I spend days with leaders developing their strategic plan. We assess, discuss, scheme, and envision. They leave with clear priorities, and a deeper collective spirit. Before we close our session I assign the following action steps to keep all of their planning from drying up and dying on the vine.
Meet with your teams. Review the firm’s strategic priorities. Tell them how you landed on this focus and why it is important for them and for the firm. Answer their questions.
Take your teams through some of the group exercises from the planning session. This serves two purposes. First, to gather additional insights that will help you develop well rounded implementation strategies. And second, to gain their buy-in by deepening their understanding of the ins and outs of firm management.
And finally, KEEP THE STRATEGIC PLAN ALIVE through regular status reports and updates, discuss lessons learned, celebrate successes and milestones. Keep the strategic priorities front and center so the plan will grow deep roots and bloom into something singular and spectacular.
Saturate at all Levels
Leaders leave our planning sessions having planted strategic seeds, and watered them with deep discussion and thoughtful consideration. The soil is ripe and fertile at their level. But, those who weren’t there (the other levels of the organization), are parched with a ‘business as usual’ perspective. None of the great strategic ideas and innovative solutions will take hold until all layers of the organizations are saturated with this information and understanding.
By thoughtfully bringing your teams along in the planning process your strategic focus will grow deep and strong roots, creating conditions to support bold ideas and transformational actions.
Meet with your teams to introduce your plan. Answer their questions. Gather their insights. Deepen their understanding. Grow collective roots that will enable your strategies to bloom into something singular and spectacular!