Planning for Planning
This was originally posted as a LinkedIn article in 2022.
By the time we say we need to make a plan, what we're really thinking is ‘I wish I already had one.’
The ideas always seem to flow in the margins of life - quick text messages between meetings, while you’re in the shower getting ready for the day, when your kid says something on the drive home and you try to repeat it to yourself until you can get to a place to write it down or put it in your phone. When we finally get to the meeting though it’s like someone turned off the tap and all that's left are stale ideas and repetitive conversations. You’re right back in the cyclical logic you were trying to avoid by actually planning.
How do you help your team - and yourself - get ready to begin planning?
Figure out what page everyone is on.
It’s not uncommon for people within the same organization to have entirely different perspectives about the organization’s mission, work, operations…the list goes on. It’s not so simple as a right outlook and a wrong one. Our perspectives are shaped by our experiences and position. As we all know, a proclamation isn’t enough to make something true. As Founder and CEO, I could decide to call Quire the Beyoncé of research. My team would definitely have their own thoughts about that.
Figure out what page people want to be on.
If you’re going to get somewhere together, you need to decide where you’re heading. Have you ever shown up to the bar to meet a friend only to find out you’re at the downtown location and they meant the other one? Or maybe you showed up at the right location but you mixed up the days and should have been there tomorrow. Both time and location are essential components to being on the same page with your friend and successfully having a drink with them. Clarifying these necessary components for your team could help align different perspectives to get everyone on the same page.
Know your limitations.
You may not be the impartial facilitator you think you are. As a leader in your organization, be aware - and wary of - your own weight and biases. We’ve all been in sessions that last just long enough for us to agree with the person in charge. What’s billed as a planning session is really just a poorly disguised pitch meeting where the leader or a team member is trying to get everyone else to agree to their goal for the organization. That approach fuels distrust that destroys culture. If you already know the direction you’re going, be honest with yourself and your team about their role in shaping that direction.
Decide how you will implement a plan. What’s the process for change?
How upset would you be if someone you loved asked you to name what you wanted for dinner – the sky’s the limit! – only to be greeted by a plate of 3-day old leftovers. That’s how your team feels when you ask for input and continue doing the same old thing. Without an implementation plan, 3-day old leftovers is an all but guaranteed outcome regardless of the quality of your planning process. Before you begin planning, consider:
How will you hold yourself accountable to implementing the results?
Who might take a role in implementing changes within the organization?
Who might be affected by changes in the organization?
How might you need to adjust resources so the changes have their best chance of being effective?
Who needs to be involved in the planning process? When? Why? Do those people share your perspective about their involvement in the process?
Considering these things will help you be better prepared for planning - and your team will thank you!
