October 1998

"Swift" Strategic Planning, Part 2 | Gary Rush, IAF CPF

In my July 1998 FAST Newsletter - "Swift" Strategic Planning, Part 1, I began a discussion about Swift Strategic Planning. In summary, I am a big fan of strategic planning - it is my favorite type of workshop. I have seen it used at all levels of an organization. It cannot take a long time or it fails. It must include follow-through or it becomes "shelf-ware". I laid out a process for developing plans in 4 to 8 hour increments. This often requires 6 to 10 short workshops over a period of time. These frequent, short bursts of workshops help by:

• Maintaining the energy.
• Validating the plan through implementation.
• Alleviating complaints because people aren't taken away from work for long periods.
• Beginning a process that makes the plan alive -- not static or stagnant.

In this newsletter, I detail the workshop process more and discuss some of the additional steps that help correct group problems.

The Agenda

Following is the standard workshop agenda for strategic planning:

• Introduction
• Define Your Vision
• Describe the Mission
• Identify Values
• Define Objectives
• Describe Current Situation
• Identify the Strategies
• Define Critical Success Factors
• Describe Next Steps
• Review and Wrap Up

The steps were described in the prior newsletter - "Swift" Strategic Planning, Part 1 - and some are described in more details below. Some things to think about with the agenda are:

• The order can change - and often does. Mission is often developed before the Vision. Current Situation has been developed first (although that trend is changing).
• Department or unit plans often exclude the guiding principles - they take on their parent organization's principles.
• Department or unit plans must take into consideration their parent organization's vision, mission, and objectives.
• Current Situation may be dropped for new units or departments. Current Situation is the development of SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats). How, why, and if to do this step is the subject of a great deal of controversy at the moment. Many feel that it is very important. Others feel that it defines the "cow path" too well and should be dropped. I feel that it should be held until later in the process (e.g., after developing objectives) and used for Gap analysis to help define strategies.
• Every strategic planning workshop that I have conducted needed to be modified for team building, creativity, or both.

General Problems You Encounter

You encounter four possible problems with strategic planning workshops. Not all workshops encounter the problems. However, I have not conducted a single strategic planning workshop in which we didn't encounter at least one of the problems, although generally more than one. The problems are:

• Team dysfunction
• inability to see the future - far enough out to call it "strategic"
• getting the group to commit to real objectives
• understanding the components of the plan and how they relate.

Team Dysfunction

If preparation identifies that dysfunction is a problem, be prepared to introduce a variety of team-building activities. One activity will not fix a history of problems. Begin with the introduction (e.g., "Peter/Pauline") and continue throughout the workshop - especially at the Vision, Guiding Principles, and Strategies steps. Be especially aware during the "Current Situation" as this is an opportunity to undo all corrective actions - with finger pointing, etc.. Do not use an extensive team-building activity unless there is a lot of dysfunction - groups will resist.

"Seeing" the Future

Creativity is especially important for the Vision and Mission. The group needs to "see" who they are and where they are going.

Enable visions either by drawing a picture of how they "see" themselves in 10 to 20 years or by writing a newspaper headline they would see at that time. Both of these can be used to develop a clear vision. Vision statements do not need to be word-smithed. Simple bullet lists suffice. Make sure that whatever they have, they feel good that it describes where they want to be in 10 to 20 years. Drive them to define their vision as far out as possible (i.e., 10 to 20 years rather than 3 to 5). The further out the vision is, the more this business is driving the industry. The closer in, the more this business is reacting to others.

Develop missions by having the group draw a picture of the elements. Use the format of a family crest or coat-of-arms to help. Alter the creativity activities throughout the workshop. Use a different one for each step - so you add variety. Remember to allow 30 to 45 minutes for each activity and always use the work immediately in the step. Use the pictures to help the group develop the words. The mission statement must be word-smithed. This may take a couple of workshops, but, work with the group to develop every word - each is important. Rereading the statement is one of the most important things to do - it helps them "hear" what they've been saying.

Real Objectives

Groups often develop meaningless objectives (e.g., "Be The Provider of Choice"). These "objectives" are useless because groups never know if they achieve them. Objectives must be "SMART" - Specific, Measurable, Relevant, and Time-based. Push the group to make their objectives SMART. An example of a SMART Objective is: "Capture 37% of the Northeastern Home Market, based on units sold, by January 1, 2003." Specifying objectives properly is context and is the responsibility of both the group and the facilitator. Whether the objectives are "good" is content and the responsibility of the group. Groups fail with poorly defined objectives because they really don't know where they are going.

