|
Greetings!
|
 Does your organization or department use a strategic plan to guide it into the future? How involved are you in creating and implementing the plan? We want to know more about you and your organization -- take our new monthly poll on strategic planning at Take our poll online now I have been working with organizations for years to create their strategic and business plans and we worked hard to engage people in the process. However, a few years ago I received training in the ToP (Technology of Participation) methods and their strategic planning process and I have found it exceptional. The ToP methods really engage people in the whole process and create a tremendous amount of shared knowledge and understanding about the organization, environment, and trends that need to be considered before you begin planning your future. Once there is a level of shared understanding it is much easier for the group to create their practical vision, building consensus around what they want to accomplish over the next 3, 5 or 7 years. Next we look at what gets in your way of achieving what you say you want, this process is designed to go deeper than the typical lack of time or money, that often gets blamed for our inability to achieve our goals. After looking at these contradictions we create the strategic directions or the broader directions the group wants to achieve. Finally we focus on what do we want to accomplish this year that will help us move in the direction of achieving our strategic directions? First year accomplishments are worked down into specific 90-day implementation plans that create teams, action items and dates that move the group forward. Every 90-days new implementation plans are created insuring you are moving forward and making progress. If you have ever seen a strategic plan that had a lot of work put into it but then sat on a shelf that won't happen with this process. If you would like to know more about Strategic Planning and what it can do for your organization, please let us know._______________________________________________________This is a perfect time to provide professional development for yourself or your staff. Consider our public course Herding Cats Facilitation Skills Workshop. Think about the increased results you can have by facilitating effective meetings and how much you are losing when meetings aren't effective. Check out our Herding Cats Facilitation Workshop being offered in February 25-26, 2010. _______________________________________________________Enjoy our regular columns this month which include: - Technology Tools and Tips - Web conferencing - what should you consider when looking at this important tool?
- The DiSC Corner focuses on how each DiSC style makes decisions.
- Facilitators Toolkit shares a technique using dots for prioritizing and voting.
_______________________________________________________
Facilitator Highlight 
This month we highlight June
Ramos who has more than 25 years experience as a manager and consultant helping
organizations manage the "people side" of the business. June helps
organizations translate "abstract leadership and communication theory" to a
practical level that everyone can relate to and immediately apply. Her results
orientation creates high value for individuals and teams who want to produce
sustainable outcomes and improve performance.
People
and "experts" coming together to work is not always easy and does not
automatically ensure results. An experienced, objective facilitator provides
the structure and process to help people work together more easily. June provides a
safe environment to allow participants to manage disagreement while producing
collaborative agreements. Her style is one of appropriate balance between
guiding the group when necessary, yet allowing the group to "manage its
expertise" within a time bound agenda.
June works with private companies such
as IBM, McData, Ball Aerospace and Sun Microsystems, as well as government
agencies, including local city and county governments, EPA, the
Department of
Energy and Department of Defense, among others. |
Strategic Planning Improves Results with Consistent Implementation
|
Author: Donna Price
Strategic plans only help organizations when they are kept active and implemented. The strategic plan defines the business direction. That direction is based on the future, the vision of the company. Before an effective strategic plan can be developed a clear and compelling vision is needed. Visions are optimistic, the ideal picture of the future. The strategic plan is the map to the vision and then only effective if it is implemented.
Strategic plans can sound intimidating and overwhelming to many small business owners. The most effective strategic plans are those that are simple, completed with the leadership team and key people in the company. Complex documents that consume excessive amounts of time to create don't guarantee success. In fact, the large and cumbersome strategic plan can be so overwhelming that it just doesn't work.
Start with vision. Write down what you envision for the future. What does the future of your business look like? What do you want for the future? Vision stories are inspiring, it's your dream. Once you have created your vision you can begin building strategies.
The vision is the destination, where you are going. The strategies are the map that gets you to the vision. Company values are the guide or the "compass" in our map metaphor for making decisions along the way. Values keep you oriented and in alignment. When values are out of alignment the company is off track; not moving in the direction of the vision.
Strategic goals can be limited to the top 6-10. By having fewer goals the plan is able to stay alive and in front of you. By alive, it means that the plan is always where you can see it, use it and keep working on it.
To set strategies for your business first look at the vision, the different aspects of the vision. Brainstorm all of the goals, all of the strategies for each aspect of the vision. With brainstorming it is important to get all of the ideas out and write them down without judging them or editing them. Often the best idea comes from an idea that at first look seems too wild or crazy. Ideas jump off of other ideas.
Once you have brainstormed all of the ideas, prioritize them. Often ideas can be grouped with similar ideas. This can help in the prioritization process. The goal is to narrow the list down to the top 6-10 strategies. What are the goals or strategies that will give your business the future you envision, that will create a breakthrough that will produce the results that you want? Those are the goals that you should be selecting as top priorities.
Creating a powerful strategic plan is just one of the first steps. Many organizations have strategic plans that are well thought out and crafted. Where they fall short is in the implementation of that plan. Implementation is the key. If you fail to implement, the results will not be what you set out to achieve.
Implementation is the result of focused and continuous action. Strategic plans don't just happen on their own: they require your attention. By keeping the plan in front of you and the team responsible for the plan, focus is maintained. Regular meetings about the plan also keep the plan moving in the right direction. Check-in meetings hold people accountable. When teams don't meet and don't keep their eye on the plan, the day to day interferes and the status quo remains. In order to make changes in the results that you achieve there has to be intention and commitment on the part of the team. The check-in meeting gives the team the opportunity to review what is happening, what is interfering with the results they want and need and make the changes necessary to change the outcomes. Through the intention of the leadership, the plan and the team, the culture of the workplace can shift from one of non-performance to one of performance focused.
