Skills > Tools Whiteboard Session

Your team bought the tools.
The results didn't follow.

Technology and tools will continue to evolve — and the pace is increasing exponentially. The teams that win aren't the ones with the best tools. They're the ones with the foundational skills to create leverage with any tool. Do you know what skills your team needs? Give me 90 minutes and let's find out.

Book the Session — $4,500 See how it works ↓
90
Minutes. One live working session — not a presentation, not a workshop deck.
3
Deliverables you walk away with: skills diagnosis, challenge mapping, 30-day action plan.
20%
Win rate increase achieved by QuotaPath after one whiteboard session with Mike.
Up to 10 leaders in the room
Session recorded & summarized
Summary delivered within 24 hrs
Built for Revenue & HR/L&D Leaders
“That shiny tool won’t save you or your business.
Building the right skills will.”
— Me

Technology and tools will continue to evolve. The pace of evolution is increasing exponentially. The foundational skills will help you and your team create leverage with any tool — now and with every tool that comes next.

Do you know what skills your team needs?

The Problem

The tools keep changing.
The skills gap stays the same.

Every new tool promises to change everything. And yet teams keep underperforming. The issue was never the tool — it's the five foundational skills that determine whether any tool works: Communication, Design, Execution, Decision-Making, and Problem Solving.

  • Teams complete AI tool training and revert to old habits within weeks
  • Reps use AI output without a thinking or communication framework underneath it
  • Leaders keep buying new tools instead of diagnosing why the last ones stalled
  • There's no shared language for what good AI-augmented work actually looks like
  • AI makes the existing skill gaps louder and more expensive — not invisible
"A fool with a tool is still a fool. Skills first. Always."

In 1914, Shackleton's ship was crushed by ice. No radio, no rescue tech — tools failed completely. Every one of his 28 men survived because of leadership skills. The same pattern plays out every time AI gets rolled out without the foundation underneath it.

— Mike Simmons, Catalyst Leadership Framework

What You Walk Away With

Three deliverables.
Built live. Ready to execute.

This isn't a slide deck you'll shelve. Everything produced in the session is built by your team, for your team — and ready to act on the moment you leave the room.

01

Skills Gap Diagnosis

A clear picture of where the five foundational leadership skills are strong and where they're breaking your AI adoption — rated by your own team, in real time.

02

Challenges Mapped to Skills

Your top AI adoption pain points connected directly to the specific skill gaps causing them. No guessing. No generic frameworks. Your situation, precisely diagnosed.

03

30-Day Action Plan

A prioritized Who / What / By When roadmap your team owns and can execute immediately — built in the session, not handed to you afterward.

How It Works

90 minutes. Five phases.
Zero fluff.

Every minute is designed. The session moves from diagnosis to action — and nothing is left vague at the end.

0 – 10 min
Phase 1 — Frame
Set the context
Establish the Skills > Tools thesis, session ground rules, and the specific outcome your team wants to walk away with.
10 – 30 min
Phase 2 — Diagnose
Rate yourselves honestly
Each leader rates the team 1–10 on each of the five foundational skills in the specific context of your current AI adoption. The gaps become visible fast.
30 – 50 min
Phase 3 — Map
Connect challenges to root causes
Map your lowest-scoring skills to your actual AI adoption challenges. This is where the insight lands — not symptoms, but root causes.
50 – 75 min
Phase 4 — Build
Co-create the 30-day plan
Build your action plan together — prioritized, assigned, and time-bound. Every item has an owner and a deadline before you leave.
75 – 90 min
Phase 5 — Commit
State your #1 commitment
Each leader declares their single most important commitment from the session. Mike captures the full summary and delivers it within 24 hours.
Who It's For

Built for two kinds
of leaders.

Revenue Leaders

CROs, VP Sales & GTM Leaders

  • Your team is using AI tools but pipeline hasn't moved
  • AI output is inconsistent — no shared standard for quality
  • You've invested in tools but not in the skills to use them
  • You need alignment on AI priorities before the next tool gets bought
  • You want accountability without drama, results without burnout
HR & L&D Leaders

Learning & Development Leaders

  • AI training programs are running but adoption isn't sticking
  • Employees complete modules and revert within weeks
  • Managers aren't modeling the skills — so the learning doesn't transfer
  • You need a skills-first framework that makes your existing programs land
  • You need ROI language to justify the investment upward
See It In Action

What a session
actually looks like.

What Leaders Say

Results that speak
for themselves.

"

Mike facilitated an incredible offsite for the QuotaPath sales team. Our goal was to analyze the primary pain points buyers are facing. Mike dug deep into the root causes of our buyer pain and used a tried and true whiteboarding structure to help our team identify changes. He was well-prepared, collaborative, and a real joy to work with. The team LOVED the exercise and we got a ton of value out of it. After the offsite, we redesigned our sales process and drove a 20% increase in our win rate quarter-over-quarter.

