Strategic Planning and Coaching; Highly Effective Boards have very strong strategic planning skills. The latest research has overwhelmingly concluded that a sound strategy with a strong implementation approach is essential to sustainable success.
Not surprisingly many of the elements necessary for the successful coaching and development of Directors and Senior Managers are also essential for good Strategic Planning. Upon reflection this is obvious, as Strategic Change requires equivalent changes within the Senior Management Team, in order for them to be able to successfully conceive of and to implement the appropriate Strategic Change.
The elements of good Strategic Planning and Coaching are embodied within the GROW Coaching model, originally created by Sir John Whitmore and now widely adopted. These are:
Goals, Strategic Goals of the Company
Reality, Current Position of the Company
Options, Options and Obstacles
Will and the Way Forward
Outline details for each element of the Strategic Planning and Coaching processed are provided below.
Goals, Strategic Goals of the Company
The Key Starting Point and Critical Success Factor is to define a Strategic Goal, which is relevant, inspirational and challenging. It must be a SMART (specific, measurable and achievable in a realistic time frame) goal. But it must not just be a SMART goal. It should capture the imagination and be easily communicated and understood throughout the company.
Reality, Current Position of the Company
This is a reality check (also known as a baseline benchmark) and could involve revisiting and redefining the previously defined Strategic Goal. That would depend upon how big the perceived gap is, between where the company is now and where the Strategic Goal implies it needs to be. Once the Strategic Goal is confirmed as being realistic, the process would move onto the next step.
Options, Options and Obstacles
This explores why the company has not already achieved the Strategic Goal and what obstacles might prevent its future achievement. These need to be extensively considered and realistic solutions incorporated into the Strategic Plan. Otherwise the Strategy would just become an unrealistic wish list. This naturally leads onto a number of feasible options that all incorporate the Obstacles and the methods to overcome them. Each of these options should be presented with resource requirements, timescales and the identification of the key people and the dates they would be required.
Will and Way Forward
True Strategic Change requires more than just an outstanding project team. It requires strong Board Commitment. This should be much more than just a written statement by the Board. It requires the Board to actively champion the Strategic Change. Ideally a champion from within Board should be nominated to actively resolve any Management Inertia issues and to frequently give their time to publicly promote the project and its benefits.
Resultant Outcome
From the feasible options identified in the previous Options and Obstacles step the best option should be selected and fleshed out with a great deal of detail; as much as possible. Contingency sub-plans should be prepared to handle unavoidable problems that might arise from the normal business activities. Ideally the plan and the progress against the plan, should, on a regular basis, be shared across the company.
This then becomes the Way Forward to which the company is totally committed.
Further details on Strategic Planning and Coaching are provided in the Board Director courses and Coaching Programs of Excellence in Learning.
Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Recognised Centre
To ensure that the directors attending our open scheduled courses will get the maximum possible benefit from their time and that the discussions will be at their most effective; the numbers are limited to a maximum of 8 delegates.
Institute of Leadership and Management approved Director Training Centre.
The standard courses are offered In Person at hotels or as Live Online Courses.
Our 2-day training courses are formally accredited by either the Chartered Management Institute or the Institute of Leadership and Management. Their logos along with that of Excellence in Learning will be on the relevant 2 day course certificates. The two course days can be spread across two separate non-consecutive days.
