It’s planning season for many organizations. How can you ensure that you aren’t missing anything as you build your plans for FY12?
We are reminding our clients that as they work to decide what they will do to drive the business from A to B, they also want to consider how they will drive for business results; that is, how they will continue their building their collective capacity and move from being groups to being high performing teams. We also want them to consider what they will do to develop their individual capacity to lead with more discipline and intention (from default to design).
When we take the time to consider the organization, the team, and the individuals who make up our teams, we are taking a more systemic approach. Widening our focus as we plan for the future forces us to allow more time for reflection and dialogue before we jump into execute mode. Where do we want the organization to be a year from now? Where do we want our team to be? Where do I want to be (in terms of my leadership development and my career)?
As we consider what success looks like a year out for the organization, the team, and ourselves, we create context for evaluating where we are now; we can attend to our current reality with an eye toward the future. With Points A and B defined, we can look for the optimal way forward instead of hastily locking in on what may be the obvious way forward. They may be one and the same; many times they are not. Creating the time and space for real reflection and dialogue enables us to build plans that address the business, the team, and individuals and raise the likelihood of higher engagement and performance. That means fewer missteps and faster execution. That’s always a good thing.