Understanding the Components

This particular problem persists throughout the workshop. It persists because the people need to know what goes where. For example, groups often insist that "To add 10 more people by year-end" is an objective. It is really a strategy - it is how they achieve better service or accomplish more. Yet, it sounds like an objective. I found that posting the following picture on the wall helps. It illustrates the components and their relationship. In addition, "keep it simple" words (the words in parentheses) help.

Summary

Incorporate the ideas presented above in the appropriate steps. The remaining steps use brainstorming or simple discussion. Push hard for decisions, keep the components clear, stick with the proper format, and the group will succeed at strategic planning.

May 2000

A Process for Deciding, Part 1 | Gary Rush Facilitation

The Beginning

Workshops require the facilitator to help groups reach decisions. Groups often argue or follow a poor process of deciding resulting in poor decisions. The facilitator's job is to provide a process that assists groups in making effective decisions because:

1. Decision-making is difficult.
2. Poor decisions can be costly.
3. Poor process is most often the culprit.

Assumptions

As a facilitator, I use the following assumptions with groups and decision-making processes:

• Reaching consensus is good - That's why we have the workshop in the first place - presumably.
• Multi-voting is not consensus - this is just popularity or "Chicago" style voting (me, my late uncle, and his late wife).
• Pros and Cons don't work with groups - it is too easy to make your pro my con until I wear you down.
• The process is not linear - we will cycle back continuously until the group finally decides - if it were easy, they wouldn't need the facilitator.
• There are NEVER only 2 choices - two choices leave win-lose unless my math is off. Always step back to the problem.
• There is NEVER only 1 right answer - there are always more ways than we may know.

When we Disagree

When people disagree, first, they stop listening. Second, they forget what issue they're trying to solve. Finally, they get caught up in the features of the solutions. This causes the group to polarize.

Some Poor Ways to Decide

• Groups have used the following poor processes to decide:
  
  
• Squeaky Wheel, dominator, or politics
• Bless what was previously decided
• Letting the "Expert" decide
• Chaos in practice - random choice
• Relying on the past - it worked before
• Give up due to constraints - time, etc.
• Commitment avoidance or fear

These processes are poor because they result in decisions that are:

• Not always thought out
• Frequently poor quality
• Lacking commitment
• Not effective - it doesn't meet their needs

Overview of a better way

Groups first diverge - they take and defend different positions. As a facilitator, help them converge by bringing them back to the issue and find common ground. Then step them through controlled divergence - identify alternatives. Finally, step them through the decision-making process to converge on a solution or solutions.

The Decision-Making Process

Use the following process when the group hits a "Snag" - when they can't decide:

• Revisit the issue - move away from "positions" and review the problem - where did we begin?
• Identify the objectives - what should the outcome help accomplish? Often the group objectives are the same - just the ways to get there are different.
• Return to the last point of agreement. The objectives help here.
• Hear the reasons behind their ideas - actively listen. Listening is the most important skill that the facilitator brings to the workshop.
• Analyze the positions using mind mapping, cause and effect, affinity analysis, force-field analysis or discussion.
• Determine the desired outcome - i.e., the group agrees to:

1. Majority Rule (e.g., Multi-voting)
2. Delegation (e.g., Open Item)
3. Recommendation (e.g., majority and minority opinions)
4. Consensus - Win-Win -"I can live with it"

Cycle through the process until a decision is made.

The Ending

Watch your time. People perceive that reaching consensus requires more time (I have even heard facilitators say that. It is completely incorrect). It may, but doesn't have to. It requires less time than correcting the decision later. Understand time versus quality. Often, the faster the decision process, the lower the quality. "Quick and dirty" sometimes is. A good process produces quality decisions. In the next newsletter I explain, in detail, the tools to reach the four outcomes above.

August 2000

A Process for Deciding, Part 2 | Gary Rush Facilitation

Introduction

In my last article - "A Process for Deciding, Part 1", I outlined a better way to facilitate groups through a decision-making process. The process summary is:

• Revisit the Issue.
• Identify their Objectives.
• Return to the last point of agreement.
• Hear their reasons.
• Analyze their positions.
• Determine desired outcome:
  
  
  • Majority Rule
  • Delegate
  • Recommend
  • Consensus
• Step the group through the process to reach the desired outcome.

