I’m starting to see a renewed commitment to business planning! My clients report it's because they have better visibility now — they've integrated lessons learned over the past two years and can no longer wait to create their strategy and roadmap. However, they're going about it a bit differently this time.
Organizations are planning in shorter bursts, writing plans for the next 12 to 18 months. This allows leaders to feel more confident about the goals they set and the levers they must move to achieve them.
Think about the container ship, Ever Forward, that was stuck in the Chesapeake Bay for more than a month recently. It was a series of short and varying bursts — tugboats, then dredging, then cranes — that finally freed the ship. Not one big strategy pursued doggedly for weeks.
Organizations are also recognizing the need for internal structures that will increase team awareness and commitment. I've been working with my clients to incorporate these structures and two of the most common and critical are a communication strategy and an accountability framework.
One of the best ways to engage and motivate your team is to tell them what’s going on in a consistent, accurate and timely manner — and to encourage participation. During business planning, this means:
Additionally, the responsibility of communicating strategy should not belong solely to the CEO, executive director or business owner. Instead, use the scaffolding method to gradually reduce your team's reliance on you as their understanding deepens.
Leaders who take this approach have the pleasure (and relief) of witnessing their teams become increasingly adept at communicating the organization's strategy themselves.
Finally, a communication strategy isn’t an end in and of itself. It's purpose is to build a well-informed, agile team that can discuss and make suggestions in real-time for improving the strategy.
Accountability is often thought of as the last step in business planning. You stand back, look at the goals, determine which metrics matter, as well as how you'll track progress. And that’s not a bad approach.
However, an even better approach is to weave accountability throughout the process, not just at the end.
How do you do that? The type of accountability I’m talking about is more of an operating mindset rather than a scorecard. As you go through the business planning process ask if you and your team are:
If you’re not having no-holds-barred conversations centered around these questions with your team — and if you're not making adjustments based on what those conversations surface — you might be setting your plan up for failure.
This approach establishes an accountability framework that will serve your organization well once you and your team begin to execute the plan and measure progress.
Plus, there's a bonus: A team that takes real responsibility for a plan is proof that there's an effective leader at the helm. YOU.
So, as you embark on your business planning — Ever Forward!
Just remember that shorter bursts of action, exceptional communication and accountability throughout are the secrets to successful business planning right now.
