Pondering Tree
Build Better · coaching cards for everyday life

Help one person get better at what matters most.

Build Better is a deck of 122 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, find the lever that will move them, and leave with one step said out loud.

Get the deck
$149.95AUD incl. GST
or digital only, $49.95 · add a Player's Guide
122cards
5phases
50minutes
1–5coaches
How it works

Five phases. One step said out loud.

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. Open each phase by laying its coloured Phase card face up, and finish one phase before you start the next.

Phase 1 card: Who? Understand the person.
Phase 1 · Who? · about 15 min

Understand the person

  1. Choose one person. Deal a People card, or pick one that reads like the person you're coaching. Coaching someone real? Let them describe themselves.
  2. Read it aloud. Everyone says what they notice: strengths first, then what's getting in the way.
  3. Find real moments. Back each read with a moment: when did it show up, and when did it backfire?

Done when everyone can say, in one sentence, what's really going on for them.

Phase 2 card: What? Decide what matters.
Phase 2 · What? · about 15 min

Decide what matters

  1. Choose your lens. Flip the Now or Next card: better as things are, or ready for what's coming?
  2. Deal and sort. Lay out the four Sort cards. Deal the Behaviour cards, and the AI cards if they fit, and place each one where it belongs.
  3. Test the Essentials. Turn them over and ask their three questions. Agree which one or two need the most work.

Done when you have no more than three Essentials and can say why the others were left out.

Phase 3 card: So what? Choose what to do.
Phase 3 · So what? · about 15 min

Choose what to do

  1. Find the lever. For each Essential, ask which lever is holding it back: Craft, Character, Capacity or Drive.
  2. Pull it on purpose. Use the + and – sides of the Lever card. Say it as: if we do this, then that changes, so this result follows.
  3. Write one step. One behaviour, one lever, one step. Who does what, by when.

Done when the step is written down and you've agreed when you'll check in.

Phase 4 card: Now what? Commit and go.
Phase 4 · Now what? · about 5 min

Commit and go

  1. Say it out loud. The person reads their step to the table in their own words: “I will… starting…”
  2. Name a check-in buddy. One person who will follow up, with the date in both calendars before anyone leaves.
  3. Take the first bite. Something small they'll do within 48 hours.
Phase 5 card: To be continued. Keep it going.
Phase 5 · To be continued · after you play

Keep it going

  1. Write it down. Every session ends in something written: one behaviour, one lever, one step.
  2. Check in within a month. Ask what moved. Celebrate it, then pick the next lever.
  3. Take it to work. The A3 playmats turn the same cards into a plan, a review or a handover.
Setting up the table

Four cards out. Everything else stays in the box.

Your first session needs one People card, the Phases card, the Reference card, and the four Sort cards with Now or Next above them. Each phase brings new cards onto the table. Tap a phase to see what's in play.

People card who you're helping Phase card opens each phase Now or Next Behaviour and AI cards dealt under the Sort card they fit Lever card + or – side up, beside your Essentials I will… by… check-in: Phases + Reference

Phase 1 · Who? Deal one People card face up and read it aloud. Keep the Phases and Reference cards in front of you.

Start Here card, front: 5 phases, 50 minutes, 1 to 5 coaches. Take out 1 People card, the Phases card, the Reference card and the 4 Sort cards plus Now or Next. Start Here card, back: start with a story. Deal one People card face up, ask what's really going on, then turn to the Phases card.

The rules travel with the deck.

Every card is 105 × 70 mm and printed on both sides. The coloured pill names the card type, the tag names the phase, and the footer strip gives you the next question to ask. New here? Turn over the Start Here card. Stuck on a word? It's on the Reference card.

Hover or tap the card to turn it over.

The model

Better comes from better behaviours.

Results don't change on their own. They change when behaviours change. And behaviours change when you pull the right lever underneath them.

To be better = Levers × Behaviours → Results
CraftWhat they know and can doMethods · Insights · Models · Technical · Skills · Knowledge
CharacterJudgement, ownership, consistencyWisdom · Insights · Resilience · Experience · Narratives
CapacityHow much complexity and load they can carryMental horsepower · Energy
DriveWhat makes them want toTemperament · Value for the work
Craft lever, plus side: when craft is strong.
+ side: where the lever already works for them.
Craft lever, minus side: when craft is missing.
– side: what it looks like when it's missing.