+20%
Win rate increase, quarter-over-quarter
Ryan Milligan QuotaPath
"

This was the most productive session we have had in years. Our knowns were clarified, our known unknowns can be solved for, and we revealed some unknowns we had not considered.

Session Participant Revenue Team
"

Mike has a way of asking questions that feels comfortable. His curiosity leads to the next relevant question, rather than checking a box. This allowed us to go deeper as a team than we have been able to do in the past.

Session Participant Leadership Team
About Me

A little about me.

Mike Simmons facilitating a whiteboard session

I've spent my career at the intersection of leadership, revenue, and execution. I've built and scaled GTM teams, coached executives across industries, and facilitated hundreds of whiteboard sessions for organizations navigating high-stakes change.

Skills > Tools is the thesis that drives everything I do. Mindset comes first. Skills compound. Tools create leverage — but only when the foundational skills are solid underneath them. The next tool won't fix what the last one didn't. The skills will.

This session brings that framework directly to your team's most pressing AI challenge — live, guided by me, and built to produce a real plan, not a presentation.

Book a Design Call to see if this is the right fit for you →

Who This Is For

Built for leaders who are ready
to move.

  • ◆ Leading a team through a messy, high-stakes challenge and hitting a wall
  • ◆ Stuck in cycles of misalignment, unclear priorities, or slow decision-making
  • ◆ Launching something new and need the team locked in before you start
  • ◆ Tired of meetings that feel productive but end without changing anything
  • ◆ Craving clarity, traction, and shared ownership
Who This Is NOT For

This session won’t work
if you’re not ready.

  • ✕ Leaders who want to take over the conversation rather than participate in it
  • ✕ Leaders more focused on their own agenda than uncovering the bigger picture
  • ✕ Individuals — if you need 1:1 work, book a coaching session instead
  • ✕ Teams larger than 10 — the limit is intentional and non-negotiable
Investment

One session.
One flat fee.

$4,500

The equivalent of one missed deal — or the ongoing cost of not fixing the root issue.

  • Up to 10 leaders in the room — cross-functional welcome
  • 90-minute live facilitated session with Mike Simmons
  • Skills gap diagnosis, challenge mapping & 30-day action plan — built in session
  • Session designed to Solve a Problem, Design an Experience, or Align on Strategy & Tactics
  • Session recorded and full transcript provided
  • Whiteboard photos and session summary delivered within 24 hours
  • Pre-session primer sent in advance — 10 minutes of reading, nothing more
Not ready to commit? Book a complimentary 20-minute Design Call first. We'll confirm fit, scope the session, and answer every question before you invest a dollar.
Book the Session Now
Ready to Move Forward?

Three steps to get your team in the room.

No long onboarding. No discovery decks. Just a fast path from stuck to clarity.

1

Book a 20-min design call to confirm fit and schedule

2

Receive the pre-session primer — 10 minutes of reading

3

Show up, do the work, leave with a plan

Book Your Session — $4,500

I book 1–2 weeks out. Limited availability each month.

Common Questions

Everything you need
to know.

Is this only for AI-related challenges?
No — the Skills > Tools framework applies to any leadership or revenue challenge. But if your team is investing in AI and not seeing results, this is the fastest way to find out why and build a plan to fix it.
Who should be in the room?
Leaders responsible for getting people aligned and moving. Think VPs and executives in Sales, Customer Success, Product, Marketing, RevOps, HR/L&D — or any cross-functional group of 3–10 people working through a shared challenge. If you're tired of spinning in circles and ready to make real progress, this is for you.
Will the session be recorded?
Yes. You'll receive the full video recording, a written transcript, whiteboard photos, and a session summary — all delivered within 24 hours of the session ending.
What if we're not sure it's the right fit?
Book a complimentary Design Call first. It's 20 minutes — we'll map your challenge against the session framework and tell you honestly whether it's the right format for your team.
Why limit it to 10 people and 90 minutes?
10 people keeps every voice in the conversation. 90 minutes holds attention, focus, and energy through to a real conclusion. Both limits are intentional — they're what makes the session work.
What happens after the session?
You leave with a 30-day action plan your team built and owns. For teams who want to go deeper, Mike offers ongoing coaching and consulting engagements — but there’s no upsell pressure in the session itself.
What types of meetings are the best fit?
Collaborative meetings designed to Solve a Problem, Design for a Specific Result, or Align on Strategy and Tactics. Examples include: Budget Alignment Reviews, Go-To-Market Changes, Sales Kickoff Events, Customer Experience Design, Product Launches, Campaign Planning, Business Planning, and Mid-Year Planning Adjustments. The best fit is identified during the Design Call.
What exactly is provided after the session?
You receive photos of each whiteboard captured during the session. If recorded, you also receive the full video recording and a written transcript. A session summary is delivered to your inbox within 24 hours.
What are the three things a session can accomplish?
Every whiteboard session is designed to do one of three things: Solve a Problem your team is stuck on, Design an Experience or initiative you’re building, or Align on Strategy and Tactics to achieve a specific objective. Which one applies to your team is clarified on the Design Call before the session begins.