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3 Reasons Your Strategic Plan Will Fail – (& One Sure-fire Way to a Winning Plan!)

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When Strategic Planning is Broken

 

There are three common approaches to strategic planning.

All of them are a complete waste of time, money and effort.

 

Strategic Planning the Wrong Way – Option 1

Lego Yoda_flickr_leg0fenris_cc_license_origin_4557076925_with_yoda_quote_and_attribution.jpg

Seriously.  The biggest waste of money is no plan at all.

 

Strategic Planning the Wrong Way – Option 2

Today I’m reviewing a client’s proposed “strategic plan.”

Most of the time when I work with a client on this, their original plan looks a little like this:

crazy filled in calendar flickr Dru Bloomfield - at home in Scottsdale - cc license_origin_4507847940_blurred_with_attribution.jpgThis one today is no different.

The “plan” is to have each department come up with a list of

  • What they did last year
  • What they will do next year

Each functional team creates a mind-numbing detail-filled PowerPoint deck which they will be given an hour to present during the “planning meeting.”

 

This one feels better than no plan at all, but it’s still a waste.

People work really hard to try to communicate status and plan, and yet they end up leaving everyone’s brain spinning with all the minute details of everything that each department thinks they will do if the stars align.

This simply does not work.

Strategic Planning the Wrong Way – option 3

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

This one is a favorite, too.  We all get together in a room and

  • “Seek enlightenment”
  • “Throw away the box”
  • “Blue Sky”
  • “Anything is Possible”

This provides an interesting thought exercise, but a lack of structure leads to a “new, innovative strategy” but no action is taken.  It’s a waste.

Research shows that 90% of all strategic planning efforts are a complete waste of money!

Does your strategy matter?

When strategy is not important fish swimming in bowl -flickr cc license 3000884576_0ffbb17d38_o

If your strategy doesn’t matter – let’s say you’re a goldfish, and your strategy consists of swimming in circles, then don’t worry about doing strategic planning.

 

If you’re not a goldfish, you probably want to make plan.

 

But… If the 3 most common approaches fail, what DOES work?

Triangle

A great strategic plan includes

  • A high level view – what’s the VISION for what we will accomplish?
  • A refinement of what you’re already doing – what do we need to change to get from here to there?
  • What PRIORITY will these new activities have relative to the rest of your work?  What might you need to STOP doing to fit this in?
  • A set of ACTION STEPS to take – SMALL, MEASURABLE STEPS, not big ones – If you’re a couch potato today, you won’t be running a marathon tomorrow – what can you REASONABLY accomplish given the current project load?
  • An owner for each activity – WHO will do the work?
  • A due date for when the owner will make progress – When will it be done?
  • A success measurement – How will you know it worked?
  • A plan to revisit the plan – SPECIFICALLY when will you regroup to check action against plan?

 

A strong tie to action is the key to successful strategic planning.

This can be hard, but it is completely doable!

 

ACTION POINT

You know you need a good plan, and you’re ready to take action.  Here are 2 possible approaches

Option 1: Do it yourself

Take this list above and create the agenda for your strategic planning meeting

you know what to do but will you do it

I have a client who invested in a strategic planning session.  It REALLY worked.  They worked better as a team and achieved a lot of the ideas that they had been thinking about.

The next year they said “We know what to do now.  Let’s take the plan from last year and revise it.  We’ll save all that consulting money we paid to the coach!”

Guess what?  They didn’t “get around to doing the plan” and the next year, they had not made any progress.  They knew what to do, and didn’t have the discipline to do it on their own.

For their upcoming fiscal year they have allocated budget dollars to get some help.

 Option 2: Let me help you

I can help you

  • Plan for your planning summit,
  • Facilitate the discussions,
  • Keep you on track,
  • Document your:
    • Decisions made,
    • Priorities set,
    • Owners,
    • Deliverables,
    • Due dates and create your accountability plan

Companies that succeed do it through a disciplined process.

Give me a call at 240-668-4799.

I’d love to help you move forward with more of this:

fireworks_flickr_puliarf_cc_license_origin_3692509089_with_attribution.jpg

and less of this:

cl_install_plan.jpg

 

 Want more information?