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. Lay up to four Lever cards together to get to the root of it.

What's inside

122 cards that teach themselves.

Seven kinds of card, each with a job. Browse every card, front and back →

Card typeHow manyWhat it does
Guide and Phase10Title, Start Here, Phases, Reference, the five coloured Phase cards and the Closing card. The rules travel with the deck.
People35Someone to help: a story, a starting read on the four levers, a quote in their own words and three directions.
Behaviours55Everyday behaviours in six colour-coded families. The front shows what good looks like; the back helps you assess it.
AI Competency10An intro card and nine competencies for anyone using AI to study, work, run a home or keep learning.
Levers4Craft, Character, Capacity and Drive, each with a + side (when it's strong) and a – side (when it's missing).
Sort4Essential, Important, Useful, Not now. They turn a pile of behaviours into a decision.
Ways to play4More Ways to Play, Parallel Hand, The Company They Keep, and Now or Next.
Maggie, back of card: the trap she's in, a quote in her voice and three directions.
People, back: the trap they're in, a quote in their voice and three directions to explore.
Listens to understand, back of card: questions to assess it.
Behaviours, back: three questions to test an Essential.
Competency with AI intro card.
AI Competency: having AI is not the same as being competent with it.

35 People, every age and stage

From primary-school kids to retirees, carers, tradies and grandparents. 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.

55 behaviours in six families

What good looks like at the dinner table, at school, at the footy club and at work, rewritten for today: online, on screen and with technology in the mix. Each family has its own colour pill.

Played it before?

Six ways to play it differently.

Each one changes one thing about the standard session. New rule? Play a quick practice round first.

Two linked people

Parallel Hand

When one person's better depends on another, like an owner handing over to a successor, coach both side by side. Finish with three steps: one each, and one together.

Time horizon

Now or Next

Better as things are, or ready for what's coming? Choose the lens before you sort. Play both and compare: the gap is the goal.

The mix

The company they keep

Maybe it isn't them, it's the mix. Who else fills their role, and what gap could be theirs?

Life with AI

AI round

Deal only the AI cards and sort them the same way. Best when AI is already changing their study, work or home.

Solo

Coach yourself

One person, one table. Answer every question twice, first as coach, then as you. Solo play is first-class, not a fallback.

Short on time

Quick round

15 minutes. Draw one Behaviour card face down, find one lever, agree on one step. A good check-in a month after a full session.

The Build Better set

One deck. Three Player's Guides.

The deck works on its own. Each Player's Guide shows you how to play it for a different moment in life, with real cards and step-by-step photos on every page: 80 full-colour pages, a casebook of six real-life sessions, field guides to all 55 behaviours and the four levers, a question bank, and its own set of playmats. Buy the deck alone, or add one book or all three.

Start Better Player's Guide cover, book 1 of the Build Better set. Book 1

Start Better

For people starting something new and building momentum: a new job, school, team, place or habit. Worked example: Tariq, The New Arrival.

Playmats: First 90 Days, Welcome Plan, Habit Starter, Goal to Plan, First Connections, Launch Plan.

$89.95 paperback
Grow Better Player's Guide cover, book 2 of the Build Better set. Book 2

Grow Better

For people in motion: getting better in the life or role they're already in, at home and at work. Worked example: Maggie, The Yes Person.

Playmats: Job Description, Interview Guide, Performance Assessment, Development Plan, One-on-One Prep, Team Mix.

$89.95 paperback
Transition Better Player's Guide cover, book 3 of the Build Better set. Book 3

Transition Better

For people moving on, leaving or finishing a chapter: handovers, succession, retirement and endings. Worked example: Greg, The Company Man.

Playmats: Handover Plan, Succession Plan, Stay or Go, Next Chapter, Ending Well, Exit Conversation.

$89.95 paperback
All three books: $129.95 save $139.90 on buying them one at a time
Add books to your order

Every deck and every digital purchase includes all three Player's Guides as PDFs. The paperbacks are printed in full colour and posted with your deck.

Printable A3 playmats

Lay the cards down. Write beside them. Get a plan.

