Lead an enterprise where mission and results move together.
Cima Strategic helps leaders whose purpose and performance have drifted apart achieve Mission & Traction — so the enterprise flourishes and its people, you included, become who they were made to be.
Schedule a 20-Minute Conversation No pitch — just clarity. Not ready to talk? Download the Integrated Life Grid →The problem isn’t effort. It’s Division.
Healthy enterprises rarely lose their mission all at once. As they grow, mission and traction slowly drift apart, and the systems built to deliver the mission begin to replace it. No scorecard measures the split, so it shows up in one of two ways:
Traction without mission
meaninglessThe scorecard is green and the meetings run on time, but no one can say why the work matters. The enterprise hums. The leader is restless.
Mission without traction
fruitlessThe conviction is real and the vision is compelling, but nothing delivers it. The mission hangs on the wall. The enterprise drifts.
Either way, you see it every day. The mission rarely shows up in decisions. People are hired for skill and kept for results, training covers procedures but not formation, and accountability tracks the numbers but not the mission. Good initiatives start strong and stall — and you end up carrying the mission yourself.
Even when the numbers are good, something feels off. Are you building a life worth leading — or just running an enterprise that works?
Left alone, Division doesn’t stand still.
It compounds quietly, year after year.
- The mission fades into a slogan — or stays sincere but never takes hold.
- Culture drifts, the wrong behavior gets tolerated, and good people disengage or leave.
- Initiatives keep stalling, and your time is never your own.
- Decisions stay second-guessed, peace never comes, and a life made for greatness settles for maintenance.
What Mission & Traction looks like.
When mission and traction move together, everything downstream changes.
Mission that drives decisions.
The mission shapes the choices you make, and your systems deliver it.
People who grow.
People are hired for fit, formed as leaders, and held to a shared standard — and they grow in purpose and live more integrated lives.
Impact you can see.
The enterprise flourishes and makes a collective impact, with progress it can see and show.
A life worth leading.
You regain your time, decide with confidence, and find peace with traction.
You don’t have to carry the mission alone.
We’ve stood where you stand — hitting the numbers while sensing something was missing, and carrying the mission alone. We know how lonely that is, because we’ve walked our own path out of it. For Darren Smith, that path began more than a decade ago.
Today, Cima Strategic works with organizations of all kinds and sizes. We give leaders a shared language, a clear process, and practical tools that make formation measurable — so growth in character and mission can be seen and reported, not just felt. None of it is invented. It draws on a long tradition of wisdom about virtue and leadership, from the Greek philosophers and Thomas Aquinas to modern authors such as Alexandre Havard and Kevin Majeres.
Grounded in decades of senior leadership and executive coaching experience.
Three steps to Mission & Traction.
Talk.
Start with a 20-minute conversation about what you want for your enterprise — and where Division is showing up today.
Discover.
Interviews with your key leaders establish a clear baseline and build buy-in across the team.
Integrate.
We build mission into how your enterprise hires, develops, and holds its people responsible — with progress measured along the way and a community of peers for support.
Hiring, Formation & Accountability
Every healthy enterprise needs structure. The real question is whether that structure serves the mission or quietly replaces it. HFA — Hiring, Formation & Accountability — builds mission into the everyday working (traction) of your enterprise, so it no longer depends on one leader carrying it alone.
Hiring
The right people for the missionEvery enterprise eventually becomes the people it brings in. We help you hire for character, temperament, and mission fit, not just skill.
Formation
Training that forms leadersTraining teaches procedures; formation develops people. Through a structured path, leaders gain clarity of purpose, make principled decisions, and align their own leadership with the mission.
Accountability
Responsibility that protects the missionAccountability here isn’t punitive; it’s protective. Clear expectations, shared responsibility, and consistent follow-through keep mission and execution aligned over time.
A community of peers
No leader sustains mission alone. Through the Authentic Leader Forums, leaders practice integration alongside others doing the same work.
Explore the Authentic Leader Forums →Progress you can measure
Formation is measured, not assumed. You see growth in character and mission alongside the results you already track.
Our commitments to you.
- Reported, not just felt. We measure and report progress — evidence you and your board can see, not just impressions.
- We strengthen what already works. Our approach fits alongside the operating systems and practices you already run, adding what’s missing rather than replacing what works.
- Built on your mission. Every engagement starts from your enterprise’s own mission — never a borrowed template.
- References on request. Case studies and references are available from leaders who have walked the path.
- Backed by our guarantee. Ask us about it in your first conversation.
“Mission without traction is fruitless; traction without mission is meaningless.”
