Strategic Plan Update workshop for UBT Nth America

Strategic Plan
update workshop
UBT – North America
Stephen Lynch

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Promo Code: UBT

Get the slide deck:
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Connect with Stephen Lynch:

Ask for everyone’s point of view

Productive conflict is important

Everyone commits to the decision

What were the notable achievements your team accomplished?
List your answers below:

What did you START doing that has been of value?

What did you STOP doing
(and it was a good decision to stop doing these things)?

How effectively did you measure progress and keep it visible?

How well did you hold each other accountable
for keeping promises, and achieving the deadlines you set?

What valuable lessons did you learn?

“Companies need to operate
with one eye focused on
the short-term, and one eye
focused on the long-term.
Short-term is about projects
related to improving
the current core business,
and meeting the needs
of today’s target customers.”
Philip Kotler

“Long-term is NOT about
performance improvement.
It is about forgetting the past
and reshaping the business
to compete more effectively
in the future.

Often, this demands bold,
disruptive strategic moves
away from the present
to reshape the company
for future success.”
Philip Kotler

Describe your
current reality and
make it obvious !!

Be specific with your SWOT: Use 3-5 word phrases
“Our people” is not a strength
What is it about your people that makes your team strong?
E.g. “Highly qualified software engineers”
“Marketing” is not a weakness
What is it about marketing that is weak currently?
E.g. “Insufficient target customer leads”

“Communication” is not a weakness
What is not being communicated?
E.g. “Strategy not well understood”

What are the top strengths / assets / competencies within your
business you can leverage (or build) in the next 12 months?
Rank your Top 5 Strengths in order:

What are the biggest weaknesses within your current business
that could be fixed or improved in the next 12 months?
Rank your Top 5 Weaknesses in order:

What opportunities can you pursue over the next 12 months
(aligned to your BHAG & 3-5 Year Strategic Moves)
that will position your company for future success?
Rank your Top 5 Opportunities in order:

What external threats do you need to reduce
(or closely monitor) to ensure they do not derail your plans?
Rank your Top 5 Threats in order:

“Every leader needs to
clearly explain the top 3 things
the company is working on.
If you can't,
then you're not leading well”
Jeffrey Immelt

“SMART” Projects

S

Specific

M

Measurable

A

Achievable

R

Relevant

T

Time bound

Strategic Projects / Key Initiatives



RED = Project behind schedule. Sound alarm!



YELLOW = Watch closely. Need help?



GREEN = Project on schedule

Using software to track projects

Strategic Projects & their associated Tasks

Choose Strategic Projects that will address the issues
documented in your SWOT analysis
Be obvious about the milestone you need to hit by the due date
(so you know when to “pop the cork” to celebrate success)
Many people can be involved in executing each Strategic Project,
but only 1 person accountable for the overall outcome
The project leader makes sure everything “gets done”
(it does not necessarily mean they do it all themselves)
You may be leader in some projects and a follower in others

What are the top 3 Strategic Projects your company (or team)
needs to execute the coming period?
- Each must address 1 or more issues described in your SWOT analysis (relevant)
- Describe the tangible end-point milestones (so you know when to celebrate)
- Balance short-term business improvement initiatives (improving “what is”)
vs. building long-term strategic capability for the future (creating “what will be”)

Current Strategic Project
1.
2.
3.

Due
Date

Person
Accountable

Balance Optimism with Realism
Set yourself up to succeed. “Stuff happens”. Fires need fighting.
Set realistic outcomes and due dates that take into account
“stuff happens” - yet still achieve your milestones.
Don’t underestimate the difficulties and challenges you will face.
Your colleagues are counting on you.
Only make promises that you know you will be able to keep.

Strategic Project #1
Associated Individual Tasks

Due Date

Person Accountable


Due Date

Person Accountable

Make time for Strategic Execution: The #1 Thing
90% of your time is “Business as usual” activities
You still need to create opportunities, make sales,
deliver products and services, and collect money….
the things you do every day to pay the bills.
Set aside 10% of your time ( ½ day) every week
for strategic execution, to complete 1 specific meaningful task
“the #1 thing” that will move each Strategic Project forward.

