The first step is to make sure that all key people have a copy of the vision, strategy, and the current yearâs strategic priorities in front of them at all times. They should be brought to every staff meeting. They should be referred to constantly.
Bill Hannemann of Giro keeps a copy of the strategic priorities with him at all times. Not a staff meeting goes by without his referring to it. âI always try to make sure that our priorities are always being worked on in some specific way,â he says.
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Prior to the meeting, each participant should be asked to prepare by answering a few questions. These questions should be circulated to the participants at least a week prior to the meeting. The content of the questions will vary from year to year, and from company to company, but should be related to the internal and external assessment.
To stimulate people to come to the meeting well prepared, we suggest asking each person to prepare a ten- to twenty-minute presentation on a specific topic. Few things capture peopleâs attention better than knowing that they need to make a public presentation. Certain individuals might take on specific preparation tasks, such as industry/market trends, technology trends, new innovations, and competitor analysis.
We suggest using the following rough agenda:
- Review vision (core values and beliefs, purpose, and mission).
- Ensure that the vision is agreed upon and crystal clear.
- As a group, do an internal assessment.
- As a group, do an external assessment.
- As a group, decide upon/revise the basic strategy for reaching the current mission.
- As a group, decide on the top five strategic priorities for the coming year.
Employees can articulate the following key components of the companyâs strategy accurately. You want all employees to align their actions with the strategy of the company. To do this, they need to know and understand the companyâs 10- to 25-year goal (BHAGÂŽ); who the core customers are; the three Brand Promises everyone needs to keep; and what the company does â and be able to explain it when asked (the elevator pitch).
With frontline employees and customers, ask the Start/Stop/Keep questions. With middle management, require a standard SWOT and inquire about their top three priorities for the quarter or year.
And demand that the senior team go deeper and broader using the SWT.
Plan your promises, and promise only what you can deliver. Once those goals are part of the public record, keep an inventory of evidence that supports your claim to have accomplished them. Without blowing your own horn, it can be helpful in those early months to call attention to the early successes that align with what you have already identified as priorities for the companyâs success and growth.
Not all early actions may be happy ones, but they are worth emphasizing if they help the organization move in the direction you want. An example is the September issue of Bob Eckertâs company-wide intranet column âWhatâs On My Mind?â written five months after he arrived at Mattel.
Bill had us pay close attention to running meetings well; âget the 1:1 rightâ and âget the staff meeting rightâ are tops on the list of his most important management principles. He felt that these meetings are the most important tools available to executives in running the company, and that each one should be approached thoughtfully.