Strategic Planning the Genuine Contact Way

Most strategic plans fail to be implemented – research shows 70-90% end up gathering dust on shelves. Strategic planning that works requires more than creating a great plan; it requires building implementation into the process itself, creating join-in from the beginning, and developing your organization's capacity to execute with clarity and alignment.

This approach focuses on what actually makes strategic plans successful, drawing on study of organizations that do implement their plans effectively. The difference isn't in the quality of ideas – it's in how the planning process engages people, builds shared understanding, and creates systematic approaches to managing organizational performance.

You'll learn to avoid common pitfalls that lead to strategic planning exhaustion: the futility of trying to convince people to buy into a finished plan, the rigidity of plans that don't account for changing environments, and the burden of implementation feeling like extra work on top of regular jobs. Instead, you'll develop skills to lead collaborative strategic planning that keeps implementation at the core, involves people throughout so understanding builds as the plan develops, and builds in innovation, monitoring, and periodic refresh to keep the plan alive and relevant.

The learning follows a six-phase journey through discernment, readiness, engagement, construction, implementation, and monitoring and adjustment. You'll work with simple tools that handle complexity, recognizing that change is constant and planning must account for dynamic performance environments. Throughout, you'll learn to tap into collective wisdom through participatory processes – finding the best ways to close the gap between your organization's potential and its results.

You will leave this experiential, interactive workshop equipped with:

• Understanding of critical ingredients for strategic plans that actually get implemented rather than sitting on shelves
• Skills to engage your organization during plan development, tapping into collective wisdom for innovation and wise action
• Capacity to create join-in from the beginning rather than trying to convince people to buy into a finished plan
• Knowledge of how to develop strategy-focused organizations and cultures that support successful execution
• Tools for collaborative strategic planning that keeps implementation central to the process
• Understanding of how to build innovation, timely adjustment, and strategic refresh into your planning approach
• Practical processes for creating clarity and alignment around organizational performance
• Confidence and commitment to lead strategic planning that actually delivers results

Genuine Contact Way learning modules are offered around the world and in several languages. Workshops are regularly offered in English, German, and Swedish. They are also offered occasionally in Dutch, French, Norwegian, Spanish, and Russian. Genuine Contact Trainers offer workshops both in person and online.  In short, it's easy to find an upcoming workshop near you!