Case Study: Aligning Board and Management at the Peace of Mind Foundation

Sometimes the biggest strategic planning breakthroughs aren’t about new strategies, they’re about alignment.

Client

Peace of Mind Foundation, with CEO Rebecca Mallett, their board, and management staff.

Goals

• Improve alignment between board and management.

• Create a shared understanding of strategic priorities.

• Foster collaboration and open communication to increase productivity and engagement.

Approach

• Facilitated a structured strategic planning session, combining exercises that spark innovation, dialogue and reflection.

• Used the Brain Box exercise to generate deep innovation and elevate strategic thinking.

• Incorporated personality mapping to help participants understand each other’s working styles.

• Focused on creating a space where everyone could be heard and contribute fully.

Outcomes

• Both board and management left the session feeling connected, heard, and motivated to work together more often.

• The Brain Box exercise generated new ideas, including a fresh business concept supporting a key strategy for financial sustainability.

• Participants reported the session felt more productive than previous strategy planning sessions.

• Insights from the session will guide next steps, including a staff retreat to continue alignment and focus on staff wellbeing.

Client reflection

"Jessica facilitated a strategic planning session for the Peace of Mind Foundation that felt like a turning point. For the first time, it seemed like our board and management were really on the same page. Over the past 12 months, updates often felt disconnected from what we wanted to achieve, but this session produced alignment and motivation for the board to come together more often.

What worked particularly well were the exercises Jessica guided us through. The Brain Box sparked great ideas and even a new business concept supporting our strategy. Exploring different personalities in action helped everyone understand each other better, and feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive, they felt the session was far more productive than previous planning sessions.

I was impressed with Jessica’s ability to be direct and keep us on track, which is essential in a facilitator. Her support was enhanced by her experience working with healthcare organisations and supporting cancer patients, clinical staff, and wellbeing initiatives. Jessica’s facilitation created the space for our team to connect, align, and innovate together. I can see her approach being valuable for other boards and management teams."

— Rebecca Mallett, CEO, Peace of Mind Foundation