Action-Oriented Strategy

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Or – you can find the full catalog of my services here:

Catalog of services cover march 2014

 

"These people make me crazy! Why won't they get off their butts and do the simplest thing?"

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Angry_man_cropped_attribution_flikr-heraldoferrary_5644465396_296ccf9e72_b.jpgThe Outburst

We were sitting around the convergence room table during the sales pipeline meeting when suddenly Gary exploded in response to something Frank said.

You told Jack WHAT?  What the hell were you thinking!?!?!  Why did you tell Jack we could help them with that?  We don’t even DO that!

 

The profanity-laced tirade went on for several minutes.  The tension in the room built as Gary unpacked his frustrations on a stunned Frank.

At first, Frank attempted to sputter a response.  This seemed only to fuel Gary’s anger.   Cowed by the personal attacks, eventually Frank settled into sitting in silence,  enduring the tongue lashing he “deserved” for doing something that Gary thought was stupid.

This was not the first time this had happened.  I, too, had been the recipient of one of Gary’s attacks.   It was awful.  Every. Time.  Awful for the target and for each of us around the table.  Based on our experience, we recognized that the fastest way to bring it to a close was to sit down, shut up, and hang on.

After Gary unloaded, it was over for him, and he returned to work as if nothing unusual had happened.

 

Observations

  1. Conflict was seen as bad: Gary was not comfortable with conflict.  He had expectations of people on his team.  Of course, he did not consistently (or clearly) communicate those expectations to others.
  2. Since team members didn’t know what he wanted, they were unable to meet his expectations.  They guessed, experimented, tried, and far too often they failed to do exactly what he would have done in that situation.
  3. Gary would notice that performance was not as he expected.  He would be frustrated and begin to stew on the “failure.”  This frustration would churn around and get bigger.
  4. Gary would confide in a team member that he was upset with the other team member.  He would way “I don’t know why he did that.  I was CRYSTAL CLEAR about what I wanted him to do.”  (No, Gary was NOT crystal clear with others.  Seriously.)
  5. He would continue to be frustrated about it until he hit his limit and he would “unload” on the person who “dropped the ball.”
  6. His demons exorcised, Gary felt better and could return to “normal.” He was “fine.”
  7. What about the team?  We were left shell shocked.  We could not predict when this might happen, or to whom.  We walked on eggshells around him.  All the time.

We could not be certain whether Gary would approve or reject our ideas, and we didn’t feel safe asking for his input because we could not predict whether he might unload on us.  If we got great results, Gary was usually thrilled.  (Sometimes he didn’t seem to notice or care.)  If our results didn’t come – or didn’t come fast enough – he would sometimes be supportive, other times he would be furious.  We could never tell what would happen.

Should I have had the moral courage to stand up to Gary?  To tell him the truth?  Perhaps.  Should I have quit?  Probably.  Frankly I was afraid of him.  He controlled my livelihood.  If he wanted me gone I  would immediately move to the ranks of the “unemployed.”  My wife and kids depended on his whims.

As a result I rarely challenged him, rarely spoke up.  I played it safe.  So did almost everyone else.  He didn’t see that.  At all.

The really sick part was that Gary asked me over and over again why he could not motivate people to “get off their butts and take initiative.”  He was sincere, but not ready to hear the answer.

He really saw no connection between his occasional eruptions and the impact on team members.  It was a sad thing.

It was sadder still because at the core, Gary was a decent guy.  He was passionate about his business and about his people.  Gary really cared about team members as people, and it tore him up to see them struggling through personal issues.

Gary simply didn’t see the pain HE caused.

Does this ever happen in your workplace?

  • Do you ever yell at your people?
  • Does your boss ever “back up the truck and dump a load” on people to “drop the ball?”
  • Do you ever wonder why people don’t take initiative or try new things?

 

This problem is solvable.  Working together, we can help people begin to build a safe, productive, trustworthy environment.  You’ll be amazed at how much faster work can get done.  How much more innovation can happen.

Do your people make you nuts?  Want to talk about it?  Give me a call.  If I can help, we can talk about next steps.  No obligation, no sales pitch.  Just a listening ear.

