A service organisation is making plans for its next two years. The leadership team is all over the place in terms of its thinking. The optimists (‘we can take over the world’) aren’t even talking to the pessimists (‘we’re all doomed!’). The leader is being worn down by demanding shareholders and a dysfunctional team.
The team need to spend some time together talking about the right things, in the right order and in the right way. Four sessions are arranged, all facilitated externally. This is what we designed…
Session 1 was about the team itself, their relationships and their alignment. Time was spent developing trust, sharing vulnerability. This led on to the start of the creation of a common sense of purpose.
Session 2 started with ensuring a clear and common understanding of the goals they wished (and needed) to achieve over the next two years. The session went on to explore the big chunks of work that were likely to be needed.
In session 3 the team spent some additional time describing what it would be like when they arrived at the end of two years. The put important flesh on the bones of the simple metrics and helped create a story that they would need to take their people on the journey. In this session the plan for that journey was also described.
The final session explored firstly what needed to stop or be done differently if they were going to create the focus and momentum for their plan. Finally the team spent time ensuring that they had an agreed and thought-through approach to execution so that no-one was in any doubt about who was going to do what and how they were all going to work collectively going forward.
The role of the facilitator in the sessions was a vital component in the success of this activity. The two years has not yet passed and that will be the ultimate judge of success, but for now the team has become much higher performing and cohesive. The facilitator’s focus on the process of the sessions ensured the team could stay committed to the task. If you have a need for this type of support please get in touch
Enquire about this service