Mandate
Authority to act — earned, not assumed.
Mandate work is about establishing legitimate authority to act — before outcomes move. When the stakes are high, speed alone does not create progress. Authority, signal, and governance matter more.
This is where judgement becomes mandate. Where assumptions are surfaced, trade-offs are named, and responsibility is made explicit — so leaders act with clarity, credibility, and consequence.
Board-legible • Governed • By enquiry
What we mean by Mandate.
A mandate is not a decision. It is the authority to act — clearly understood, properly governed, and socially legitimate.
Mandate exists when leaders know what must be done, who owns it, which trade-offs are being accepted, and what consequences will follow.
Without mandate, organisations move — but they do not commit.
Mandate breaks down when
- authority is implied but not stated
- decisions are made without ownership
- challenge disappears to preserve alignment
- the narrative is agreed before reality is faced
This work makes those conditions visible while there is still time to act.
The Mandate methods.
Choose the intervention that establishes mandate at the right altitude. If you’re unsure, start with Executive Edge.
Executive Edge
Establish mandate before commitment.
A structured diagnostic that clarifies authority, decision rights, constraints, and risk — and recommends the simplest credible next step.
- Decision context, stakes, and authority gaps
- Leadership signals and constraints
- Clear mandate options and recommendations
BRAVE Index
Mandate signal across the system.
A diagnostic that surfaces where mandate is weak, contested, or degrading — and where risk is becoming cultural rather than operational.
- Authority, challenge, and coherence
- Heatmaps of mandate strength and erosion
- Governance recommendations
Mandate Room™
Pressure-test the mandate.
A structured session for senior teams to establish authority, surface trade-offs, and align on consequences — before action is taken.
- Authority, ownership, and irreversibility
- Challenge without theatre
- Mandate narrative and execution clarity
Board briefing sample.
Clear enough to act on. Serious enough to govern. Explicit enough to audit later.
1. Mandate statement
The action being authorised, by whom, by when — and what legitimacy it rests on.
2. The stakes
Capital, people, reputation, and legacy — stated plainly.
3. Options & trade-offs
What is being accepted, deferred, or made irreversible.
4. Risks & signals
What could break, how it will be detected, and who owns response.
5. Governance & cadence
Decision rights, checkpoints, and accountability.
From mandate to system.
Most organisations don’t need a platform first. They need a credible mandate in one real situation — then a way to repeat it.
Step 1
Executive Edge
Establish mandate conditions.
Step 2
Mandate Room™
Pressure-test authority and consequences.
Step 3
BRAVE Index
Scale mandate quality across the organisation.
From isolated authority to governed mandate. From individual judgement to organisational confidence.
Where Mandate fits.
Judgement
The thinking layer.
How leaders see clearly before authority is established.
Advisory
When responsibility can’t be delegated.
Confidential support when mandate is heavy.
Capability
How mandate scales.
Building decision resilience before pressure peaks.