Mandate Reset™
A private 2-day intervention when the CEO mandate quietly drifts.
For CEOs and boards navigating post-deal growth and governance.
Limited to six Mandate Resets per year — MálagaWhen mandate drift becomes visible
In many PE-backed and growth companies, the operating mandate between CEO, board and investors quietly drifts over time.
Not because anyone failed.
But because the company evolved faster than the mandate did.
Typical situations where a reset becomes critical:
• After a deal, acquisition or recapitalisation
• When a new board composition changes dynamics
• When governance expands and decision speed slows
• When expectations between CEO and board diverge
• When the company enters a new growth phase
Without a reset, decision rights become blurred, alignment weakens and execution slows.
The Mandate Reset™ restores clarity on CEO authority, board oversight and decision rights.
What the 48-Hour Mandate Reset™ achieves
The outcome is not another strategy document.
It is a reset of decision rights and leadership alignment.
During the Mandate Reset we work on four core areas:
1. Mandate clarity
Clarifying the real mandate of the CEO in the current phase of the company.
2. CEO–Board decision rights
Defining where decisions sit and where escalation belongs.
3. Governance simplification
Removing layers that slow execution without improving oversight.
4. Expectation alignment
Making explicit what the board, investors and CEO expect from each other.
The result is renewed clarity, faster decision-making and a shared mandate for the next phase of growth.
How the 2-Day Mandate Reset™ works
Two focused days to diagnose mandate drift and redesign the operating mandate between CEO, board and investors.
The intervention takes place away from the company’s operational environment.
This distance from the day-to-day environment allows leadership to examine governance dynamics with clarity.
Day 1 — Diagnose the mandate driftWe map the current governance reality:
• Where decision rights truly sit today
• Where expectations between CEO and board diverge
• Which governance layers slow execution
• Which tensions remain implicit but shape behaviour
The goal is clarity on the real mandate versus the assumed mandate.
Day 2 — Reset the mandateWe redesign the operating mandate for the current phase of the company.
• Clear CEO–board decision rights
• Simplified governance structures
• Explicit expectations between leadership and board
• A practical reset roadmap for the next 12–24 months
At the end of the two days, leadership leaves with a shared mandate and a clear execution path.
Who the Mandate Reset™ is for
The Mandate Reset™ is designed for leadership operating under active board or investor governance.
Typical participants include:
• CEOs of PE-backed mid-market companies navigating growth and governance complexity
• Founder-CEOs transitioning from entrepreneurial to structured leadership
• Chairs seeking to realign the CEO mandate with board expectations
• Private equity partners supporting leadership through a new growth phase
The intervention is particularly relevant after:
• A transaction or ownership change
• Rapid organisational growth
• A new board composition
• A shift in strategy or market environment
Why mandate drift happens
Mandate drift rarely happens because of conflict.
After a deal or growth phase:
• the board becomes more active
• investors increase oversight
• governance layers expand
• decision rights become less explicit
Over time, the assumed mandate and the real mandate quietly diverge.
This pattern appears frequently after transactions or periods of rapid growth. It happens because the company evolves faster than its governance structure.
The Mandate Reset™ restores a shared understanding of leadership authority and decision velocity.
A typical Mandate Reset situation
A PE-backed company grows quickly after a successful transaction.
The board becomes more involved.
Governance structures expand.
Reporting becomes more detailed.
None of this is problematic in itself.
But gradually the leadership dynamic shifts.
Decisions take longer.
Responsibilities overlap.
Expectations become less explicit.
No conflict.
No crisis.
Just a quiet erosion of clarity.
Everyone is acting in good faith.
But the mandate has never been consciously reset.
The Mandate Reset™ creates the space to re-establish a shared leadership mandate for the next phase of the company.
Steven Piessens facilitates the Mandate Reset™
My work focuses on the moment where governance, growth and leadership authority intersect.
I work with CEOs, boards and investors navigating the leadership dynamics that emerge as companies grow and professionalise.
For over 25 years, I have worked with hundreds of leaders on:
• leadership authority
• decision clarity
• board dynamics
• organisational transitions
The Mandate Reset™ in Málaga provides a focused setting where leadership can step outside the operational environment and restore clarity.
Investment & availability
The investment for the 48-Hour Mandate Reset™ is €19,500.
This includes preparation, the two-day intervention in Málaga and follow-up alignment.
To maintain depth and discretion, only six Mandate Resets are facilitated each year.
Confidential intake
Because the Mandate Reset™ often touches sensitive governance dynamics, participation starts with a confidential conversation.
This allows us to determine whether the intervention is appropriate for the specific leadership context.