enfr

talk
to us

New York
250 Park Avenue,
14th Floor New York City, NY 10177

Connecticut
22 Thorndal Circle,
3rd Floor Darien, CT 06820

Paris
23 rue du Mail
75002 Paris – France

info@beperpetual.com
Attributes of the t3 framework:
the right stuff

The "right stuff" is about ensuring the right people are in place and ready to deliver. They feel strongly that they are working with a group of people they respect and can get the job done. The foundation of any team are the people who comprise it. The needs of any team go far beyond ensuring they "can do" the job itself (competence) and extend to areas that allow the team, and its individual members, to work effectively together in delivering the desired outcomes.

These include, for example, possessing a growth mindset, allowing people to adapt more effectively to adversity and solve problems that lead to a breakthrough (‘can do’ attitude). Openness to other’s ideas (a true team player), grit and positivity are other examples of traits of people that are important on any team.

Simply put, members of the team "can do, can do".

clarity & alignment

People and teams are clear on what they need to do and why it is important. High-performing team feel strongly that the direction is clear, and line-of-sight exists between their work and that of the teams or organization on the whole.

There is clarity in the vision, mission and objectives of the team and clarity in how such objectives cascade down to each and every member within it.

Clarity is nothing without alignment, at least over the longer-term. People who know what to do can certainly deliver some good results, within their own sphere of influence; however, alignment is vital for sustained execution excellence. Alignment suggests that people are committed to their role and what they need to do to produce good results.

Simply put, members of the team "know what to do."

empowerment

Empowerment is all about ensuring people have the freedom, support, and tools to deliver on what is expected along with the systems and process to work effectively together.

The nature of the way organizations are designed and the likelihood that most are populated by human beings leads to a natural dysfunction that often is referred to as silo thinking or behavior. Left alone, silo behavior and potentially relational-based conflict WILL arise. This calls for organizations to install a ritual that ensure these are outlined, clarified, and negotiated so that people can work effectively together in driving value for their customers, and the business.

Additionally, we find many teams that have too many priorities that are crippling the team’s effectiveness and/or leading to burnout. Typically, ad hoc demands from the business may be the culprit, and without a priority reconciliation process, frustration emerges.

Simply put, members of the team are "allowed and enabled to".

belonging

Belonging suggests that people fit within your organizational context—they "belong" here and are connected to the organization.

Organizations cannot afford to have disengaged employees—and yet, many in the workforce report being actively disengaged. Others are passively disengagement manifesting in some form of "quiet quitting." This results in lost productivity and an unhappy workplace in general.

While there are many factors that may be at play here, the most important one is a sense of connection people have with their company, a belief that they (the company) are doing the right thing (beyond making money) and that they are operating in a way that is consistent with making a real contribution to society. For newer generations of workers this is of particular importance. It all starts with purpose and values.

Simply put, members of the team "believe it's right to do".

agile execution

Agile Execution is all about how the team works together to adapt to dynamic conditions. It is our belief that no initial plan will survive for very long, placing a burden on the team to pivot consistently in order to deliver upon their strategic outcomes.

In today’s VUCA world, planning is taking on new forms as organizations recognize that within weeks after initiating any plan, it can be rendered, at worst case, useless, or in best case, intentions remain on track but how one gets there changes rapidly. The environment is simply too dynamic to invest months preparing, planning, and budgeting for a reality that may not exist in six months.

In our view, get the strategic intent right, plan on how to get there, and instill agile execution rituals that allow the team to adapt to the realities of executing against the plan.

Simply put, members of the team "will do what it takes with integrity".

togetherness

A sense of togetherness results when the teams do the other five attributes well, leading to sustained high-performance and lots of enjoyment working with fellow colleagues. No matter how remote a team may operate, leaders need to work to secure this sense of "togetherness" and, ideally, bring people together every so often.

In such teams, not only do you have exemplary engagement and behaviors from all constituent members but that final piece of "social glue" -- individuals motivated also by the very company of their team colleagues. This is the zone where intra-relationships are defined by shared levels of high professional respect and, indeed, deep friendships.

Team members bearing this attribute scale even greater heights (sometimes literally!) because not only are they passionate about what they do (as built on all the preceding qualities) but it is this comradeship that sits at the very nexus of this passion. There is no place they would rather be than with the companionship of their comrades and, with this fellowship, a sense of collective invincibility. For such teams, there is a mindset of "anything together".

