Open The Door On Your Strategic Planning Process
Currently, my kids are obsessed with the Hamilton soundtrack. After I had the chance to see the play in Chicago, and it lived up to all the hype, I turned on the soundtrack in the car and my son can’t get enough. One song he always asks to play is The Room Where it Happens.
““We all want to be in the room where it happens.””
The song is describing a point at which Alexander Hamilton is doing whatever it takes to get a bill passed that would shape the US economy. He knows he doesn’t have the votes to make it happen, so Hamilton plans a closed-door meeting with people who can get him those votes. They come out with a compromise that will have major impacts on our entire country, and the decisions were made in a room with just a handful of people. One man, Aaron Burr, is especially frustrated with this turn of events, because he has been fighting his whole life to be in the room where it happens. If you don’t know how this story ends, just listen to the first song of the play in which Arron Burr exclaims, “I am the damn fool that shot him (Hamilton).”
“I actually think that most organizations believe that in order to be seen as a credible leader, they have to come to their constituents with a polished product. ”
I hope your relationship with your stakeholders doesn’t end in a literal duel like Hamilton and Burr, but don’t think this story is too much of an embellishment. I have witnessed the deterioration of trust that occurs when the room where it happens has too few seats, and the plans that come out of the room are far too complete.
A couple of years ago, I was asked to give a keynote address on network leadership at a conference for a membership organization’s constituents. I was primed and ready to talk about how we have to create a space and time to co-create solutions together, rather than sharing fully baked ideas that other people and organizations have to carry out. On the agenda right before me was the CEO and CFO of the membership organization. I thought they would just be providing a welcome to the conference and an introduction to my address. Instead, they were there to unveil a five year strategic plan for their network. The sea of stunned, angry and sometimes complacent faces I witnessed as every ounce of energy and excitement was sucked out of the room made me keenly aware that this was not the room where it happened.
I didn’t need to ask, but I did anyway. None of the membership had been a part of creating the strategic plan, yet for the plan to be successful the membership would have to change and expand the way they work on a day to day basis. There were 300 hundred Arron Burr’s staring back at me as I took the stage to talk about network leadership. I was wishing I had worn a figurative bullet proof vest.
“The act of being involved creates a greater sense of buy-in and trust in that product and relationship as a whole.”
I think the motives of this organization and the many others that have done the same thing are quite different from Hamilton’s. They aren’t trying to sneak something past the American people or just get what they want. I actually think that most organizations believe that in order to be seen as a credible leader, they have to come to their constituents with a polished product. Over and over again, we have found this to be far from the truth. Most people are aware that consensus can be a time consuming process that is hard and messy, but most people also want to ensure that their voice can be heard in the process. They don’t want to simply react to a final product with no room for influence over something they will be required to implement.
We encourage our clients to practice a couple of powerful shifts. One, give up power. When we come with final products, we are setting a power dynamic that is top down, and is not helpful in sparking creativity, innovation, and trust. A way to give up power is another practice of co-creating and prototyping together. It is likely a false conception that your stakeholders want programs, policies or even research given to them wrapped up in a bow. In fact, they want to see the messiness of the process, and be allowed to put their stamp on the work at the earliest stages. We have found that even if their mark isn’t seen in the final product, the act of being involved creates a greater sense of buy-in and trust in that product and relationship as a whole.
“The practice of Opening the Door will help create a culture of trust and innovation that can drive the success of the strategic plan.”
The people who aren’t in your room where it happens are likely consistently underrepresented at decision making tables about all kinds of issues that impact their lives. So, add some chairs to the room, and avoid your stakeholder relationships going the way of Hamilton and Burr.
Just this week we saw one of our clients, the Northern Illinois Food Bank, open the doors and over 40 of their staff members flooded in to give input on their strategic plan. The excitement in the room was palpable, and we have confidence that the practice of opening the door will help create a culture of trust and innovation that can drive the success of their strategic plan.
Staff members of the Northern Illinois Food Bank discussing the effort and reach of their ideas to support their neighbors that are hungry.
See What I Mean has extensive experience working to understand the relationship between different stakeholders, and training organizations in the practice of co-creating and prototyping together. We would love to work with your organization, through workshops like our Network Capacity Hackathon or Network Leadership Training. Click the box below to schedule your Discovery call with us.
Author: Jordan Vernoy