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COMMUNITY STANDARDS & ETIQUITTE

Community Standards & Etiquette

Last Updated: May 10, 2026

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Welcome to The Strategy eXecution Forum (StrategyXF). This document sets out the norms, expectations, and etiquette that define how our community works together. It is designed to be readable — not a legal contract. The legal terms that govern your membership are contained in the StrategyXF Terms & Conditions of Service, which this document supplements.

 

The standards here are not bureaucratic rules. They reflect the kind of community we are trying to build: one where senior practitioners can think out loud, share hard-won experience, challenge each other constructively, and collaborate without worrying about hidden agendas. Every standard in this document is in service of that goal.

 

These standards apply across all StrategyXF environments — the Community platform, Think Tank Thursday sessions, Monthly Community Updates, virtual and in-person events, and any other StrategyXF-facilitated interaction.

1. Who We Are

StrategyXF is a practitioner-led community of senior professionals working to master the discipline of strategy execution. We are building something specific: a community that combines the intellectual rigour of a think tank with the practical, battle-tested knowledge of people who have actually done this work.

 

Our community includes:

  • Founding Members — the first 200 members admitted to the community

  • Architect Members — members 201–1,000

  • General Members — members admitted after the first 1,000

  • Sponsoring Members — practitioners from partner organizations (management consultancies, strategy software and service providers)

  • Corporate Members — employees of organizations subscribing to StrategyXF advisory services

  • StrategyXF Council — members of any tier who volunteer time to develop the community (combinable with any other tier)

  • Strategic Advisors — subject-matter experts invited to advise on the Playbook and community development based on expertise in a specific capability or industry (combinable with any other tier)

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What unites us is a shared conviction that strategy execution is a discipline that can be studied, taught, and continuously improved — and that the best insights come from practitioners, not theorists.

2. The Chatham House Rule

The Rule:  When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.

 

The Chatham House Rule is the default for all StrategyXF community interactions — including Think Tank Thursday sessions, Monthly Community Updates, discussion threads on the platform, and direct conversations with members you have met through StrategyXF.

 

In practice this means:

  • You may share insights, frameworks, and learnings from community discussions in your own work and professional life

  • You may reference that an insight came from "a StrategyXF community discussion" or "a peer in the StrategyXF community"

  • You may not attribute a specific statement, view, or story to a named individual or their organization without their explicit permission

  • You may not share recordings, session notes, or platform content outside the community without StrategyXF's authorization

 

If you want to quote or attribute something to a specific member, simply ask them. Most members are happy to be credited — but the choice is always theirs.

3. Think Tank Thursday Meetings

Think Tank Thursday is our weekly working session — held every Thursday except the fourth Thursday of each month, which is reserved for the Monthly Community Update. These sessions are the heartbeat of the StrategyXF community.
 
They are designed as working discussions, not webinars. The goal is to make collective progress on real execution challenges — not to listen to presentations.
 
3.1 How to Prepare

  • Read any pre-read materials shared in advance

  • Come with a perspective, a question, or a challenge to share — not just an audience mindset

  • Have your camera on if possible — presence matters in a working session

  • Be on time — sessions start promptly and latecomers miss context

 
3.2 How to Participate

  • Engage actively — share your experience, challenge assumptions, build on others' ideas

  • Be specific — real examples from your own experience are far more valuable than generalizations

  • Be concise — make room for everyone to contribute

  • Challenge ideas, not people — disagreement is welcome; disrespect is not

  • Don't dominate the conversation — if you've spoken three times and others haven't spoken once, make space

  • Don't multitask visibly — if you're in the room, be in the room

 
3.3 Recording and Publication
Think Tank Thursday sessions are recorded. Recordings and session notes are published to the StrategyXF Community platform for members who could not attend. By participating you consent to being recorded. If you prefer not to appear on camera, you may participate with your camera off — but audio and text contributions are still captured.
 
Recordings are for members only. Do not share, redistribute, or republish recordings outside the community without StrategyXF's written authorization.

4. Monthly Community Update Meetings

The Monthly Community Update is an all-member meeting held on the fourth Thursday of each month. It is used to share community news, program updates, Playbook progress, and member highlights. It is a broader, lighter-touch session than Think Tank Thursday — designed to keep the whole community connected to what's happening.

 

Monthly Community Updates are also recorded and published to the platform. The same confidentiality and recording etiquette as Think Tank Thursday applies.

5. The StrategyXF Community (Collaboration) Platform

The StrategyXF Community platform (powered by Circle) is where we connect between sessions — sharing resources, asking questions, continuing conversations, and building the StrateX Playbook together.

