Have meetings replaced trust?

Today I thought I would share some of the key mistakes that I see companies make and how to avoid them so you can "Create an Inspiring and Compelling Strategic Plan".

The life-blood of your organization is relationships. No matter what business you are in, you are also in a relationship business.

So what if you found a way to inspire your employees, build collaboration and strengthen trust?  Want to have a company that is agile and thriving for years to come?

A Challenge

If you want to have a thriving, agile and super successful business that is sustainable for years to come, then I challenge you think of your strategic plan as something vastly more than analyses and KPI's and projections. And if you don't have one, now is the perfect time to consider creating one.

Think differently.

There are three areas that I see where companies and organizations falter and where their ability to have an inspiring and compelling strategy for success is severely impacted.  And I'm willing to bet that over a cup of coffee - virtual or in person - I could help you identify 2-3 ideas that will significantly improve your strategy process and your business.

Strategic Visioning

Notice I did not say 'Strategic Vision'. Strategic Visioning is a verb and is action-oriented.

Strategic Visioning isn't a 'one and done' event.

A strategic vision encompasses knowing your numbers for sure.  But strategic visioning is much more than a nice binder that sits on your shelf and that you may review from time to time.

Strategic Visioning is a platform for energizing your employees and strengthening engagement.  It sets the north star of where your organization is headed and includes the culture and values that matter most.

So here are three key areas where your Strategic Plan can become more.

Purpose

Creating a Strategic Vision is a process that will improve employee engagement, give everyone a sense that "I belong here" and will build communication and trust. And it starts with Purpose.

"People don't buy what you do; they buy Why you do it". - Simon Sinek

I was working with a client during a retreat when we dove into understanding their "Why".  Why does your company exist? What do you and your colleagues believe in?

The answers to these questions are important to know. It's what brings you and your people to work every day.  It also is what attracts your customers to you and your company.

Getting this right is soooo important. Not getting this right diminishes the potential of your strategic plan and your company's success.

Trust

Trust is at the foundation of your business. Without it, your company will only go so far.

All interactions among your employees are affected by the level of trust.  Is it safe to speak openly?  Do I have a voice?  Will they listen? (See Culture Below).

Leaders note several behaviors and cultural issues that get in the way of success ("dare to lead", Brene' Brown), including avoidance of tough conversations caused by a lack of clarity and diminishing trust, group think, and organizational values are fuzzy, among others.

Get real with your people. Create an environment of where everyone has a voice.  Enable authentic vulnerability to thrive. It's got to be real and not fake, and I believe it comes from a sincere desire to

A recent study by McKinsey showed that most people leave a company or organization because they didn't feel valued enough. Have one-to-one conversations and listen.  Let silence do the heavy lifting.

Avoid leader bias.  Including all the key stakeholders in your strategic visioning process encourages higher levels of trust.  I find that some of the best ideas can come from anyone in the organization.

I wonder... have meetings replaced

trust in your company?

Think about it.  A study by McKinsey showed that about 70% of meetings happen because the level of trust is low.  Do most meetings feel like a waste of time and money?

Culture

Your culture is defined by actions and behaviors.  What you tolerate and allow to occur sets the bar low.  Conversely, what you acknowledge and reward sets the bar high.  Take time to celebrate the wins, big and small.

Daniel Coyle in "The Culture Code" writes that there are belonging cues, signals say "You are safe here". And "we are built to require lots of signaling, over and over". This is known as psychological safety.

Incorporating your culture into the strategic visioning process builds a stronger emotional connection to your vision and plan. Start with your key stakeholders, then include everyone in the organization.

And to build upon your culture that includes psychological safety, create a new habit and Communicate, Communicate, Communicate.

You can't over-communicate Vision, Value, Mission and Purpose.  The work that you will do will be forgotten unless you and the leadership team keep them in the forefront.

Final Thoughts

If done well, your strategic visioning process will include these: (1) honor the past and where you came from, i.e. the culture; (2) honestly acknowledge and assess the present state of things, externally and internally with clarity and openness; (3) co-create your shared vision for the future with purpose as the bullseye; (4) identify no more than five key initiatives; and (5) put these bold initiatives into play through action.

Why only five initiatives? Any more than that and you risk failure in the implementation. There will be milestones and subsets within each, but you don't want to bog your team down and late look back and accomplish little.

Integrate your strategic vision into everything from employing hiring, onboarding, training and customer service and whatever else you can think of.

Until next time!