In this article, I focus on how to determine, then reach the desired outcome - especially Consensus.

The Desired Outcome

Given the assumption that the goal of a workshop is consensus, you may think this step is unnecessary. However, when decisions are difficult, this step becomes important. Groups do not always need or want to reach consensus. Ask the group what their desired outcome is. The desired outcome will be:

• Majority Rule
• Delegate
• Recommend
• Consensus

Review the following to help them determine the appropriate outcome.

• Time - consensus is perceived to take longer. Sometimes time is so short and the issue so complex that analyzing the positions may take longer than the time allotted. Assess this in conjunction with one of the other aspects below.
  
  
• Experience - how much experience or knowledge do the participants have? Do they have the where withal to make the decision? If not, you may have the wrong participants and they may only recommend or delegate.
  
  
• Authority - what has the group been delegated to do? Much the same as "Experience" above.
  
  
• Impact - the more important the decision i.e., the more people it affects or the greater the impact on the organization, the more important it is to reach consensus - it has greater commitment.
  
  
• Number of People - the larger the size of the group, the more difficult it is to reach consensus. It is not impossible (I once got a group of 90 people to reach consensus on a statement of direction for a business). It takes more time with more people.
  
  
• Environment - face-to-face workshops are easier for groups to reach consensus than teleconferenced workshops. It is more difficult to address tough issues when the people can't see each other well, read body language, or talk over each other.
  
  
• Complexity - the more complex, the more time is required to analyze the positions and find a solution.

Reaching the Desired Outcome - Consensus

Majority rule, delegate, or recommend are straightforward processes. Reaching consensus is more work. To reach consensus, do the following:

• Generate as many solutions as possible. Brainstorm or draw pictures to generate ideas.
• Discuss the list to ensure clarity and understanding of the solutions. Do not argue or look for agreement.
• Check to see if the group can decide now (they sometimes do).

Yes - document the decision and move to next problem.
No - use Prioritizing Process to select a solution.

After prioritizing, discuss the selected solution and check to see if they are satisfied.

Yes - document the decision and move to next problem.
No - return to their objectives (criteria needs to be based on the objectives and if they don't work, the objectives are not agreed to).

The keys to reaching consensus are:

• Generating lots of solutions.
• Defining clear, objective criteria.

Do not allow groups to stick with only two solutions - there are always more. Once they expand their solutions, the process helps them reach consensus - find a win-win solution.

Prioritizing Process

Do the following:

• Brainstorm evaluation criteria.
• Reduce list to between 5 to 10 criteria.
• Define each criterion clearly and ensure that each is measurable. Define a rating scale from 1 to 10 with "1" equaling poor performance and "10" equaling outstanding performance. Have the group define numbers to correspond to the "1" and "10".

Example (a criterion to select an auto): 0 - 60 mph from a standing stop on dry ground. The group defines the values for 1 and 10. Do not use subjective terms such as "slow" or "fast". In the example above, "1" may be ">= 20 seconds" and "10" may be "<= 6 seconds". "5" is midway between 1 and 10 (i.e., "13 seconds") - it is a linear scale.

• The group then scores each solution against the criteria.
  
  
• After scoring, the group defines a relative weight for each criterion on a scale from 1 to 5. "1" is low value and "5" is high value. More than one criterion may have the same weight, though all of the criteria may not have the same weight.
  
  
• Multiply the weight times the score to determine the weighted score (in the example, if that criterion had a score of 6 and a weight of 3, the weighted score would be 18).
  
  
• Add the weighted scores. The solution with the highest score is the selected solution.

Prioritizing requires clear, measurable criteria. Take the time to define them clearly - it makes prioritizing and reaching consensus much easier.

November 2002

Being Successful by Gary Rush, IAF CPF

Why

I've been in business for 17 1/2 years and I've been a successful Facilitator for over 19 years. I thought that I'd share some of what I've learned and seen. I also want to share this now because of the increase in the use of Facilitators - many who remain in companies and many who venture out on their own. My business has been very successful. Much of our success is because of three factors:

• We know where we are going.
• We believe in what we do.
• We believe in doing the best job we can.

