Ask Coach: Making Your Team Part of Strategic Planning, Part 1

By Rich Anderson, executive coach with HTG Peer Groups

Q: How do you invite your team to be part of strategic planning?

Coach: Instead of “invite,” “engage.”

My Boxer Shorts

I received a rather tart pair of boxer shorts for Christmas intended either as a joke or as a gastrological comment.  Emblazoned on the seat of the shorts is the coiled rattlesnake made famous by the yellow “Don’t Tread on Me” flag designed for the American Revolution.  However, the historic “Don’t Tread on Me” caption was replaced by “Silent But Deadly.”  Beyond the not-so-subtle message, I believe these shorts and the American Revolution (from the Declaration to the Constitution) may help answer your question.   

Invite Or Engage

You use the word “invite.” I prefer the word “engage.” I might rephrase your question as, “How do you engage your entire team to get the highest level of buy-in so you can maximize the success of your strategic plan?” Your challenge is to help your entire team engage and strategically think and act beyond their day-to-day operational responsibilities. In this first part of a three-part series on engaging your team in strategic planning, I will comment on your leadership team and your vision.

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