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Key Takeaways
- Many companies now involve the next level of leaders in annual planning beyond the 8-10 person senior executive team, which brings in the voice of the customer but makes the facilitator's job harder.
- A robust planning discussion should include a few tense moments; if there is no constructive conflict, ask whether you have enough viewpoints in the room and whether people feel safe sharing concerns.
- Pre-work, such as a Start-Stop-Keep exercise or a specific question everyone answers in advance, prepares the team, shows the facilitator where to spend session time, and captures ideas from more introverted team members.
- Set ground rules at the start of the session with a Full Value Contract that spells out specific behaviors the group agrees to hold themselves accountable for, like "Silence = Agreement" or "Equal participation from all."
- Once decisions are made, supporting the plan means three specific behaviors: speak positively about decisions, never say "they decided," and do all you can to make decisions successful.
Recently, I’ve noticed that many of our clients are involving more and more people in the planning process. As they head into Annual Planning, in addition to the 8-10 people on the senior executive leadership team, many of our clients are eliciting ideas and contributions from the next level of leaders as well. Involving these leaders can help ensure the voice of the customer and those employees closest to the customer are heard. However, having so many people in the room can be a challenge for the facilitator.
Before you choose the right initiatives to focus on in the coming year, you need to be sure you’ve heard all the ideas, all the concerns, all the arguments in favor of and against each option. The discussion should be robust… and if you don’t have a few tense moments in your session, you might think about why that is. Do you have enough view points in the room? Do people feel safe sharing concerns? Healthy, well-developed teams usually have a bit of constructive conflict to work through when making big, strategic decisions.
But, once the decisions are made, the team must present a united front when sharing the plan with the rest of the company. Our expert Strategic Planning Facilitators have some proven tools to help navigate the decision-making process and ensure that the team leaves the room in the best position to execute the initiatives successfully.
- Pre-work. Especially when there’s a large group, asking some questions in advance of the session is a great way to prepare the team and draw out ideas. Our consultants use a simple Start-Stop-Keep exercise, or ask a more specific question for everyone to answer (What is your top idea to grow revenue in 2020? or What is the most critical discussion we need to have in our session?) In addition to helping the facilitator see where the team needs to spend time in the session, this helps everyone come prepared to discuss. People have different preferences when it comes to sharing ideas - some like to talk on the fly about their ideas, others like to think them out and write them down before sharing. Asking the right questions in advance is a great way to ensure you don’t miss ideas from some of the more introverted team members during the session.
- Ground rules. In the beginning of the session, clarify expectations for how the group intends to participate. We like to have the team create a Full Value Contract that spells out specific behaviors the group agrees to hold themselves accountable for, ensuring they will get full value out of their time together. This can include things like “Silence = Agreement” or “No ideas are bad ideas” or “Equal participation from all.” The rules will be different for each group.
- Define support. Another way to ensure the team leaves with the highest likelihood of successful execution is by discussing the importance of each leader fully supporting the plan after the session, even if their idea didn't make the final cut. Too often we find that a plan is undermined when people continue to debate decisions after the planning session ends or avoid personal ownership for team decisions. We share that supporting the plan means demonstrating these three specific behaviors:
- I will speak positively about decisions
- I will not say "they decided"
- I will do all I can to make decisions successful
Once you’ve set the right expectations with the team, it is much easier to discuss, debate, and agree on the best plan for growing your business. Regardless of the size of your team, facilitation can be more of an art than an exact science, and having a few helpful tools like these in your back pocket will increase the likelihood of a successful outcome.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should be involved in annual planning?
In addition to the 8-10 people on the senior executive leadership team, many companies elicit ideas and contributions from the next level of leaders as well. Involving these leaders helps ensure the voice of the customer and of the employees closest to the customer is heard. The tradeoff is that having so many people in the room is a challenge for the facilitator.
How do you gather ideas before an annual planning session?
Assign pre-work. A simple Start-Stop-Keep exercise or a specific question everyone answers in advance, like "What is your top idea to grow revenue?" or "What is the most critical discussion we need to have in our session?", prepares the team and draws out ideas. It also helps the facilitator see where the team needs to spend time, and it captures input from introverted team members who prefer to think ideas through and write them down before sharing.
What ground rules should you set for a planning session?
At the beginning of the session, clarify expectations for how the group intends to participate. One approach is to have the team create a Full Value Contract that spells out specific behaviors the group agrees to hold themselves accountable for, such as "Silence = Agreement," "No ideas are bad ideas," or "Equal participation from all." The right rules will be different for each group.
Is conflict during annual planning a bad thing?
No. Before you choose the right initiatives for the coming year, you need to hear all the ideas, concerns, and arguments for and against each option, and healthy, well-developed teams usually have some constructive conflict to work through when making big strategic decisions. If your session has no tense moments, ask why: you may not have enough viewpoints in the room, or people may not feel safe sharing concerns.
How do you get leaders to support the plan after the planning session?
Discuss what support means before the session ends, because plans get undermined when people keep debating decisions afterward or avoid personal ownership of team decisions. Supporting the plan means demonstrating three behaviors: speaking positively about decisions, not saying "they decided," and doing all you can to make decisions successful. Even leaders whose ideas did not make the final cut need to present a united front to the rest of the company.
Chris Cosper
Chris is Head of Strategic Partnerships at Rhythm Systems and a trusted advisor to growth-minded leadership teams. With experience as a former CEO, consultant, and head of consulting, Chris helps organizations turn strategy into disciplined execution that drives sustainable growth.
Connect with me on LinkedIn.