Internal versus External

One question that I get asked when I teach is, "Is there a difference between being an internal facilitator versus an external facilitator?" The answer is, "Very little difference." Often it is followed up by the statement that, "It's easier for you since you are external." Well, there is a difference, but not in the way you may think. Being an external facilitator is riskier. It is easier to be fired and you risk your own money and time. In terms of staying successful, I'd treat both cases as if being a facilitator is your business. That attitude change helps both internal and external facilitators - you assume more responsibility for yourself.

What is Success?

Perhaps the first question is, "What is success?" I see two different measures of success (both measures are important and often relate):

• Your quality of work.
• Your continued tenure in business.

The first measure defines whether you are a good facilitator. Do clients ask for you to return? Are the clients satisfied with your work? Did the workshops succeed? These are the questions that define your quality of work. If the answers are "yes", then you are doing a job that the clients view as quality. Also ask yourself, "Am I satisfied with my work?" This helps define quality from both your client's point of view as well as yours.

The second measure - your continued tenure in business - is a little different. I have seen good facilitators fail in business and poor facilitators succeed - because facilitation skills and business skills are not the same. Quality work, alone, does not keep you in business. Staying in business requires that clients - internal or external - hire you. That requires a plan.

"How to" Succeed

To maintain a quality of work, you need to learn, grow, get feedback, and be honest with yourself (I'll talk about maintaining quality in another article).

I want to focus on staying successful by continuing in business. To succeed in that way, you need a plan. A plan is not a static document, it is a process whereby you continuously look at who you are, where you are going, and how you'll get there. You need to know and plan where you are going and how you'll get there - both personally and professionally - or you go wherever someone else dictates. Developing a plan for yourself forces you to think through:

• who you are
• what you're good at
• to whom you want to sell
• how you'll attract your customers.

This plan needs to be done for yourself and for your role as a facilitator - in other words "As a person, my mission is to…." and "As a facilitator, my mission is to…." As a facilitator, look at:

• What niche do I fill? Business? IT? Both? Process focus or relationship focus?
• Who are my target customers? Corporate? Government? Non-Profit?
• How do I reach my customers? Advertising? Seminars? Telephone? Internet?
• What do I want to provide? Consulting? Facilitating? Project Management?
• What do I want to get in return? Do I want to grow a business? How much do I want to make? How long do I want to do this?

The critical elements of the plan are:

• Your Mission - who you are.
• Your Vision - where you are going.
• Your Values - what you believe in and how you'll behave.
• Your Objectives - targets to achieve.
• Your Strategies - what you'll do to reach your targets/objectives.

From these elements, you can plan tactical work - projects, advertising, seminars, education, etc. - to implement the strategies. These tactical efforts define your annual budget. These tactical efforts also feed back to your plan to help you decide if it's working or if you need to change it.

Review the plan with colleagues, friends, and family. Get their input, but make the plan right for you. Publish the plan - it isn't a trade secret. The plan, though, keeps you in focus. Do you want to grow the business? If yes, then you need to include that. If not, then you avoid efforts that distract you from what you want to accomplish. I have seen many businesses who directed efforts towards accomplishing something that wasn't in their plan - and they failed as a result. I've also seen businesses miss doing work that would help them achieve their plan because they were distracted from their overall vision. A plan helps keep you focused.

Staying Successful

One thing that many people forget is how to stay successful and how to stop. Staying successful requires that you refresh your skills - the "same old story" doesn't sell well. Business and your clients change - and you need to change with them. Business issues and trends (or fads) require you to keep up with what's going on. Once you know what you're doing as a facilitator, remember that there is more to learn. Keep learning and growing your skills. Attend seminars, classes, and talk to people in business - whether they are perceived clients or not. The biggest pitfall I have seen is for the facilitator to become complacent - think that they have the answers. Continuously learning helps maintain an interested attitude. Your clients know when you don't care anymore - it comes through loud and clear.

Also know when it's time to quit. Sometimes, the best course is to do something new and different. Many people are afraid to change jobs - it's scary. In this day and age, change is constant. If you no longer have a passion for what you are doing, find out what you do have a passion for and develop a plan to get there.

Conclusion

I have used my plans for many years. I developed a plan for my business and have largely achieved it. Plans have changed over time - and will continue to change as life, the economy, and other factors dictate. Change is ever-present. The plan is not static. Review it periodically. Don't be afraid to revise it to keep it alive and current.

"Remember, if you fail to plan, plan to fail."