Strategic Planning

Creating a strategy behind closed doors, involving only the top leaders is a common, albeit archaic approach to strategic planning. But that approach is not only outdated, it is ineffective. That approach misses out on invaluable perspectives and vital pieces of data that come from the people in the organization; the people closest to the work, the people closest to the customer.

Starting with people is how we make powerful organizational decisions that last. The more contributions you get from the employees, the more bought-in and committed they are, and the better your overall strategy will be. Gathering input from the organization can be done swiftly, at scale, and in a manner that produces actionable results.

Sample Client Story

Technology Organization

Situation: A division leader was struggling to align his team around a shared vision and strategy.

Approach: We deployed a strategic planning process which started with hearing from voices ‘lower’ in the organization. Through interviews, surveys, and focus groups, we gathered important data about the state of the division, and used that information to craft an off-site agenda aimed at aligning the senior team and making some hard strategic decisions.

Result: The leader and his immediate team left the off-site with a strategic plan outlined, agreed-upon next steps, and a communication process designed to garner the buy-in and excitement of the employees within that division. Because the employee voices were included in the process, the roll-out was smooth, and the employees rallied around the plan.

According to Gallup, involving as many employees as possible to offer input on key decisions is a proven way to generate buy-in and ownership of change and outcomes.

We enjoyed working with Melisa Gillis on our 5 year strategic plan!  She was engaging, organized and put a lot of individualized attention into the planning of our stakeholder sessions.  I would highly recommend Melissa and if presented the opportunity would enlist her again for a project.

- CEO @ Granite State Children’s Alliance