Performance focused companies are companies that are thriving. The energy performing teams shifts the energy of the whole organization. It becomes more positive and contagious. People become excited about the vision, the plan and their implementation of the plan. Results create energy and excitement that keeps the plan moving, it propels the plan.
Organizations that produce results have a clear vision of the future; have a plan that is simple and strategic; and they work on the plan all the time. Their actions are designed to move that plan forward. They don't let themselves or others get in the way. By implementing the strategic plan organizations achieve results.
Article Source Link
http://www.articlesbase.com/organizational-articles/strategic-planning-improves-results-with-consistent-implementation-425259.html
About the AuthorDonna Price, President of Compass Rose Consulting, LLC, provides business coaching to business leaders. Sign up today for your initial strategy session at: http://www.compassroseconsulting.com or contact Donna at dprice@compassroseconsulting.com.
|
The DiSC Corner
Are You DiSC Savvy?
|
Whether in team meetings or strategy planning sessions each style approaches decision-making differently. If you are preparing to facilitate an upcoming meeting make sure to take in consideration how each style makes decisions.
Decision Making preferences:
- D's like to make decisions quickly. They lose patience with long drawn out processes that don't seem to be getting anywhere. Consensus building isn't their strength but they can be persuaded to hang in there if they understand the need for strong buy-in and support from the team.
- I's tend to make decisions based on their feelings and intuition and tend to be more spontaneous. They don't like to get bogged down in the details however they are supportive of group process and people being heard and included.
- S's want everyone working well together as they make decisions. They don't like conflict and are considerate of others views sometimes to the exclusion of their own. They need to be encouraged to share their ideas and recognize their opinions are important to the success of the team.
- C's are very careful and deliberate in their decision making. They want to make the "right" decision and need all of the data available before they feel comfortable moving forward. Make sure they have the information they need to decide. They are also great devil's advocates so use them to help the group look at possible solutions from various perspectives.
Understanding how each style makes decisions can help you prepare effectively for your next meeting.
|
Quotes to Ponder:
"If you don't know where you are going, you are certain to end up somewhere else."
- Yogi Berra
|
Herding Cats
Public Sector Discounts |
Are you an employee of a government agency or nonprofit? You are entitled to a 15% discount on Herding Cats.
|
|
|
 |
Herding Cats Basic Facilitation - Public Workshops
|
Are your meetings like Herding Cats?"
Are you tired of boring, long or unfocused meetings?
Would you like to strengthen your facilitation skills and add to your toolkit?
If you
want your meetings to be engaging, focused, purposeful and to produce the
results you want this workshop is for you.
2010 Dates:
Denver, CO
February 25-26, 2010
May 6-7, 2010
September 16-17, 2009
Loveland, CO
November 18-19, 2010
For more information click here
To register online click here
or call 303-380-2550
|
| ToP Group Facilitation Methods Workshop
|
Advanced Facilitation Skills
Learn three specific methods:
1. Focused Conversation
2. Consensus Workshop
3. Action Planning
April 8-9, 2010 in Denver - Sponsored by ICA Denver
$645.00, Public Sector Discounts available
For more information click here |
| Facilitator's Toolkit |
DOTS
Prioritization Process:
Use when you need to do a quick poll of the group to ascertain a group's immediate reaction to ideas or solutions or to prioritize ideas after a brainstorming session. Materials: Buy colored dots big enough to be seen from across the room or give everyone colored markers to make their own dots
Steps:
1. After several ideas have been brainstormed or when you have a list of goals that need to be prioritized, list them on a flip chart
2. Determine how many dots or votes each person gets. Example: There are eight goals listed and you want to identify the top five -- Give each person five dots
3. Decide if someone can use more than one dot on the same idea
4. Ask everyone to come up to the flip chart and vote their top choices with their dots
5. Review the results with the group and ask questions to elicit their feedback
6. Decide next steps
|
Technology Tools & Tips Corner
|
Are you meeting via the web?
Today's webconferencing platforms have significantly improved over the last few years. Many are browser based so there are fewer challenges downloading applications and getting into your meeting. Once you begin to have effective web meetings you won't go back to teleconferences which are very limited in their features and abilities and generally don't keep people engaged in the conversation. When looking into Web Conferencing Tools the best thing to do is test several of the different web conferencing platforms to see which ones work best for you and your needs. There are a variety of features and costs which vary widely from DimDim which is free for up to 20 participants to WebEx which has a monthly or annual fee depending on your number of participants. Things to consider when looking at a web conferencing services: - Price - prices vary a lot between companies - don't be scared away there are some very good free or low cost web conferencing platforms.
- Accessibility for your participants - how easy is it for them to log in? Some systems are very complex and time consuming and don't work well with older computers. You need to know your audience and their level of expertise and probable technologies. When possible keep it simple and easy.
- Screen Sharing - most platforms allow you to go to anywhere on your computer and show your screen - your Word documents, websites, or other places can be viewed by your participants. However, some platforms aren't working well with 64 bit computers so test them out before you buy.
- White boards - White boards are like a flip chart online. Check if the white board allows everyone to add ideas? Can you move ideas around? Is it easy to erase ideas or print your whiteboard? These are questions to consider when reviewing this feature.
- Give presentations and training - most platforms allow you to upload a Power Point presentation or other software to use in your meeting, however some are limited in what software files you can upload so make sure the platform works with what software you plan to use.
- Extras - can include a database where you keep your frequent contacts; ability to invite people or call out to those you want in your meeting while you're in your meeting space; recording your meetings - this can be reasonably priced or can be very expensive - if you need this feature check out the pricing first.
Web conferencing is an important tool in today's dispersed world. Don't be afraid to try out many of these platforms, most offer a free 30 day trial. Our future newsletters will profile some or our favorite web conferencing platforms, stay tuned.
|
|
|
