3 minutes
Did you do the right things to set up your meeting for success?
Here are seven specific tips for making sure your next board planning session is as effective as possible. To check if you’re set up for success, ask yourself, “Did you ….”
1. Choose the right facilitator at the right time—An outside facilitator is imperative if you are serious about engaging everyone on the team in the kind of idea-focused debate that drives strategic planning success.
2. Select the right off-site location—There is one thing facilitating planning processes for over 30 years has taught me: You cannot get people to think about the future if they are sitting in the same room (in the same seats) where they regularly think about the present. That’s why your planning session needs to take place at an off-site location (not in your boardroom or training room).
3. Set the stage for success with the correct room—Consider these five things when selecting your meeting room to ensure success:
i. Open Space: You can’t ask people who feel confined to think big. It just doesn’t work. Select a room for your planning session that has high ceilings and plenty of space.
ii. Clear Walls: You’re not there to look at the artwork; you’re there to create the artwork. Look for a room that has plenty of wall space to post the flip charts you use to track the discussions.
iii. Outdoor Access: Although you don’t necessarily want an outside door into your meeting room, you do want the ability for people to venture outside during breaks. Look for a room that makes it easy to get outside, and with a window or two that brings in natural light.
iv. Low Traffic: Nothing is more frustrating than when the conversation is really rolling, the room next door takes a break, and everyone noisily files into the hallway for refreshments. Look for a room away from the high traffic areas of the property (and ask what else will be going while you are there).
v. Good Ergonomics: You are going to be asking people to be in a room together for an extended period of time. If they are not comfortable or don’t have sufficient space, they won’t be able to focus on what matters.
4. Get the right people in the room—The usual suspects for inclusion in credit union strategy sessions are the board and the senior leadership team. More recently many credit unions are opting to expand the group to bring in new ideas and perspectives. The key is that the people in the room have sufficient knowledge and understanding of the topics being discussed to support sound decision-making.
5. Manage the process and the people—Often more effort is put into managing the room assignments, meal choices, and fun activities than into managing the work sessions. Be clear about the expectations and the need for everyone to come prepared to participate, to support one another, and to focus on the future of the credit union.
6. Provide down time for thought processing—The members of the planning team are not created equal. Some process information quickly and make decisions with ease. Others need time to process what they have heard and evaluate the options. Including an overnight in the planning process helps, as do slightly longer breaks between work sessions and meals.
7. Focus on a limited set of action outcomes—Effective planning is as much about deciding what you won’t do as it is about deciding what you will do. Set the expectation from the outset that you are looking for a limited number (less than 5) of action outcomes. Commit to make the difficult choices and to focus your decisions beforehand, then follow through and do it.
Michael Hudson, Ph.D., is founder and principal of Credit Union Strategy, Rehoboth Beach, Del. He is a frequent speaker at CU industry conferences and helps individual CUs discover and implement strategy, build and sustain culture, and identify and develop leaders.
This is bonus coverage from “Strive for Five” in the December 2014 issue of Credit Union Management magazine.
