Training organization founders can usually manage quite effectively “on the back of an envelope” in the early years. The organization’s initial strategic focus is acquiring a set of customers, learning how to service them, and surviving long enough to make the next payroll. With growth, the time arrives when the organization has sufficient resources and leadership demands to build an executive team and to undertake more involved strategic planning.
Strategic planning meetings focus on how you and your team will create your desired future, based on asking and answering three basic questions. What do you want the future to look like? Why do you want that future? How do you get there?
Working with hundreds of teams has led me to an understanding of the chemistry of success for strategic planning meetings. Here are several items to keep in mind to get the most out of yours.
How to make the most out of your training organization
Define the meeting type: Separate strategic meetings from tactical/operational meetings. Operational meetings need to have firm ending times so as not to impact other scheduled commitments. Strategic meetings need a large block of uninterrupted time with flexible ending times. You don’t want to be close to having worked through a major issue or decision when a team member has to leave to catch a flight.
Limit members: Limit the total number of team members in strategic planning meetings to between five and twelve people. With fewer than five, you don’t have sufficient heads in the business; over twelve and the dynamics of strategic discussions and decision-making break down.
Change members periodically: Have the fortitude to change the composition of the executive and planning team over time. Internal and external changes will periodically require new expertise and insights. This is a working group, and membership is not a reward for longevity at the organization. Every member should have the attitude and aptitude to contribute to the strategic direction. Thinking strategically doesn’t come naturally to everyone, so allow sufficient time for people to sync with the requirements. However, once it’s clear that this is not the right role for someone, replace that person with someone who is better suited.
Use a facilitator: An external facilitator who commands respect, enforces the rules, and has the ability to move the group to consensus is essential. Facilitating is a full-time job that doesn’t leave someone with the time to be a full participant in the strategy discussions. Thus, the CEO should never be the facilitator.
Clarify roles: Clarify the roles of participants and the CEO. The role of the participants is to look at every issue as if they are the CEO; i.e., to focus on what’s best for the organization as a whole rather than themselves, their people, or their function. The CEO’s role is to shut up and first listen to all the members before stepping in to dot the I’s and cross the T’s.
Follow rules
Demand that members follow this set of rules for productive meetings:
- Listen actively.
- Speak up and say what needs to be said – there are no sacred cows.
- Focus on solving problems rather than placing blame or being defensive.
- Respect differences of opinion.
- Avoid cheap shots.
- Stay focused.
- Add only new information to the discussion. Don’t flog a dead horse.
- Permit only one discussion at a time.
- Silence implies understanding and agreement.
- Finish with consensus and commit to action.
Enforcing these rules, by the way, is crucial and can usually be best performed by the outside facilitator. When I facilitate meetings I empower everyone to be a referee by actually giving everyone a physical yellow “foul flag” they can toss toward the offender. It’s a good way to enforce rules because anyone can flag an inappropriate comment in a light-hearted, yet effective, way.
There’s no limit to what your training organization can do with effective strategic planning. Strategic planning meetings can have a profound effect on the development of your team and the growth and direction of your training organization. Adhering to the above elements sets you up for success before the meeting even begins.
