Test and Adjust Breakthrough Commitments<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
The biggest challenge when sharing lofty goals is that stakeholders might dismiss them as unrealistic. To counter this, build a logical connection between the future and the present. This can be done through back-casting\u2014working backward from future targets to current realities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes, teams discover that the goals are unattainable when viewed as a whole. In such cases, the goals must be adjusted to remain credible. This act of recalibration is essential for maintaining trust and ensuring that the goals are seen as achievable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maintain the Emotional Connection<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps the most difficult task is keeping the project teams emotionally connected to the original intent of the Breakthrough Goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For instance, I\u2019ve noticed that few public sector employees, even at the mid-level, feel inspired by Vision 2030. Although it reflects our citizens\u2019 deepest commitments, it often gets lost in day-to-day operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To keep the connection alive, explain the reasoning behind executive decisions using various formats\u2014words, images, videos, and interactives\u2014that combine logic and emotion, making them easier to grasp. Another approach is to help staff translate Breakthrough Goals into their personal objectives, allowing them to internalize the intent and take ownership of the outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If your organization is dealing with a list of projects that seem like empty activities, it might be because a crucial step was missed. Take action to correct this. Recognize that employees who seem to be just going through the motions can still be inspired. See them as people waiting for leadership to step up and guide them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As with many solutions, the best examples come from the top. Leaders must be honest about their own levels of inspiration if they are to foster the kind of commitment that drives sacrifice and risk-taking\u2014key ingredients for making a breakthrough goal a reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Follow a Strategic Planning Framework<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately, not all methods offered or defined by firms who offer strategic planning services are created equal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ones that deliver more than just a list of disconnected projects stick to a successful design. They regularly produce the kinds of insights in a strategic planning workshop or offsite that are game-changing, and pre-emptive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here is a summary of the kind of retreat you can conduct, and don\u2019t forget to download a strategic planning framework pdf linked at the end for later use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 1 – Prepare for the Retreat<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The most important data gathering takes place at this point in time. The point here is to allow the retreat to flow smoothly because it has all the data needed. For example, conduct a SWOT survey beforehand so that you don\u2019t spend valuable time in the actual event gathering opinion data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, before the event begins, you have engaged all relevant stakeholders in gathering this information so they feel as if they are making a contribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Step 2 – Start the Retreat with a Snapshot<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Devote the first session of your retreat to creating a summary of the past and current situation. This will bring all your participants onto the same page, available to think from the same place at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plus, it\u2019s a team-building activity in its own right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Step 3 – Pick a Target Year<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Take the team through an exercise to pick a planning horizon. This will determine how far your short\/mid\/long term plan will extend. It also limits your thinking to a certain time frame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Emphasize that there are pros and cons in both directions and you want the team to pick a range which has just the right degree of challenge to produce a breakthrough strategic plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Step 4 – Develop Multiple Scenarios<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For the chosen target year, develop multiple scenarios which may occur in that year. Look to craft ones which are different from each other, combining similar ideas wherever possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Step 5 – Choose a Single Scenario, and Detail It<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Either select a preferred scenario from those which were proposed, or combine one or more to craft an ideal scenario.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once it\u2019s selected, convert the scenario into a list of target metrics and projects required to reach them. This version of the Final Scenario is the one you\u2019ll use for the next phase of the strategic planning workshop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Step 6 – Backcast to Create a Merlin Chart<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The from this step chart looks like a series of milestones and projects which are timed to hit certain targets by the chosen Target Year. It\u2019s a narrative of sorts, which assumes a number of parallel activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This activity is the most difficult one in the strategic planning workshop and requires a small cross-functional team with collective knowledge of how the business works from different angles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Step 7- Create a Short-Term Strategy Map<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The map in this step is designed to communicate the short-term plan to a wider audience. It also defines which new projects must begin within the next three to five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stakeholders welcome the map as it shows them some of the underlying strategic hypothesis, and gives them an idea of what\u2019s been accomplished in the strategic planning workshop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Step 8 – Assign Projects<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n From the strategy map, assign short-term projects to individual sponsors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over time, I have found ways to compress these steps into 2 intense days rather than 3 more leisurely days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For more details about the overall process, and the steps listed above, visit my newsletter website – https:\/\/longtermstrategy.info<\/a>. For more information about the LeapOut approach we use, click here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Francis Wade<\/p>\n\n\n\n P.S. Don\u2019t leave without downloading your strategic planning framework pdf<\/a> by clicking here. It also includes the graphic below, a picture of the agenda to be followed using the strategic planning framework used in our offsites at Framework Consulting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have you ever come across a strategy document that seems like nothing more than a list of projects? If so, you\u2019re right to feel that something important is missing. A well-crafted plan is more than just a collection of tasks\u2014it should transform an abstract idea into a clear vision, using words and images that guide … <\/p>\n
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