How planning gets everyone on the same page and builds commitment
Our family was having a bumpy morning.
I thought I clearly stated that I wanted to leave the house no later than 9am to get to the community event, and I thought every family member understood.
But then, we ran late.
Yes, I might have been telling stories over breakfast (it was a weekend, after all!).
I thought we were on track if we kept moving forward.
Then, my partner started washing the dishes, the kids got involved in something else, we all had to pick our outfits, the dog needed to be walked, and time slowwwly dragged on.
It was now an hour later than we had planned to leave.
I do not like to walk in late. I felt terrible.
I might have let out some of the frustration I was feeling. (Okay, I did!)
As we headed toward the event, our older kid looked me right in the eyes and said, “Since you are a facilitator, you know that you should not talk to us like this. You know this is not productive.”
Man!
That hit me hard.
Why is it always the kids who speak the truth?!
I took a deep breath, and apologized. Our child was right. My emotions had overcome me.
Ever the facilitator, I asked other family members how we could all do better in the future.
We came up with a question, “Can you commit to leaving by 9am?”
Since this incident, I have used this question many times. “Can you commit to…clearing the table? …feeding the dog? …starting your bedtime routine soon?“
I notice that, when I ask the question, each family member takes a minute to think. I can see the gears turning, “Can I commit to this?”
If done right, the planning phase is all about finding answers to that question, “Can we commit to…?”
In our last post on prioritization, we talked about building a practical vision - in which the staff and board come together to answer the question, “In the next 3-5 years, what do we want to see in place as a result of our actions?”
Once this question has been answered, the next step of the process is to build organizational strategies. We do this by working backwards: To accomplish our vision, what strategies do we need to put in place?
Examples from recent clients
SOS Meals on Wheels, whose staff and organizational budget have expanded significantly since 2020, will focus on space utilization, improving people operations and strengthening the fiscal health of the organization. They have set more specific goals around diversifying funding streams and initiating a capital campaign.
AEOE “envisions a world where every young person lives in a healthy community with access to meaningful learning experiences outdoors.” They espouse the values of Growth, Appreciation, Inclusivity, and Accountability. Their strategic plan through 2027 prioritizes the following:
Enhance program offerings to better serve California’s vast diversity of programs and providers
Strengthen organizational visibility and leadership role across the state
Increase organizational capacity
Additional examples, including a graphically designed plan, are shared on our blog.
In the planning phase, we ask our clients, “Can you commit to…?” The response to that question varies based on the organization, of course, but is always relevant. Working through this question together creates dedication to goals that move each organization forward.
Once the strategies are created, we guide leaders to sit together and build three- to five-year goals as well as one-year indicators of success. These lead directly to the last step of building an implementation plan, which we will talk about next.
We are getting inquiries for strategic planning into 2024 and have some capacity to work with a few organizations. Our current clients are leaders from nonprofit organizations, government agencies and the philanthropic sector who are building a more equitable world. Our clients generally have an annual budget of $1 million and beyond. Many of these clients are high-performing leaders experiencing change in their organization or environment who need planning, facilitation, and support to build alignment and get everyone on the same page.
If that describes you, contact us for a consult. And if you want to learn more about strategic planning and our approach, we teach strategic planning twice yearly, more information on our workshops page.
This is the Part 5 of a 6 part series. Learn more about the steps of strategic planning:
Introduction
Implementation (coming soon)