What does being accountable overall
for the execution of a Strategic Project mean?

–
–
–

You make sure everything “gets done” related to this Project
Colleagues with associated tasks report to you as “project leader”
You meet with the project team on a weekly basis to make sure:
– Current status of each project is up to date (% complete / color / commentary)
– You are aware of issues / delays - and know when it will actually be completed
– The #1 TASK to move each project forward each week is agreed and visible
– You help source the necessary support to keep things on track
– You report to the company leadership once per week showing that you fully
understand what is happening and have things under control

Tip: Due Dates
In the first 2 weeks of the period allow people to research and plan
the execution of their individual Projects and Tasks
Agree and “lock in” the due date after this 2 week window
We have now set the “rules of the game” for this quarter.
We do not alter the due dates after this point
If a project falls overdue, there may be a valid reason but you must
show that the person did not complete their Project on time

How will you keep progress visible on your Projects?
How will you hold people accountable for Task achievement?

Display a small handful of Numerical Targets

Numerical Target
Description
Date:

2 Years

1 year

90 Days

Person
Accountable

31 Dec 2015 31 Dec 2014 30 Sep 2013

Software license sales

75

50

4

David

# Branch offices

6

3

1

Stacey

# Hosting clients

13

8

3

Ann

Choose milestones that have meaning for ALL your people
(Aligned with your financial forecasts / budgets)

Choose 1-3 Numerical Targets
Choose measures that you are happy to display publically numbers that are meaningful for ALL people in your company
Project these targets over 3 different time periods to show everyone
the milestones the company will reach as it evolves and grows:
90 Days → 1 Year → 2 Years
The targets for the next 90 Days are concrete “must achieves”
1 year and 2 year targets are approximate, and should be reviewed
every quarter to ensure they reflect the current reality.

Are you aligned?
Align Numerical Targets with BHAG©, 3-5 Year Strategic Moves,
and your Current Strategic Projects
Numerical targets should then be used as the basis for your
financial forecasts / budgets / human resources planning etc.
Strategy comes first!

Numerical targets and financial budgets must be aligned
with your strategy!

Display a small handful of Numerical Targets

Numerical Target
Description

2 Years

1 year

90 Days

Date:

DDMmmYY

DDMmmYY

Person
Accountable

DDMmmYY

Choose milestones that have meaning for ALL your people
(Aligned with your financial forecasts / budgets)

How will your team keep the Numerical Targets visible?
How will your team hold people accountable for achievement?

“However beautiful the strategy, you
should occasionally look at the results”

92% of companies don’t measure KPIs [3]

Key Performance Indicators / Key Metrics



RED = Unacceptable performance standard



YELLOW = Watch closely. Need help?



GREEN = Target performance standard

In the past, we used Spreadsheets / MS Excel

Key Performance Indicators / Key Metrics

Everyone knows their own individual accountabilities

They can also see how the entire team is performing

Team leaders can drill down to identify the cause

Looks like one person is holding the team back

What are the reasons for this trend?

Take action to diagnose and solve the problem

Don’t wait until the end of the month

Imagine this…

- You are on an extended holiday in the tropics….
- All you can receive is a weekly text from your business that contains a small handful
of numbers (e.g. 5 max) that tell you how well your business (or team) is performing
- If the KPI’s are “green” you can go back to sunbathing
- If the KPI’s are “yellow” you need to ring the office to see what is going on
- If the KPI’s are “red” you need to cut your holiday short and return home

- What would those numbers be?

Emphasize “performance” measures that predict
the outcomes that will be represented in financial statements
Ideally use actual measures (rather than % of budget etc)
so that the KPI data can be graphed over time showing the trend
Review red, yellow, green thresholds every quarter
(to reflect current reality / growth trend / seasonal factors etc)
Confirm personal accountable is willing to be held firmly accountable
for the KPI being “in the Green” as part of their performance review

What are the key performance indicators you will measure
every week/month to drive your current business model?
Key Performance Indicator

Red

Yellow

Green

Measurement
Frequency

Person
Accountable

By what day each week / month will the KPI data be posted?
What 1 person will be accountable to post this data?

How will your team keep KPI data visible?
How will your team hold people accountable for achievement?

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