Strategy Workshops
Every organization needs to have a strategy to survive and thrive in a competitive marketplace. While all strategies are not the same most are not fully executed.
Paul has facilitated both the strategy formulation and the execution planning for numerous organizations. He believes a simple strategy well executed is superior to a sophisticated strategy that sits on the shelf.
Developing a strategy that represents the vision of leadership and defines the steps that the team must take to achieve that vision can make or break the future of an organization. The process of developing an effective strategic plan typically involves a workshop. The workshop allows all the key stakeholders to have input and ownership of the plan. For the workshop to be successful, all participants must be present and free to participate. An outside facilitator who has no political biases or organization ownership is helpful to make the workshop a success.
Typical preparation for the workshop includes:
- Review reports, current strategic plans, and the current list of initiatives and projects
- Interview up to key nominated leaders across the organization
- Design workshop(s) in partnership with the senior executive
- Conduct workshops with nominated leaders and stakeholders to determine the strategic plan
- Develop a business rules based strategic “filter” to be used to focus the attention of the organization on the priority initiatives that will deliver the identified goals
- Create an ongoing role to monitor the alignment of initiatives in progress and any emerging initiatives
- Provide written outcomes from the workshops and our interviews in a format to assist with the clear articulation and delivery of the strategy going forward
As a facilitator, Paul works with teams to explore what is possible, what is achievable, and how to focus and prioritize actions . His objective is for the team to come away with goals that are relevant and executable. He also works with the executive team to foster ownership while discovering barriers that the team will face. Paul feels that his primary role is to help the organization focus and execute.