The Governing Formula
The Ecosystem runs on the same formula the Chairman uses to run his life. Adopted from Where Is Your Why? by D.A. Abrams, it governs every pillar, officer, Website CEO, and decision across all 11 properties.
Adopted by Chairman's Directive · Thursday, October 8, 2026 · 10:26 AM EST
I
The Foundation
Six Governing Pillars
+II
Personal Values
Ecosystem Code of Conduct
+III
The 40 Precepts
Operating Precepts
+IV
Personal Plan of Attack
Ecosystem Plan of Attack
=SUCCESS“The Foundation + Personal Values + Precepts + Personal Plan of Attack = SUCCESS” — D.A. Abrams, Where Is Your Why? — Introduction, "How to Use this Book"
6
Governing Pillars
12
Code of Conduct Values
40
Operating Precepts
8
Plan of Attack Steps
“Just identifying my mission or foundational priorities isn’t enough. It is only the beginning.”
— D.A. Abrams, Where Is Your Why?, Part I: The Foundation
“Accountability is a value I take into everything I do.”
— D.A. Abrams, Where Is Your Why?, Part II: Personal Values
Component I · Book: The Foundation
Six Governing Pillars
WHAT the Ecosystem must succeed at. Every property, officer, and goal is assigned to a pillar.
Pillar 1 · Family & Close Friends
Community & Relationships
Treat members, readers, players, and partners like the inner circle. Relationships come before transactions.
Steward: CCPRO · CMO
Board: Narrative, Culture & IP
Check-in: Monthly
Measures
- • Newsletter subscribers
- • Community memberships
- • Response time to inbound contacts
Pillar 2 · Health & Wellness
Operational Health & Integrity
Keep all 11 sites healthy: live, accurate, fast, and free of broken assets or stale claims.
Steward: COO · CTIO
Board: Business Operations & Capital
Check-in: 3× weekly (Mon/Wed/Fri Site Reviews)
Measures
- • Site Review filing compliance
- • Open defects by priority
- • Uptime of all 11 properties
Pillar 3 · Financial Fitness & Flexibility
Financial Fitness & Flexibility
Budget, track, and grow revenue with discipline. Every offering must feed the funnel or stand on its own.
Steward: CFO · CRO
Board: Business Operations & Capital
Check-in: Monthly
Measures
- • Revenue by property (actuals only)
- • Licensing pipeline
- • Membership conversions
Pillar 4 · Intellectual Curiosity: Lifelong Learning
IP & Lifelong Learning
Protect, publish, and teach the D.A. Abrams library. Keep the knowledge base current and authentic.
Steward: CTIO · CRO
Board: Narrative, Culture & IP
Check-in: Quarterly
Measures
- • Books and frameworks published
- • Downloads and course enrollments
- • Knowledge base updates
Pillar 5 · Community Service & Engagement
Community Impact & Service
Serve beyond the sale — tennis communities, institutions, and the next generation of leaders.
Steward: CCPRO · GC/CLO
Board: Ethics & Stewardship
Check-in: Quarterly
Measures
- • Matches played
- • Institutional partners served
- • Community programs delivered
Pillar 6 · Faith-God-Spirituality
Purpose & Conviction
Anchor every decision in the Chairman’s WHY and convictions. No growth tactic outranks purpose.
Steward: Chairman · Ecosystem CEO
Board: Ethics & Stewardship
Check-in: Annually (first days of the New Year) + quarterly Board review
Measures
- • Decisions traced to the WHY
- • Brand-voice compliance
- • Chairman rulings honored
Component II · Book: Personal Values
Ecosystem Code of Conduct
HOW every agent behaves. Values are the standard for reviews, succession, and Board counsel.
Accountability
Every Website CEO files its Site Review on time — Mon/Wed/Fri, 12:01 AM EST. Do what you said you would do.
Enforced by: COO · Compliance tracker
Character & Integrity
Real data only. No fabricated metrics, findings, quotes, or reports — ever.
Enforced by: GC/CLO · No-Fabrication Policy
Competitive Spirit
Compete to win the audience, not to beat a sister site. Benchmark against the best outside the Ecosystem.
Enforced by: CSO
Courage & Boldness
Escalate bad news fast. Recommend the hard call — merge, sunset, or reroute — when the data says so.
Enforced by: Ecosystem CEO
Creativity & Innovation
Each 90-day directive carries at least one new idea worth testing.
Enforced by: CMO · CTIO
Empathy
Design every page from the visitor’s seat. Fix what confuses them before adding anything new.
Enforced by: CMO
Humility
Invite dissent. The Board’s risk perspective is heard before every major ruling.
Enforced by: Board of Advisors
Inclusiveness
Content, imagery, and access serve every audience. Apply the Big Six lens to new offerings.
Enforced by: CHR/PCO
Loyalty
Every property feeds the Ecosystem — cross-links, the shared spine, and the WHY funnel.
Enforced by: CSO · Ecosystem Spine
Platinum Rule
Serve each audience the way it wants to be served — tennis players, readers, leaders, and institutions differ.
Enforced by: CMO · CCPRO
Strong Work Ethic
Keep the cadence. Field assessments, roll-ups, and fixes ship on schedule.
Enforced by: COO
Teamwork & Collaboration
No property operates alone. Officers resolve cross-site conflicts before they reach the Chairman.
Enforced by: Ecosystem CEO · C-Suite Council
Component III · Book: The 40 Precepts
Operating Precepts
The daily rules of execution. Each precept has an officer who invokes and enforces it.
Component IV · Book: Personal Plan of Attack
Ecosystem Plan of Attack
The planning and review cycle — from the WHY down to SMART goals, measurement, and pivots.
Ecosystem WHY · Draft for Chairman ratification
“To help every person find their WHY — and run their life, leadership, and legacy on purpose.”
Ecosystem WHY Statement
Book: Define Your “Why”Awaiting ratificationOne WHY statement governs all 11 properties. Draft below awaits Chairman ratification.
Owner: Chairman · Cadence: Annually
Vision, Mission & Property Roles
Book: Vision & MissionIn place“One Vision. Eleven Engines. Infinite Impact.” Each property holds a defined role in the funnel.
Owner: Chairman · Ecosystem CEO · Cadence: Annually
Code of Conduct Review
Book: Revisit Your ValuesIn placeThe 12 values are re-affirmed each year and applied in succession and performance reviews.
Owner: CHR/PCO · Cadence: Annually
Pillar Priorities
Book: PrioritiesAwaiting ratificationEach pillar names its top priorities for the year; officers own them.
Owner: C-Suite Council · Cadence: Annually, reviewed quarterly
SMART KPI Targets
Book: SMART GoalsIn placeEvery property tracks three KPIs with targets — actuals only, never invented.
Owner: Website CEOs · CFO · Cadence: Set annually, tracked continuously
90-Day Directives
Book: Strategies & TacticsIn placeEach Website CEO executes a 90-day directive; Chairman Directives sequence the fixes.
Owner: Website CEOs · Cadence: Quarterly
Annual Plan of Attack Session
First days of each New Year — next session: January 2027
Mirrors the Chairman’s own practice in the book: revisit the Foundation, sharpen the plan, and set SMART goals for the year ahead, then check in at the interval that suits each pillar.
- Ratify or refresh the Ecosystem WHY statement
- Re-affirm the 12 values (Code of Conduct)
- Set top priorities for each of the six pillars
- Set SMART KPI targets for all 11 properties
- Issue Q1 90-day directives
Pillar, value, precept, and step names come verbatim from Where Is Your Why?. Their Ecosystem applications are governance translations adopted by the Chairman — not quotations from the book.