 

5.1 Posting and Discussion

  • Post substantively — share experience, frameworks, questions, and insights that add genuine value

  • Be constructive in feedback — challenge ideas with evidence and alternative perspectives

  • Acknowledge and build on others' contributions — attribution matters in a knowledge community

  • Use the right spaces — post in the relevant section or channel, not just wherever gets the most visibility

  • Don't post content you wouldn't be comfortable saying in a Think Tank session

  • Don't use the platform as a broadcast channel — StrategyXF is a conversation, not a publishing platform

 

5.2 Member Directory and Contact Information

The member directory and contact information shared in the community are for community use only. Specifically:

  • Do not add members to mailing lists, newsletters, or outreach sequences without their explicit consent

  • Do not use the directory for prospecting, sales outreach, or recruitment

  • Do not share member contact details with people outside the community

 

If you'd like to connect with a member for a legitimate professional purpose, reach out personally and be transparent about why. Members generally welcome genuine professional connection.

 

5.3 Content Quality

We hold a high bar for what gets shared on the platform. Before posting, ask yourself:

  • Is this based on genuine experience or a real perspective — or is it generic?

  • Does this add something the community doesn't already have?

  • Would I be comfortable being identified as the source of this?

 

StrategyXF reserves the right to remove content that does not meet community standards, without prior notice.

6. The StrateX Playbook and Contributing Plays

The StrateX Playbook is one of StrategyXF's most important community outputs. It is a practitioner-validated, community-driven resource that collects proven Plays — specific best practices and real-world approaches — for achieving each of the StrategyXF 10 Key Principles to Master Strategy Execution.
 
Unlike rigid frameworks, the Playbook embraces the reality that great strategy execution looks different in every organization. Each Principle can be achieved through multiple Plays, and members choose and adapt the approaches that fit their specific context, culture, and industry.
 
6.1 What Makes a Good Play
A Play is a specific, real-world practice that you or your organization has used to address a strategy execution challenge. Good Plays are:

  • Specific — they describe a concrete practice, not a general philosophy

  • Proven — they are drawn from actual experience, not theory

  • Transferable — they can be adapted and applied by practitioners in different organizations

  • Honest — they acknowledge the conditions under which the Play works, and where it might not

 
6.2 How to Submit a Play
There are three ways to submit a Play:

  • Post it on the platform. Create a post in the StrateX Playbook space on the Community platform describing your Play. The StrategyXF team will review it and follow up to develop it for publication.

  • Reach out to the team. Contact us at info@strategyxf.com to discuss writing and publishing a Play. We will work with you to shape your experience into a Play that fits the Playbook format and is ready for publication.

  • Record a podcast episode. We may invite you to share your Play as a guest on the Strategy eXecution Unlocked podcast. Podcast episodes featuring a Play are cross-referenced in the Playbook alongside your written contribution.

Whichever route you choose, the StrategyXF team will support you through the process.
 
By submitting a Play, you confirm that:

  • The Play is based on your own professional experience

  • You have the right to share it — it does not breach any confidentiality obligation to your employer or a client

  • You are happy to be attributed as the contributor

 
6.3 Attribution
Every Play published in the Playbook is attributed to its contributor by name, title, and a brief profile. Your attribution is a firm commitment from StrategyXF — not a "reasonable efforts" aspiration. StrategyXF will also promote your Play and profile through its community platform, newsletters, and social channels.
 
The Playbook as a whole — its structure, editorial curation, and organization of Plays — is StrategyXF intellectual property. Your Play is licensed to StrategyXF for inclusion in the Playbook; you remain the attributed contributor and the owner of your underlying professional practice and Pre-Existing IP.

7. Confidentiality

StrategyXF works because members trust each other enough to be candid. That trust is built on a shared commitment to confidentiality. The Chatham House Rule (Section 2) sets the baseline — but there are additional things to keep in mind.

 

7.1 What to Treat as Confidential

Treat the following as confidential unless the contributor has explicitly said otherwise:

  • Specific organizational challenges, strategies, or internal situations shared by members

  • Financial information, pricing data, or cost structures shared in any session or thread

  • Plays submitted for the Playbook before they are formally published

  • Member contact details and directory information

  • Anything a member or StrategyXF designates as confidential

 

7.2 When You're Unsure

If you're not sure whether something is confidential, assume it is and ask before sharing. A quick message to the original contributor is all it takes.

 

7.3 Antitrust

StrategyXF is a community of practitioners from many organizations, including competitors. Please do not use community sessions to discuss or coordinate on pricing, margins, market share, customer lists, or supplier terms in ways that could raise antitrust concerns. If a discussion starts to go in that direction, it's fine to name it and redirect.

8. The No-Vendor and No-Solicitation Rule

The principle:  StrategyXF is a community of practitioners, not a marketplace. We are here to learn from each other and build something together — not to sell to each other.
 
This means:

  • No pitching products, services, or consulting offerings in community sessions, discussion threads, or direct messages

  • No using session content or member contact details for lead generation or follow-up outreach

  • No promotional content disguised as knowledge-sharing

  • No recruiting other members for roles at your organization without their prior indication of interest

 
This rule applies to all members — including Sponsoring Members and Corporate Members. The fact that your organization sponsors StrategyXF does not grant a right to use the community as a sales channel.
 
