Frequently asked questions.
Straight answers to the questions most prospective clients ask before booking a Clarity Call.
Getting started.
What is a Clarity Call?
A paid thirty-minute conversation. We talk about what's actually happening in your organization, what you've tried, and whether BlueChip is the right fit for the work. If we are, we map out next steps. If we're not, we point you toward someone who is.
Why is the Clarity Call paid, and is there a free way in?
There is a free way in. Complete any one of the five free diagnostics first and the $99 is waived entirely, so the call is free. The diagnostic is the on-ramp.
The call carries a fee because it carries real value on its own. It's built to leave you with a sharper read on your own situation, whether or not you ever become a BlueChip client. A paid call also protects everyone's time and makes for a better conversation.
And if the Clarity Call leads to an engagement, the fee is credited against your first invoice. So between the diagnostic waiver and the credit, the only people who pay the $99 are those who book the call cold and decide not to work with BlueChip.
How do I know if BlueChip is the right fit?
BlueChip is a fit when three traits are present: the question is about senior leaders or the people decisions that shape an organization, the buyer has already tried the standard approach, and the cost of getting it wrong is significant. If two of those three apply, the Clarity Call is probably worth booking. If none apply, BlueChip is probably not the right fit and we'll tell you that on the call.
What if I'm not ready for a Clarity Call?
Start with one of the five free diagnostics. Each takes under ten minutes and gives you a result you can act on. Complete one and the $99 Clarity Call is waived, so you can bring the result into a free call whenever you're ready:
- The Governance Health Check's free read → — 15 questions for board chairs, mayors, councillors, and directors on how defensible your board's evaluation of its CAO, CEO, or Executive Director really is.
- Org Pulse → — 5-minute organizational health audit.
- Decision Quality Index → — 18 questions on decision-making under pressure.
- The Workplace Read → — 20 questions for employees and employers in difficult workplace situations.
- The Supervisor Blind Spot → — 10 questions on your supervisor archetype.
Pricing.
Why aren't prices published on the site?
Because the right number depends on scope. Governance evaluations vary with the size of the body and the depth of the process. Embedded HR Retainers vary by tier and cadence. Leadership Academy pricing varies by cohort composition, and assessments vary by group size and tool. Rather than post a figure that may not fit your situation, we share the number on a Clarity Call, where it reflects the actual scope being discussed.
Is travel included?
Travel is broken out as a separate line item in every proposal. BlueChip is based in Edmonton; on-site days outside the Edmonton area include travel, costed transparently in the proposal so there are no surprises at invoice time.
Are there discounts for longer engagements?
Embedded HR Retainers run on a six-month minimum, with twelve-month engagements available where the relationship needs that runway. Pricing is the same per month at either commitment length — the longer engagement is about depth of work, not a discount.
Governance Evaluations.
What is Preventative Governance, and how is it different from a one-off evaluation?
Preventative Governance treats the Council-CAO relationship as infrastructure worth maintaining on purpose, not repairing under pressure. Every municipality starts with a Governance Health Check, then steps into an annual Governance Relationship (Essentials, Alignment, or Partnership) sized to fit. The annual CAO evaluation is still the anchor event inside that relationship; it's now wrapped in a year-round rhythm instead of standing alone.
How long does a governance evaluation take?
Approximately ten to twelve weeks from kickoff to board presentation. The optional half-year check-in extends the engagement to roughly six months. Best practice is an annual full evaluation, with the check-in landing at the midpoint.
Who sees the final report?
The council or board chair and the leader being evaluated. The full council or board reviews it in closed session. The report is not posted publicly or shared outside that room. Where Alberta's Access to Information Act and Protection of Privacy Act (formerly FOIP) apply, the report sits under the same personnel and personal-information exemptions that protect any other senior-leader performance record. That isn't guesswork: it reflects four years spent inside a municipality handling exactly this kind of record, so the protocol is built to hold up, not just look compliant on paper.
What if the leader being evaluated is uncomfortable with the process?