Speaker's Headshot

A simple Test of Leadership Question 2: What About One on Ones?

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Keith teaching agile tools

Today’s Story

My good friend Keith Fuller, a leadership consultant in the computer games industry, wrote a powerful post with several excellent questions about leadership.
Over and over again, I see well meaning people who just don’t seem to “get it” when it comes to leading others.
Sometimes it’s the simple stuff, like making a connection on a regular basis.

Action Point

Today let’s take a look at another one of the questions he asked:
Does every team member get a 1-1 meeting with their boss at least once a month?
It’s simple, isn’t it?
 asian businessman talking concerned to other man
Do your team members meet regularly with their boss to talk about
  • What’s working,
  • What’s not working,
  • What’s missing and
  • What’s next?

Going Deeper

One Final Thought

If you’re not meeting with your boss regularly, why not take some initiative?  Ask for a meeting to talk about short term goals and performance feedback.
Let me know how it goes.  Send me an email tom@BrightHillGroup.com

Cooper News

I have been following some indie bands for more than 25 years. The Internet has been a huge blessing in that respect.   A couple of the bands I follow have recently launched new albums using kickstarter. I was able to support their work, and got backstage passes to a concert.

Last Sunday they came to Charlotte. Here’s a pic of my son and me hanging with Steve Taylor, Peter Furler and the rest of the band.

So much fun to hang with my son and connect him with music I love, too.

backstage at steve taylor concert

You expected WHAT!?!?!? That's just crazy!

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expectation root heartache - web ver

 

The Story

Holly and I have been looking for some land for our new home for about 9 months.  (Yes, we started looking at real estate to buy months before we moved to the rental house in NC – we are THAT geeky.)

We finally found a piece of property we want to buy and last Wednesday I met with a lawyer about it.  I told him that I needed his help drafting a contract and I was really excited about getting this offer to the seller very quickly.

He let me know that there was no way he could turn the contract around by the next day.  I was disappointed, but still hopeful that we could send it off to the out of state seller before the weekend.

Sadly he said “I can’t fit that into Friday either, but I can have it done by Monday.”

Action Point:

I have two questions for you:

  1. When he said “by Monday” what do you think he meant?
  2. When he said “by Monday” what do you think I heard?

You guessed it –

  • He was thinking he had until the end of the business day Monday to get it “done.”
  • I was thinking he would have something in my inbox at today’s start of business!

This led to frustration and disappointment on my part, and on his part, too.  I was already disappointed to delay past the weekend, and this miscommunication made me disappointed a second time – and I had to replan my schedule for Tuesday, too!

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: BE CLEAR about what you can do, and when you’ll do it.  Make the time to sum up the action items, owners and specific delivery dates!

 

Going Deeper

  • Check out this great interview with Impeccable Customer Service Expert Steve Dorfman.
  • Steve lays out a path for really pleasing your customers

 

One Final Thought:

Can you be more specific, direct, and clear about your expressed and implied commitments?

Try being REALLY specific, about your next steps or follow up with someone, then email me and tell me how it went. tom@BrightHillGroup.com

Cooper News:

Holly and I went to a marriage retreat this weekend.  It was a blast setting aside some time to get connected with her again, and to learn more about her and how she works.  When was the last time you made time to get away with your spouse?  Make plans now!

Tom and Holly at WCC marriage retreat 2014

PS – in the interest of full disclosure, the quote above is a paraphrase from “All’s Well That Ends Well” Act II, i, 145 – the original quote reads: “Oft expectation fails, and most oft there where most it promises” – but the quote above is pithier!  😉

I really appreciate you!

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Today’s Story

I worked for a Fortune 500 company for about 10 years.  There were a lot of things that I loved about it, and a few that really bugged me.One of the things that made me CRAZY was the HR review process.  It had so much potential, but was bureaucratic and political – and it really tied the hands of managers so that we really had almost no power over raises, bonuses and promotions.When I hired team members I would tell them

“There are some wonderful things about being here.  Our HR process is not one of them.  I can’t pay you an amazing amount of money, I can’t give you amazing performance ratings, but I promise you this:  You will have a great experience being on this team.”
I left that role about 6 years ago, and I’ve stayed in touch with team members.
Recently, one of them said
“Tom, after you left, the magic left.” 
Another said
“Tom, truly you have changed my life.  I talk with others regularly about the lessons I learned from working with you.”
Frankly, I’m not that great, and I’m sure that those guys could make a HUGE list of my errors and weaknesses, but apparently I left a positive impression.

