Build Better is a deck of 89 coaching cards for friends, families and teams, or just you. Pick one person, work out what's really going on, decide which everyday behaviours matter most, and finish with one step written down.
It isn't a test and it isn't a game you win. It's a structured conversation you can hold in your hands. One to five coaches sit at a table with one person in mind: a People card, someone real at the table, or you. Each round takes about 15 minutes, played in order.
Read the People card aloud and ask the table: what's really going on? Quote them in their own words, not your label, and back every read with a real moment.
Sort the Behaviour cards under Essential, Important, Useful and Not now. Talk about the Essentials first, then ask why you left the others out.
Find the lever that will help most and write one step: who, what, by when. Small enough to start this week. Check in within a month.
Before you sort, flip the Now or Next card. Now helps someone be better as things are. Next gets them ready for what's coming: write the goal in one sentence first, because what got them here may not get them there.
Results don't change on their own. They change when behaviours change. And behaviours change when you pull the right lever underneath them.
Work it forwards: pull a lever, change a behaviour, get a result. Or backwards: start with the result you want, find the behaviour behind it, then the lever under that.
Every card is 105 × 70 mm and printed on both sides. The coloured pill names the card type, the tag names the round, and the footer strip gives you the next question to ask.
| Card type | How many | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| People | 25 | Someone to help: a story, a starting read on the four levers, a quote in their own words and three directions. |
| Behaviours | 37 | Everyday behaviours in six families. The front shows what good looks like; the back helps you assess it. |
| AI Competency | 10 | An intro card and nine competencies for anyone using AI to study, work, run a home or keep learning. |
| Levers | 4 | Craft, Character, Capacity and Drive, each with a + side (when it's strong) and a – side (when it's missing). |
| Sort | 4 | Essential, Important, Useful, Not now. They turn a pile of behaviours into a decision. |
| Guide | 9 | Start Here, Phases, Reference, Ways to Play, Now or Next and more. The rules travel with the deck. |
From a ten-year-old worrier to an 87-year-old carpenter. Each one is fictional, illustrated in their own everyday setting, and specific enough that you'll recognise someone. Coaching someone real? Skip the People card and let them describe themselves.
What good looks like at the dinner table, at school, at the footy club and at work. A teenager can stay organised; so can a farmer, a nurse or a retiree learning internet banking.
Each way changes one thing about the standard session. Every one is on a Guide card in the box.
Two linked people, two hands. For when one person's better depends on another, like a farmer handing over to his daughter.
Sort twice and compare. The cards that jump to Essential are the gap, and the gap is the goal.
Maybe it isn't them, it's the mix. Look at who else fills their role and what gap nobody fills.
Sort the nine AI Competency cards instead of the Behaviours, for when AI is changing their study, work or home.
One player, both sides. Answer every question as the coach, then as you. Solo play is first-class, not a fallback.
One card, one lever, one step in 15 minutes. A good check-in a month after a full session.
Parents, partners, mates, mentors, team leaders, HR practitioners, coaches and anyone coaching themselves. You don't need a coaching qualification. The cards do three jobs a good coach does: they give you words for what you're seeing, they slow the conversation down so everyone is heard, and they make you choose.
The same cards that work at the kitchen table work in coaching and HR. Lay your cards in the docking bays, write in the boxes beside them, snap a photo and ask your AI assistant to draft the finished document. Print at A3, 100% / actual size, so the bays measure 105 × 70 mm.
What the role delivers and the behaviours it needs, in about 20 minutes.
Download PDF (A3)
Turn a conversation into a plan that ends in one thing they'll actually do.
Download PDF (A3)
All you add is a table, a pen, about 45 minutes and someone worth helping. Designed by Scott Buley, who has worked in people and organisational development across a wide range of industries, most recently as Head of People and Culture at Rising Sun Pictures.
Build Better is a companion to, and separate from, the Blueprints for Leadership book series. The deck works on its own.
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About 45 minutes: three rounds of about 15 minutes each. A quick round takes 15 minutes, and a Parallel Hand runs about 75. Most people can do one full session in a sitting, so book a second rather than rushing a third sort.
Yes. Coach yourself by answering every question twice, first as the coach and then as you. Solo play is first-class, not a fallback.
No. The People cards are great for learning the game or for talking about someone in the abstract. If you're coaching someone real who's at the table, skip the People card and let them describe themselves in their own words.
No. Nine Guide cards carry the rules, so the deck teaches itself. Blueprints for Leadership goes deeper if you want more.
Yes. Download the free A3 playmats above to turn a spread of cards into a job description, interview guide, performance assessment, development plan, one-on-one plan or team-mix summary.
Orders are packed in Adelaide and usually ship within three business days. You'll get tracking by email.
If your deck arrives damaged or isn't right, email us within 30 days and we'll replace it or refund you. This doesn't affect your rights under Australian Consumer Law.
Yes. Email hello@ponderingtree.com with how many decks you need.