“What should we start, stop, continue?”
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My February newsletter on “Scrapping the Strategic Planning Process” recommended that when establishing objectives start by linking them to the customer. I wrote that keeping the customer as the benchmark can help simplify decision making in complex times and unify staff around common goals.
It generated discussion on the challenges in clarifying priorities and the plans to meet them. We have all been there: figuring out what to do can be a tough decision. “Start, Stop, Continue” can be a helpful and productive method to assess current work, decide on new initiatives and facilitate team involvement in the process as well. I am a big proponent of staff involvement so this exercise can have a big upside on team accountability for plan execution.
Here are a few questions to get you started. One option is to have team members put their ideas on sticky pads for each topic.
START: What should we start doing?
- If it was your organization or money was not an issue, where would you spend it?
- What do you hear the customer wishing for?
- Anything you should test?
WHAT: What should we stop doing?
- Anything not getting the expected results?
- What do you wish you didn’t have to do?
- What items on your task list that do you never seem to get to?
CONTINUE: What should we continue doing?
- What are customers saying they value?”
- What’s working?
- What’s a new initiative we should keep doing?
“Scrap the Strategic Planning Process?”
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With COVID-19 upending how we operate and do business why not rethink the planning process as well. Our actions to respond to this disruption on our organizations may need to be accelerated as we are pushed out of our comfort zones in a possible re-set of direction and resources to meet market changes.
I suspect I will get some agreement from those who have participated in developing strategic plans. It does look impressive when it is done with all those sections, graphs, roman numerals and sub-categories. But after all the analysis, discussion and the amount of time invested, who remembers the details two years later? A year later?
Kevin O’Connor in his book The Map of Innovation writes “…Once we captured all the good ideas, we wasted enormous amounts of effort and time justifying the fact that we had gotten all the good ideas.”
I have found that most people already know what needs to be done, and that the process can be energized into an action-centered, shorter-term, custom-tailored planning solution. My suggestions to get the planning conversation started at your business:
- Establish key objectives & priorities linked to the customer.
- Keeping the customer as the benchmark can help simplify decision making in complex times and unify staff around a common goal.
- Consider a timeframe based on the immediate to one year (“the must & need to do’s”) with a two-year maximum( the “like to do’s”).
- Evaluate ideas vs. reality, ease of implementation, obstacles, resource availability (time, money, people) and ROI.
- Create action steps to meet the objectives.
- Assign responsibilities.
- Monitor progress weekly; update and redirect as needed.
“Positive Impressions When Video Conferencing”
Like many of you I am finding myself meeting people on virtual video conference platforms. It’s been an essential learning curve as it has become the go-to for meetings.
In many cases, this is the first meeting to introduce ourselves, products and services. And it could be a first time for staff via this medium to interact with customers, partners, prospects, educational or community representatives.
As a result, organizations are outlining suggested behaviors and etiquette. This could include, for example, making eye contact, dressing appropriately, not eating, being aware of surroundings and background, and controlling for noise.
You and your staff’s image to the customer provides a perception of who you are, rightly or wrongly.
The impression given to the customer is an opportunity to gain their confidence and trust. They want to feel that they are making an informed decision by entering a relationship with you. Presenting a professional image, and a more self-assured staff, contributes to projecting confidence that is picked by the customer.
Guidelines to help gain trust and credibility:
- Know who you are. Demonstrate product and service knowledge, value and benefits.
- Accurately and honestly respond to customer questions. If you don’t know, get an answer. Give a time that you will contact them with the information.
- Listen and focus on what customers are saying to clarify their needs.
- Respect their reservations for moving forward with you. This may be the chance to understand their concerns and create solutions with their input.
- Ask if you can follow-up with a suggested timeframe. But don’t forget them.
- Don’t burn a bridge. You may hear from them again. Recommendations can come from where you least expect it.
- Thank them for their time and interest.
“Positioning Yourself for What’s Next”
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Along with our concern for the COVID-19 threat to family, friends, neighbors and ourselves, the coronavirus has literally altered how we approach and live each day. Adding to our stress are the loss of jobs daily and business shutdowns. Unemployment claims are reaching record numbers.
With that in mind, I am sharing below a sample exercise that I utilize when conducting individual sessions and business and group workshops in personal branding and story creation. Describing your personal brand and writing your story can help to clearly and efficiently communicate your assets and qualities for presenting yourself on online interviews, your online profile, employment applications and resume.
Thinking about replacing income and what’s next is an additional burden none of us wants right now. But at the same time, it may be worthwhile to assess who you are to position and distinguish yourself in what looks to be a competitive job market as employers begin hiring.
For some it will be a return to the job they had. Others may not have an employer to return to as some businesses may not survive or are reallocating their resources for a new direction. Maybe it is a change in career and industry that you have been contemplating for a while or you are evaluating the move to self-employment.
A few self-exploratory questions to help you to clarify your direction and to begin writing your story:
- What is your mission? Job focus? Career objective?
- What are your values and operating principles that you will not compromise?
- What are your competencies and skill-sets?
- What examples represent the impact that your skills offer?
- Describe your prospective employer target? What are their needs? What solutions do you offer and what can you help them solve?
- Why would an employer hire you?
- What makes you memorable? What distinguishes you from the competition? How are you unique?
- How would your network (customers, co-workers, friends) describe you?
- Who do you currently admire and what qualities do you want people to associate with you?
“Receiving Feedback is a Mindset & Skill”
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Organizations have invested a lot of time and money to develop effective employee communications and interpersonal skills. The intent is to create a working environment which supports the day to day free flow of communication and ideas.
A critical component of engaging co-workers and staff is providing each other with constructive feedback and criticism. This goes for the entire food chain involving the entry-level worker to executive.
This can contribute to performance growth for both the employee and organization.
Some argue that receiving feedback maybe the more difficult skill and mindset to develop since feedback is an evaluative process, involving both positive and negative comments.
Most of us are protective of our ideas, our ways of doing things and who we are. Getting criticism, even done properly, can make us defensive and feel threatened.
My close family friend and IT business guru James Anderson a technical support professional captures the feedback process perfectly when he states, “We have been conditioned to get defensive when receiving criticism versus looking at someone guiding you for success.”
Suggested guidelines to facilitate receiving feedback:
- Change your mindset, unlearn past behaviors and be open to feedback. Think of it as receiving information to potentially enhance your development.
- Think about what they are stating and ask for specific examples.
- Be aware of your emotions and manage them.
- Listen closely and control the urge to respond; let the person complete their observations.
- Is this new information or something that you have heard before?
- Reflect back to clarify and confirm your understanding of their points.
- Ask to schedule a follow-up to get time to consider what you heard.
- Respond to one point at a time with your perspective on each.