Planning – you hear this once in a while from your boss. You even do this almost everyday. What time you will get up, what will you wear, how will you go to work but being able to accomplish the errand you need to do prior to timing in, listing your grocery items, saving up for that desirable coat you saw at the shopping mall – these are all part of the process of planning. But when the boss starts to speak about strategic planning, it sounded like you are about to go to war, doesn't it?
Try to see this in simple terms. Strategy, when defined meant method or scheme. Quite simple, right? Planning, in simple terms connotes preparation, readying or designing your future actions. Now, what is so complicated about that? When the boss makes you submit some couple of proposals, that's when things get hazy, agree?
If you are the boss, you can help yourself first by explaining it in simple terms to your employees. You have to face the fact that not all of your former employees nor the long-staying ones are eager to teach the younger ones. And you cannot expect that the younger ones will be able to grasp what you want them to do first hand. So, why not make it easier first by teaching them a thing or two about the word strategic planning? How?
Look for materials that are readily available in the market – not those things that you want to sell nor advertise. Instead, look for those things that in a training and development session, your employees will try to create using teamwork and ingenuity. Take special note not to use materials that some of your employees already know how to work out. Next, such materials should come in one complete set like the candle making kit. The making of soy candle is now starting to be a favorite hobby of arts and craft enthusiasts, so it would be easy for you to find the materials that you need.
In one training session, divide them into two or several groups whichever is applicable and have them generate at least a couple of outputs from those kits. Set a time limit to integrate some pressure and a sense of urgency on them. When finished, try to see their outputs and generate from them if they are satisfied with their handiwork. Whether satisfied or not, they can always do better. Then ask them what could be done in order for them to make a much better and creative result. Have them list it down and ask them to put a simple solution or technique for each of the result that they want.
When they have presented their results, you can now connect the activity to what strategic planning is. By this way, they are able to appreciate and understand what your sort of planning entails – that it consists of reflecting on the results of the previous plans and make amends as you go on planning for the next set of actions in achieving the set goals.
