the name of expertise. Michael chose the opposite. He believed in the work enough to let others shape it. I’m still shaping mine. And his commitment to releasing his knowledge for public good is a key inspiration for me to do the same.
So here it is — for anyone who wants it. For strategists and systems thinkers. For real estate innovators and social entrepreneurs. For funders trying to move money differently. For communities trying to reclaim their voice. Take what serves you. Change what doesn’t. Teach it. Break it. Build something better with it. That’s the point.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that boldness is rarely loud. Often, it’s quiet. It begins with a pen in your hand, a blank space on the page, and a question no one else can answer for you.
And then — one step at a time — you move.