So You’re Ready for Strategic Planning...But is Your Team On Board?
By Michael Wilkinson
Certified Master Facilitator
Managing Director, Leadership Strategies, Inc.
Author, The Secrets of Facilitation andThe Secrets to Masterful Meetings
Leaders must lead. Whether it’s a large corporation, a non-profit, a government agency, a department, a project or a team, the leader is responsible for ensuring that the organization has a clear strategic direction and a plan for making that direction a reality. I believe every leader should have a strategic plan.
Unfortunately, it happens where a leader is ready for strategic planning, but their team is not. What if your team isn’t ready? What do you do? Perhaps more importantly, how do you know whether your team is really ready to begin strategic planning?
Is your team ready?
A good gauge for determining if the team is ready for strategic planning is to answer the following questions.
- Is there a widely held belief that there is a need for a shared direction and agreed upon priorities?
- Are the key issues to be addressed by the plan identified?
- Has the outcome and benefit of planning been clearly delineated?
- Has an approach and timeline for strategic planning been agreed to?
- Has the group agreed how this planning process needs to be different from past processes?
- Has the team determined who should be in the room when the plan is developed and how you will gain the buy-in of those not in the room?
- Are the people who need to be in the room willing to commit the time and resources required?
- Has the information that needs to be compiled in advance of planning been identified, including results from past planning efforts?
If you’re able to answer these questions with yeses, you’re ready for strategic planning with your team.
If your team isn’t ready for planning, or if you’re not sure whether they are ready, the first recommended step is a strategic plan briefing. I have found the management briefing as a tremendous tool for preparing your team for planning.
Why do a Management Briefing?
There are several benefits to the management briefing.
- Your planning team will walk away with a common view of the issues to be addressed.
- They will have determined what modifications might be needed to the standard planning approach ensuring that their issues are fully addressed.
- They will have agreed on a set of strategy definitions.
- They will have begun identifying the information they need to gather making the planning session highly productive.
- They will have assigned responsibilities for ensuring that the key information is gathered and that the necessary steps are taken to prepare for the retreat.
- Executive teams typically walk away with increased buy-in and commitment to participate in the planning effort and follow through on actions.
How does a Management Briefing Work?
Below is a high-level agenda for the management briefing.
Purpose:
To gain buy-in from the management team to execute
the strategic planning process.
Products:
- Key issues facing the organization
- Strategy approach
- Information needed for the briefing book
- Names for the planning team and situation assessment team
- Next steps
Timing: 90 - 120 minutes
Agenda:
- Getting Started
- Review the purpose and outcomes for the briefing.
- Key Issues
- Use brainstorming and grouping techniques to get the participants to identify the most important issues facing the organization.
- A Standard Strategic Planning Approach
- Describe your approach for strategic planning; be sure to use an example that makes clear the definitions of the different components.
- Modifying the Approach
- Have the participants link the issues to the approach.
- Ask participants to identify strengths and concerns about the approach.
- Agree upon adjustments to ensure the approach addresses the key issues as needed.
- Discuss who should be involved at what level in the planning effort.
- Situation Assessment
- Determine the information that should be gathered and distributed in advanced to ensure all members of the planning team start with a common foundation of information about the organization’s performance, customers, employees, industry, and competitors.
- Logistics
- Define key information about the planning process, including the when, where, who, and how of the planning retreat.
- Next Steps
- Identify the immediate next steps following the meeting.
If successful, the management briefing will provide a strong foundation for launching your strategic planning activities. You can learn more about strategic planning techniques in our on-line strategy course, Springboard Online! If you would like assistance in developing your strategic plan, you may be interested in looking at our three strategic planning packages.
Michael Wilkinson is the Managing Director of Leadership Strategies – The Facilitation Company and author of The Secrets of Facilitation and The Secrets to Masterful Meetings. He is a Certified Master Facilitator and a much sought after strategic planning facilitator and speaker. |