Action Point

What did I do?

One of the tools in my toolbox was handwritten, personal notes.

I bought some post it notes with “From Tom Cooper” printed on them

When someone did something helpful, I’d write a specific note like:

“Sanjay, Thanks for the work you did on the ITIM issue.  I appreciate you for the way you kept the project team members from arguing, and helped them focus on the technical issues.
Tom”

 

I’d drop by their office and leave it on their keyboard.

You know what I saw?  YEARS later those post it notes were STILL stuck to their monitors.

It didn’t take long, I didn’t have to get permission from anyone, and it cost me almost nothing.

 

Going Deeper

  • I came across this GREAT article with a number of ideas and specific recommendations about SIMPLE recognition.

One Final Thought

  • What is one specific thing you can praise a team member for?
  • Can you do it in writing?
  • Today?
Give it a try, and then email me and tell me how it went. tom@BrightHillGroup.com

Cooper News

Think this works?
Holly left a note in my car a while back.  I think it was 2 cars ago, and about 12 years ago.  I still have this note in my car….
Holly Loves Tom

What if your experience leads you to the WRONG decision?

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Today’s Story – Does your experience help or hurt you?

Some of you will remember my blog/video about leaving my snow shovels in Maryland – and then having a FOOT of snow show up here in North Carolina.

I’ve been thinking about that, and wanted to share something I learned through that experience.

My uncle is a flight instructor for a flight school.  One of the ideas he has taught me is the idea of “positive transfer of skills” versus “negative transfer of skills”

  • Sometimes our experience helps us, (positive transfer)
  • Sometimes we THINK it helps, but it really is a setback for us (negative transfer.)

 

My Experience

In my case, I was anxious to shovel my snow because of my experience in MD for the last 20 years.

In MD, after it snows, many times the daytime high temperature is above freezing and the nighttime temperature is below freezing.

This means that the snow turns to slush and then becomes a rock hard block of ice securely fastened to the pavement below.  It is EXTREMELY unpleasant to scrape a driveway clear of ice – even when working with rock salt (which I also left in Maryland.)

As I was shoveling, I felt a little smug.  After all, my lazy neighbors were not touching their snow.  Didn’t these silly southerners realize just how tough it was going to be if they didn’t get started right away?

Reality: My “experience” didn’t help!

Here’s where the negative transference of experience comes into play: 

Those “silly southerners” were a LOT more experienced with Charlotte winters than I.

In fact, I bet that some of them were shaking their heads with a thought of “silly Yankee” out there working so hard.  If they spoke to someone else about it they probably said “My neighbor was out madly shoveling snow from his driveway, bless his heart.”  

(“Bless his heart,” I’ve learned, is a southern expression of sympathy toward someone who should know better, but clearly does not!  And that’s putting is as nicely as possible.)

The Southern Experience

Why were they staying indoors?  What did they know that I didn’t?  BECAUSE In the south, it doesn’t stay below freezing for long, if at all!

Two days after a foot of snow: all driveways – shoveled and unshoveled were clear.  In fact, a foot of snow shuts down the city for a couple of days – so there’s no need to worry about having to go anywhere!

 

Which gets me to Today’s Action Point

As a leader, you bank on your experience – and you count on positive transfer of that knowledge.  Today I want you to think: “My gut says X – but what if I’m wrong?  What if my experience is a NEGATIVE transfer this time?”

There’s a military adage about this: “generals always fight the last war, especially if they have won it”.

* What might you “know” that actually works against you?

* What risks are you protecting against that are actually time wasters?

* What business rules need to be rewritten?

 

One Final Thought

Sometimes being an expert is the worst possible thing for success.
What can you approach in a new way?
What assumptions are you making that you can discard?

Contact Me

BrightHill Group
240-668-4799

PO Box 1561
Harrisburg NC 28075

info@BrightHillGroup.com