Simply put, members of the team "build a legacy".

leadership

how Smartling is elevating leadership and team performance

back to all insights leadership

At Perpetual, we specialize in turning company moments into momentum—moments that align, inspire, and transform teams. That’s exactly what we had the privilege of doing at Smartling’s recent company-wide offsite in Puerto Rico, where we partnered closely with CEO Bryan Murphy and the leadership team to bring their vision of high-performance culture to life.

SITUATION

Smartling, a global leader in AI-powered localization and translation, is at an inflection point in its growth journey. With a mission to reach customers in their native languages across any channel, Smartling has built a deeply committed and high-performing team, reducing turnover from 25% to 5% over the past three years through thoughtful engagement and active performance management.

As part of this journey, Smartling hosted an annual offsite in Puerto Rico from March 23–27, 2025, bringing together 150 employees from around the world. CEO Bryan Murphy asked Perpetual to support the agenda with two primary goals:

  1. Deliver a Leadership Development session that would challenge and inspire Smartling’s leaders.
  2. Facilitate a high-performing team experience that was not only fun and immersive but also packed with insights participants could take back into their day-to-day work.

TASK

Perpetual was tasked with more than just two sessions—we were invited to weave a golden thread of high performance throughout the conference experience. That meant:

Facilitating an experiential learning environment that would foster alignment and elevate Smartling’s already-strong leadership culture.

  • Administering the t3® Diagnostic Survey, our proprietary framework for understanding organizational maturity and unlocking performance levers.
  • Using the t3 results to guide a strategic, data-backed conversation with leadership.
  • Curating content that was relevant, insightful, and actionable based on a pre-event pulse check of Smartling’s leadership interests.
  • Designing a high-energy team challenge to activate collaboration and creativity across departments.

ACTION

Perpetual supported the entire conference journey, acting as both facilitator and thought partner. Key highlights included:

  • A high-impact opening presentation on Organizational Health and the Attributes of High-Performing Teams, anchored in Perpetual’s research and global client experience.
  • A detailed debrief on Smartling’s t3® Diagnostic results, including insights on team alignment, leadership clarity, and decision-making capability.
  • A 3-hour High-Performing Team Challenge, where Smartling employees split into sub-teams to tackle a creative business challenge—culminating in a unified delivery that showcased the power of “One Smartling.”
  • A Leadership Development session focusing on:
    • Critical Thinking – cutting through complexity with clarity and structure
    • Team Effectiveness – aligning around shared goals and accountability
    • Decision Making – introducing Perpetual’s proprietary frameworks to raise the quality and consistency of decisions

Throughout the week, our team was embedded in the Smartling experience—helping to set tone, support transitions, and keep the thread of high performance front and center.

RESULT

The result? Outstanding engagement and overwhelmingly positive feedback.
From breakout sessions to boardroom-level thinking, Smartling leaders leaned in. They brought energy, openness, and curiosity to every moment—and left with tools, language, and momentum to drive performance back at HQ.

We heard words like “inspiring,” “game-changing,” and “exactly what we needed”—but perhaps most importantly, we saw renewed alignment, trust, and belief across the team.

At Perpetual, we believe performance isn’t just something you talk about—it’s something you activate

We’re proud to have supported Smartling in doing just that, and we’re excited to continue partnering with their exceptional team to build a culture where leadership is owned at every level.

If your organization is ready to elevate leadership and unlock the next level of performance, we’d love to talk.

See more insights
leadership

when a leadership team stops performing as individuals

There is a moment in almost every leadership team offsite when the room shifts. It is not dramatic. No one announces it. But something moves. The leader who has been holding the pen for every decision passes it to someone...

leadership

leading at the next level: what scale demands from leadership teams

There is a moment in the life of every high-performing organization when the team that built the business is no longer quite the team the business needs. The instincts that drove early growth, the bias for speed over process, the...

leadership

the leadership team vs. the leadership group

Why the distinction between a Senior Leadership Team and a Senior Leadership Group is the most underdiagnosed problem in organizational life – and what to do about it The most underdiagnosed problem in organizational life Most organizations have a Senior...

leadership

leadership strategy at a global fragrance & flavor leader

A strong fragrance & flavor leadership strategy is critical for companies navigating transformation, growth, and leadership transition. Developing a Leadership Alignment Strategy for Long-Term Growth Our client is a global fragrance and flavor company based in the northeastern United States....