That discomfort is common, and it usually says more about how evaluations have been run before than about the leader. The process is designed to address it directly: the leader is briefed before interviews begin, completes a self-reflection alongside the stakeholder interviews, reads the draft report before the board sees it, and is in the room for the board presentation. Done with them, not to them.
Can BlueChip take over an evaluation that's already underway?
Often, yes. The deciding factors are what's already happened, how stakeholders have already been engaged, and whether the existing process can be folded into a clean BlueChip engagement or is better set aside and restarted. A Clarity Call is the right place to map the cleanest path forward from where you are.
If your board is ready to talk specifics, book a Clarity Call. Haven't done the Governance Health Check's free read yet? Do that first and the $99 is waived.
Leadership Academies.
Can a single organization run a cohort by itself?
Yes. Single-organization cohorts are available where one organization wants to invest in its own leadership bench. The regional cohort model is the default because it produces a more diverse peer group, but a single-org cohort works when the organization has eight to twelve senior leaders ready for development at the same level.
What if we can't send eight to twelve participants from one organization?
That's exactly when a regional cohort makes sense — neighbouring municipalities, library systems, or post-secondary departments pool a few participants each into one cohort. A regional cohort typically draws two to four participating organizations.
Where does the cohort meet?
In-person, with venue negotiated per cohort based on geography and the participating organizations. The venue gets locked in once the cohort is formed.
Embedded HR Retainers.
What's the difference between Essential Advisory and Strategic Growth?
Essential Advisory is one full day per month plus unlimited email. It's a thinking-partner cadence, enough for a founder to bring the few biggest people decisions of the month and pressure-test them. Strategic Growth is three full days per month with priority response on urgent issues. It's an embedded cadence, enough for BlueChip to run projects alongside the founder, not just consult on them. The retainer for each is scoped on a Clarity Call.
Can I switch tiers?
Yes. Tier switching is allowed at the six-month mark. If Essential Advisory is too light or Strategic Growth is more capacity than the company actually uses, the tier can flex at the renewal point.
Why don't retainers include compliance, payroll, or benefits?
Compliance, payroll, and benefits are real disciplines with specialists who do them well — and they're priced for the work they do. A senior advisory retainer is priced for the senior decisions only a senior thinker can run, so that's where BlueChip stays focused. If what you need is a compliance audit, a payroll switchover, or a benefits broker, BlueChip will tell you that directly and point you toward someone whose practice is built for it.
Assessments.
Are the reports confidential?
Yes. Individual reports are confidential to the participant. Team reports are confidential to the team. Group debrief sessions are structured so individual results aren't disclosed without the participant's consent. Where assessments are part of a hiring or promotion decision, the use of the data is agreed up front and stays inside that scope.
What instruments does BlueChip use?
BlueChip uses validated psychometric instruments from established publishers. The specific instruments are matched to the use case, and discussed on a Clarity Call along with what each one measures and how the results are debriefed.
Can I commission a single assessment for one person?
Yes — particularly common with the Leadership Readiness Assessment before a promotion decision. Most assessments are also available as group engagements, which is where they typically deliver the most value.
Working with BlueChip.
Do you work outside Alberta or outside Canada?
Yes. Available across Canada and the United States. Travel is broken out separately in every proposal.
How quickly can BlueChip start?
It depends on the engagement. Standalone assessments and Clarity Calls book within one to two weeks. Governance evaluations typically book six to eight weeks out, given the scoping work and stakeholder availability. Leadership Academies run on a fixed September–May calendar; the next cohort intake is determined annually.
Can BlueChip work on multiple services at once for the same organization?
Often, yes — and it's frequently the right structure. A governance evaluation for the senior leader, a Leadership Academy for the broader leadership team, and an Embedded HR Retainer for the HR director can all run in parallel. The Clarity Call is the right place to map out which combination fits.
Still have a question?
If your question isn't on this list, ask it on a Clarity Call. Most things that matter for a fit decision are easier to talk through than to put on a website.
Where to go from here.
Book a Clarity Call
You know the situation. You want a working conversation with someone who'll tell you the truth and map next steps. Fee credited against the first invoice if you engage.
Book a Clarity Call →