Finding Your Why

This appendix module supports the Finding Your Why workshop with supplemental resources and reflection exercises on purpose and productivity. Participants review curated external readings and courses on delegation, define their personal purpose using a Want/Must/Can framework and connect it to their organization's stated purpose (built around SOMPO's company purpose, generalizing to any organization's mission statement), and complete an optional Time Audit exercise to compare how they currently spend their work time against how they want to spend it, identifying opportunities to delegate, cut, or reprioritize.

This pre-work module prepares participants for the "Finding Your Why" workshop through two self-reflection exercises. Participants first watch a short video on Fixed vs. Growth Mindset and reflect on where they've shown each mindset and how to build a growth-mindset culture on their team. They then complete a self-assessment rating their confidence across the eight "project oxygen" manager capabilities (such as Expresses Interest & Concern, Productive and Results Oriented, and Good Communicator), identifying 1-2 areas of strength and 1-2 areas for growth to bring into the workshop discussion.

This opening module launches a manager training series by framing the shift from individual contributor to people manager as a real psychological transition, not just a title change. Participants discuss a Linda Hill quote on that transition, set personal intentions for the series, agree on group ground rules, and meet peers in a small-group breakout to share their role, team size, and a takeaway from a pre-work video on fixed vs. growth mindset. The module closes by introducing the "why" concept ??? using a "to, so that" template ??? that participants will develop further as the series continues.

This module opens participants' exploration of people management by drawing on their own experience of being managed. Participants reflect on and document the qualities of their best and worst managers, identify common themes across the group, and complete a self-assessment to name what they're already strong at and where they want to grow as a manager. The exercises surface a common gap between what people already know makes a good manager and how they actually behave when leading others.

This module introduces the Project Oxygen 8 Manager Factors, a research-based framework identifying the behaviors that distinguish effective people managers, and uses it as the foundation for personal reflection on your own management strengths and growth areas. Participants first review the 8 factors, then complete a self-assessment mapped to these manager expectations, identifying 1-2 areas where they excel and 1-2 areas they want to improve. Participants discuss their self-assessments in small groups, sharing strengths aloud and naming specific areas for development.

This module helps participants uncover their personal motivation for managing people, using Simon Sinek's "Start with Why" framework and Golden Circle model (What, How, Why). Participants watch Sinek's talk, then draft their own why statement using a "To ___ so that ___" structure, sharing and refining it through small group discussion. A homework exercise extends the practice by asking a friend why they've stuck around, using outside perspective to sharpen clarity on one's why.

This closing module wraps up the Finding Your Why deliverable by having participants distill their personal "why" as a people manager into a single visual. Participants pick one image, gif, or emoji that represents their why and share it in the group channel, without needing to explain it. It's a lightweight way to lock in the reflection work from the session and make it easy to revisit later.