Expect the Amazing, If You Are Properly Prepared

I've been doing strategic planning for years. Working with executives and boards of directors can be challenging, inspiring, frustrating, exasperating and unbelievably rewarding. Sometimes even in the same process!

Saturday I met with a wonderful on-going client on a planning retreat. To the credit of the CEO she trusted me to implement my new Fast Forward Strategic Planning process and the step up in the workload, time commitment and effort from her managerial team was going to be extensive, yet she allowed me to take them on this ride. After hundreds of hours invested by her team it was time to present to their work to the board.

This board has been very typical of boards in this industry: conservative, steady and somewhat of a micromanager. What we were presenting was going to require a real step out for the board to embrace change, embrace a potential shift in direction and to rise to the challenge to pick up the pace significantly and move forward fast.
With the support of statistical data, the proper presentation of "scary" ideas and the gentle support of the management team the board were presented an aggressive new type of planning proposal. Prepared for battle the management team waited for the rebuttal. An amazing thing happened! The board of directors (average age of 64) not only didn't offer rebuttal but galloped ahead of the management team in talking about change. The managerial amazement was palpable! How did this happen?

1. Proper preparation

To create great shift requires the absolute right approach. The management team spent those hundreds of hours gather information, discussing the possibilities, the competition and the direction they knew they needed to go. Statistical information as well as a thorough market analysis can make the unknown easily understood.

2. The Compelling Argument

When trying to lead change it is critical to develop what I call the compelling argument. Paint the picture so it's easily understood and points the direction the organization must go to thrive in this new economy and intelligent board members will be able to easily embrace the concept. Hammering home tough ideas will only create resistance and eventually dissolve into taking sides where no one wins (See Congress.)

By taking the time to create the compelling argument, questions can be asked, critical data clarified and the coming together of the proper direction evolves throughout the discussion.

3. Get commitment

Throughout the presentation to the board I constantly asked for them to offer agreement or opposition verbally. If they oppose, we have more discussion and clarity of our differences. If they agree, this becomes a type of commitment and contract with themselves based on the information they possess at the time. I also think the managerial team needed to hear in the words of the board members that they supported this new managerial-driven direction and were ready to participate in making it happen. Once the verbal commitment is in the air it lends more stability to that commitment. Does that mean there isn't back-sliding? Not at all, but it does create a firmer foundation to return to as the process of change is hopefully more forward than backward, but steps in both direction are natural.

This process works, and I tip my hat to the management team of my client for their hard work and effort. I also tip my hat to the board of directors of this organization for not only supporting change, but actually jumping in front to lead the charge. I wish all my clients could be such a class act.