Throw away the “how to” business books, clear your desk of the articles you’ve printed on strategic planning (except this one) and pull out your calendar. Keeping a calendar for your strategy could be the single most useful tool for the success of your strategic plan.
1) Setting Expectations with Your Annual Strategic Planning Meeting Date:
Get this on the calendar now. And set a date that is consistent year after year. The sooner you have an annual date in the company calendar for your strategic planning meetings, the less work you will have to get your team scheduled. The Board knows, the employees know, the families know … even your customers know that this is important time for you to be away for a few days working with your team. If you’re scheduling your first retreat, try working it into your Q4 schedule. Hit the ground running when everyone gets back into work mode at the beginning of the next year. And be sure to schedule the same date on the calendar for the years to come.
2) Holding Your Team Accountable:
One of the biggest mistakes made after a strategic planning retreat is lack of follow through. It’s not enough to assume that when you all come back from a few days of hard work, fire in your bellies and full of commitment, that everyone will act on what was laid out in your plan. You have to hold your team accountable. A solution to ensuring follow through? Schedule monthly leadership meetings. A time to go through everyone’s tasks created on the retreat and work through the whys and the why nots. Don’t make the meetings long. Two hours max. But make sure it happens once a month. Every second Tuesday of the month. 8:00AM-10:00AM. Reoccurrence for 5 years. Invite attendees. Done.
3) Waking Up with a Reality Check:
Take a look at your annual strategic planning meeting date and go out six months. Pick one day on the calendar that the same team will reconvene to go through a “reality check” on where the business stands since your planning meeting six months ago. Try to schedule a full strategic planning “reload” day with your team. Make this on the second Tuesday of the sixth month so you already have the date on their calendars (from above), but also so you don't become an example in the next edition of “Death by Meetings.” Make your agenda as simple and clear as possible. Use a high level one page snapshot of your strategic plan and be sure the team knows the agenda ahead of time. Quickly review vision, mission and your common goal so you are not spending time reinventing the wheel … then get into the real meat of your strategy … reloading your strategic objectives.
4) Controlling Your 3rd Party Facilitator’s Schedule:
So, you’ve set your strategic planning calendar with the annual retreat, a reload session six months out and monthly meetings that your executive team has blocked out in their own calendars. Great. Now, share it with your 3rd party facilitator. The benefit? They now have the same dates blocked off to facilitate the annual retreat with no other conflicts. And they can begin preparing immediately. If you want your facilitator at your six month reload meeting, that would be a bonus so you can remain part of the audience. Run the monthly meetings on your own, but be sure your facilitator knows when they are so s/he can provide probing questions to use, information and consult in advance of the meeting. In addition, it allows your facilitator to know how your plan is coming along to prepare for the next annual meeting.
5) Leading by Example, Proving You Are a Leader:
Putting dates on the calendar for strategic planning time sets a serious tone. Not only does it give deadlines to hold people accountable, it shows your commitment to the plan. Your next step as the owner of that “strategic” calendar? Do NOT cancel or move any of the meetings. This will deflate what you are trying to accomplish and leave people feeling your lack of commitment. If a big client is in town and wants to see you, make this the one time it is on YOUR time and meet with him later. If your client doesn’t understand why you are committed to being at an important team meeting, then perhaps they don’t get business in general. Lead by example. Be present. Be consistent. Set expectations. Call in from out of town if you absolutely must, but be sure you are present at each meeting, following a consistent agenda and holding your team accountable. This is by far one of THE best skills you can prove as a leader. Create the strategy. Lead the strategy. Succeed with your strategy.
Life. Embrace it. Own it. Live it.
Copywrite 2011 half full, llc. All rights reserved.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Share This
.jpg){kind=small}