— Darren SmithIntegrated, they form a flourishing enterprise and a life worth leading.
From divided to integrated
Most leaders are asked to choose between the mission and the numbers, or between success and a whole life. We believe no leader should have to. Every person is a son or daughter of God, made for greatness — and every enterprise should help its people become who they were made to be.
Most leadership programs address only one side: purpose with no system to deliver it, or systems with no foundation beneath them. Mission & Traction brings the two together. Through Hiring, Formation & Accountability, mission becomes part of how the enterprise runs, and its results gain a reason worth working for.
The change starts with people. Divided leaders become integrated leaders: work becomes a gift, rest becomes renewal, and life holds together as one. Their people grow too, and the enterprise makes the impact it was built to make.
It all rests on a long tradition of thought about virtue and leadership, from the Greek philosophers and Thomas Aquinas to Alexandre Havard and Kevin Majeres, translated into practical tools for organizations of all kinds and sizes.
Not ready to talk yet? Start here.
The Integrated Life Grid
free downloadSee where your own life stands today — across work, leisure, and integration — and where formation is trying to take you.
Download the Grid
HFA for Mission & Traction
weekly newsletterOne practical step each week toward mission and traction. Start from Week 1, no matter when you join.
SubscribeFrequently asked questions
What is Mission & Traction?
Mission & Traction is Cima Strategic’s flagship service for leaders of mission-driven enterprises. Cima Strategic helps leaders whose purpose and performance have drifted apart achieve Mission & Traction through Hiring, Formation & Accountability — so their enterprise flourishes and its people, the leader included, become who they were made to be.
What does HFA (Hiring, Formation & Accountability) mean?
HFA is the method Cima Strategic uses to achieve Mission & Traction. Hiring brings in people whose character and temperament fit the mission. Formation develops leaders’ clarity of purpose and principled decision-making. Accountability keeps mission and execution aligned through clear expectations and consistent follow-through. Together, they build the mission into how the enterprise actually runs.
Who is Mission & Traction for?
It is for leaders who answer for both the mission and the results — business owners, executives, nonprofit leaders, and heads of schools. It fits organizations of all kinds and sizes, especially those where strong results and a sincere mission have begun to drift apart.
Does Mission & Traction replace EOS or other operating systems?
No. Mission & Traction works alongside operating systems such as EOS (the Entrepreneurial Operating System), Scaling Up, or OKRs. Those systems drive traction: goals, scorecards, and meeting rhythms. HFA adds what they leave out — formation that keeps the mission at the center of decisions — so the system and the mission strengthen each other.
How is formation different from leadership training?
Training teaches procedures and skills. Formation develops the whole person: character, decision-making, and sense of mission. Everyone develops with age and experience; formation is the deliberate choice to direct that growth toward a purpose. In Mission & Traction, formation is structured and measured, so growth can be seen rather than simply hoped for.
Is Mission & Traction faith-based?
Mission & Traction is rooted in Christian principles and the classical tradition of virtue, from the Greek philosophers and Thomas Aquinas onward. It is open to leaders of every background who share a commitment to human dignity and principled leadership. Faith is named plainly and never imposed.
How is progress measured?
Every engagement begins with a baseline drawn from interviews with key leaders. Progress is then tracked three ways: growth in principled decision-making and character, rated by both the leader and a facilitator; changes in how leaders and teams describe their work; and the results the enterprise already tracks, such as retention, time, and key performance measures. Findings are reported in a form a leadership team or board can read.
What happens in the 20-minute conversation?
It is a candid, one-to-one conversation with Darren Smith, CEO of Cima Strategic. He will ask direct questions, starting with what prompted you to reach out, to understand where your enterprise stands and whether there is a real fit. No pitch — just clarity.
How do the Authentic Leader Forums fit in?
The Authentic Leader Forums are Cima Strategic’s peer groups for executives and owners. Within Mission & Traction, they provide the community of support that sustains integration: leaders practice it alongside peers doing the same work, sharing reflection, practical guidance, and accountability. The Forums are built on Christian principles and open to all like-minded leaders.
How long does an engagement last, and what does it cost?
Most engagements last 12 to 24 months and are built case by case around each enterprise’s needs. Mission & Traction is an investment in your people and your enterprise; scope and investment are discussed once there is a clear fit.
Lead with mission. Move with traction.
It starts with one conversation about what you want for your enterprise — and where to begin.
Schedule a 20-Minute Conversation No pitch — just clarity.
P.O. Box 670101, Dallas TX 75367
(214) 353-9333
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