Burns Leadership Consulting
PRISM Session Preparation
A guided conversation before your session with Dan Burns
What is the PRISM Session? PRISM is a structured diagnostic framework used by Burns Leadership Consulting to help CEOs and senior leaders move from pattern recognition to focused action. It surfaces five things that most leadership conversations never reach: the Priority driving the need for change, the Reality of what is actually happening, the Insight that names the root cause, a Strategy built around that root cause, and the Measures that will tell you whether the work is producing results. Most leadership conversations treat symptoms. The PRISM Session names the system behind them. This preparation tool will guide you through all five areas before your session with Dan Burns. It takes about 10 minutes. Share your thinking honestly — Dan will review your responses before you meet so your time together is focused on what matters most.
PPRIORITY
DB
Dan Burns
Before we meet, I want to understand what is driving the urgency right now. Not just what the challenge is, but what it is costing you to leave it unresolved. That is where every PRISM conversation starts.
In Your Own Words
What is the single most important business challenge your organization needs to solve in the next 90 days? Think about what keeps you up at night and what it is costing you to leave it unresolved.
Now that you have reflected, how clearly defined is this priority across your leadership team?
No shared clarityFully aligned
Why this matters
When a priority is unclear at the top, it becomes invisible at every level below. Most execution failures trace back to this single gap — not a lack of effort, but a lack of shared focus.
RREALITY
DB
Dan Burns
What you share here tells me whether we are dealing with a surface issue or something structural. The more honest and specific you are in this section, the more useful our session will be.
In Your Own Words
Describe what is actually happening right now. Where is performance falling short? Be specific — describe the pattern you keep seeing, not just a one-time event.
Now that you have reflected, how honest is your leadership team about the current reality?
We avoid itFull candor
Why this matters
Leaders who can name the reality precisely are already ahead of most. Those who struggle longest are describing symptoms without naming the pattern beneath them.
IINSIGHT
DB
Dan Burns
This is the question we will spend the most time on together. If you are not sure of the answer yet, that is exactly right — naming the root cause is the core work of the PRISM Session.
In Your Own Words
If you had to name the root cause beneath the patterns you are seeing, what would it be? Push past the symptom — is it alignment, decision-making, accountability, trust?
Now that you have reflected, how clearly do you understand the root cause?
Still unclearVery clear
Why this matters
Most leaders treat root causes as symptoms. A team that cannot execute usually has an alignment problem, not a talent problem. A team that revisits decisions has a decision rights problem, not a communication problem.
SSTRATEGY
DB
Dan Burns
I want to understand what you have already tried and why it has not produced what you needed. That shapes where we focus and keeps us from covering ground you have already covered.
In Your Own Words
What have you already tried? What do you believe needs to change? Share what has worked, what has not, and where you feel stuck.
Now that you have reflected, how confident are you that you know what needs to change?
Not confidentVery confident
Why this matters
Leaders who have tried things and reflected honestly on them arrive at better strategies faster. Knowing what has not worked is as valuable as knowing what might.
MMEASURES
DB
Dan Burns
If we cannot define what success looks like before we start, we cannot measure whether the work is producing results. This question often reveals more about the challenge than the challenge itself does.
In Your Own Words
How would you know if things were getting better? What would you see, hear, or be able to measure — including early signals before the final result is visible?
Now that you have reflected, how well defined are your current success metrics?
Not definedClearly defined
Why this matters
Leaders who can define what better looks like before they start are significantly more likely to achieve it. If you struggle here, that is one of the most important things we will work through together.
Ready to share your preparation with Dan?
Download your PRISM summary as a PDF and send it to Dan before your session. Your time together will be focused entirely on what you have shared here.
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