8.1 What Is Allowed
Not everything commercial is prohibited. What's welcomed:

  • Genuine professional networking and relationship-building

  • Sharing knowledge of tools, platforms, or approaches you've found useful — in response to a question or as a genuine contribution, not as a pitch

  • Mentioning your organization's work where directly relevant to a discussion point

  • Connecting with members for legitimate professional purposes — just be transparent about why

 
8.2 Sponsoring Members
Sponsoring Members participate as practitioners, not as vendor representatives. StrategyXF may, by separate written agreement, authorize specific promotional activities for Sponsoring Members. Absent such authorization, the no-solicitation rule applies fully.
 
8.3 Post-Membership
The no-solicitation obligation extends 12 months beyond the end of your membership with respect to members whose contact details you obtained through StrategyXF. This is not about limiting your professional life — it's about protecting the trust that makes the community valuable for everyone.

9. Professional Conduct

StrategyXF brings together senior professionals. We expect conduct that reflects that — but more specifically, we expect conduct that reflects the kind of community we want to be.
 
9.1 What We Expect

  • Engage with intellectual honesty — share what you actually think, not what sounds good

  • Challenge ideas with evidence and reasoning, not authority or dismissiveness

  • Be generous with your knowledge — the community grows when members share openly

  • Be direct — if you disagree with something, say so clearly and respectfully

  • Acknowledge your limits — no one has all the answers, and intellectual humility is valued here

  • Respect the diversity of contexts — strategy execution in a European public institution looks different from a US technology company; both perspectives are valuable

 
9.2 What We Won't Tolerate

  • Harassment, bullying, or intimidation of any kind

  • Discriminatory language or behavior based on race, gender, nationality, religion, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic

  • Misrepresentation of your identity, expertise, or organizational affiliation

  • Deliberate disruption of sessions or community discussions

  • Sharing false, misleading, or defamatory information about other members or their organizations

 
StrategyXF reserves the right to remove content, restrict access, or terminate membership for violations of these standards, without prior notice where necessary.

10. Reporting and Enforcement

If you encounter behavior that violates these standards — whether in a session, on the platform, or in a direct interaction — please report it to StrategyXF at info@strategyxf.com. You can report anonymously if you prefer.

 

StrategyXF will:

  • Treat all reports with discretion and respect the privacy of everyone involved

  • Investigate reports fairly and promptly

  • Take appropriate action, which may include a warning, content removal, restriction of access, or termination of membership

  • Not retaliate against members who make good-faith reports

 

StrategyXF does not mediate member-to-member disputes. If you have a professional disagreement with another member, we encourage you to address it directly. If that is not possible, contact us and we will do our best to help.

Join the community and contribute to the development of the SXFramework

Elevate your expertise and contribute to the development of the SXFramework, StrategyXF’s best-practice community-driven framework providing flexible and proven approaches to achieving the 10 Key Principles to mastering Strategy Execution.

 

Unlike rigid one-size-fits all methodologies the SXFramework helps organizations personalize an operating model to optimize and integrate 5 Critical Processes - strategic portfolio management, business architecture, enterprise architecture, project execution and change management - to unite all teams and functions needed to effectively execute on your strategy.

 

The StrategyXF  Council is developing a certification to recognize you as a certified StrategyXF professional! 

Step 6:

Get Trained & Certified

11. A Note on Content and Advice

The knowledge shared in StrategyXF — by members, by Strategic Advisors, and by StrategyXF itself — is offered for professional development and peer learning. It is not legal, financial, consulting, or other professional advice. Please exercise your own professional judgment when applying community insights to your specific organizational context.

 

StrategyXF does not verify the accuracy of member contributions. The community works because members hold each other to a high standard — if you think something is wrong or oversimplified, say so.

12. Updates to These Standards

StrategyXF may update these Community Standards from time to time as the community grows and evolves. Material changes will be communicated to members via the platform and by email. Your continued participation after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised standards.

 

If you have feedback on these standards — something that feels wrong, missing, or unclear — we want to hear it. These standards exist to serve the community, and the community should have a voice in shaping them.

13. A Final Word

Rules and standards can only take you so far. What makes a community great is not the rules — it's the people who show up with the right intent.

 

We built StrategyXF because we believe the discipline of strategy execution deserves a serious, practitioner-led community. One where senior professionals can be candid, think out loud, and build something genuinely useful together.

 

If you're here with that intent, you'll find the standards above easy to live with. If something ever feels off — in how the community is working or in how these standards are being interpreted — please tell us.

 

Thank you for being part of this.

 

The StrategyXF Team

info@strategyxf.com

www.strategyxf.com

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