Each book has its own set of eight A3 mats: a two-part Complete mat for a full five-phase session, and six workflow mats that each do one job. Every mat runs left to right through the same five phases, so once you've played one, you can play them all.

First 90 Days playmat with numbered markers showing how to use it. 1 2 3 4 5
  1. Print at A3, 100% or actual size, not fit to page, so each bay measures 105 × 70 mm.
  2. Lay your cards in the bays. The heading above each bay says which card and which side faces up.
  3. Put the key result on a sticky note. There's no card for it on purpose: the result is always in your own words.
  4. Write in the boxes beside each card, in plain words, left to right through the five phases.
  5. Snap a photo of the whole mat and take it to your AI assistant with the prompt printed on the mat. It drafts the one-page document; you check every line.
Start Better playmats: $19.95 each, or all eight for $39.95 (AUD, incl. GST). Download the PDFs from your Pondering Tree account straight after checkout.
Get the set · $39.95
These playmats go on sale very soon. Email hello@ponderingtree.com and we'll send them the moment they're in the shop.
In the box

Everything you need for the first conversation.

All you add is a table, a pen, about 50 minutes and someone worth helping. Designed by Scott Buley, who has worked in people and organisational development across a wide range of industries.

Build Better is a companion to, and separate from, the Blueprints for Leadership book series. The deck works on its own.

  • 122 cards with rounded corners, 105 × 70 mm, in a tuck box
  • 35 People, 55 Behaviours, 10 AI Competency cards
  • 4 Levers, 4 Sort cards, 4 Ways to Play and 10 Guide and Phase cards
  • Solo play, or group play for up to five coaches
  • Six ways to play
  • The digital card table, online
  • All three Player's Guides as PDFs
  • An AI voice guide that runs the session out loud
Order

Get your Build Better deck.

Secure checkout by Stripe. Pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. You'll get an email receipt straight away and a tracking number when your order ships from Adelaide.

Every deck includes the digital card table and all three Player's Guides as PDFs, so you can start the day you order.

Want the printed books? Add one, two or all three to your order. They're posted with your deck.

Postage: $15 within Australia, $45 to New Zealand, the USA, Canada, the UK and Ireland.

Build Better deck122 cards, digital card table, all three guides (PDF)
$149.95
1 decks
Add the printed Player's Guides $89.95 each · all three $129.95
Post to
Digital onlyThe card table on any computer or tablet, plus all three guides as PDFs. No deck is posted.
$49.95
Get digital access

Already have the deck? Email us to order the printed books on their own.

Questions

FAQ

How long does a session take?

About 50 minutes: three phases of about 15 minutes each, then five minutes to commit. Phase 5, To be continued, happens after you play. A quick round takes 15 minutes, and a Parallel Hand runs about 75.

Do I need one of the books?

No. The Start Here, Phases and Reference cards carry the rules, so the deck teaches itself, and every deck comes with all three Player's Guides as PDFs. Buy a printed guide if you'd like it on the table, or if you want its worked examples and playmats for a particular moment: starting, growing or moving on.

Which book should I choose?

Start Better if someone is starting something new. Grow Better if they're getting better in the life or role they already have, including at work. Transition Better if they're moving on, handing over or finishing a chapter. All three teach the same game; what changes is the moment, the worked examples and the playmats.

Can I play on my own?

Yes. Coach yourself by answering every question twice, first as the coach and then as you. Solo play is first-class, not a fallback.

Do I have to use a People card?

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.

Can I use it at work?

Yes. The Grow Better playmats turn a spread of cards into a job description, interview guide, performance assessment, development plan, one-on-one plan or team-mix summary. The Start Better and Transition Better mats cover onboarding, first 90 days, handovers, succession and exit conversations.

Is there a voice guide?

Yes. If you have the deck or digital access, open the voice guide. It's an AI that runs the session out loud, keeps time, and makes sure you finish with one step written down. You and the people at your table still do the coaching. It's for people aged 18 and over.

When will my order ship?

Orders are packed in Adelaide and usually ship within three business days. Books are posted with your deck. You'll get tracking by email.

Can I return it?

If your order 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.

Do you offer bulk pricing for teams or schools?

Yes. Email hello@ponderingtree.com with how many decks you need.