What Not To Do In Strategic Planning

Over the past several newsletters, I've been covering a variety of issues relevant to rural broadband leaders… from the future of USF to the progress of the BEAD program and other topics in between. However, a lot is going on, and I've only scratched the surface.

What are those other topics on rural broadband leaders' minds? These are some I've heard when speaking to them:

• Irrational fiber overbuilders
• 5G fixed wireless
• Constantly changing customer demands
• Complex grant issues with "stacking" of grants and dealing with delays
• Challenging rural economics
• New private investors and private-equity backed consolidation
• Supply chain issues
• Labor and talent shortages
• Rising equipment costs
• Increased competition from big cable and big telco
• Open access models

Note that I didn't even mention BEAD or USF transformation issues in that list.

Given all this, what should you do??

My simple answer is to have a plan.?

As simple as it sounds, there are a few other things to consider. Let me start by saying that many people think they know how to plan through this, and maybe they do. However, my experience tells me that most organizations don't know how to plan well.

Why You Should Plan in the Face of Telco Disruption?

To begin with, you need a way to prioritize and focus on things that only affect your target outcomes because you don't have enough time and resources to focus on every issue. By developing a targeted outcome and a plan to achieve it, you get out of reactive mode and into proactive mode because you can decide what actually matters.

Second, when something new comes along, you have a way to incorporate it into the plan. Without the plan to ground you, you'll be buffeted by the next issue.

Finally, it forces you to think both short and long-term. Most owners, CEOs, and GMs are dealing with issues for today, the quarter, and maybe thinking about the year. The problem is that some solutions take years to implement, and if you don't start now, they won't be ready.?

For example, many owners talk about labor and talent shortages. The near-term solutions include hiring contractors or paying higher salaries to attract talent. Longer-term solutions like using more automation, establishing relationships and a pipeline with trade schools, or retraining people for other jobs take time.

What not to do

I have spent years of my life in the efforts of strategic planning. A lot of folks like to tell you what framework to use, how to proceed, what works, and so on. Just for grins, here’s my list of what NOT to do when you start strategic planning:

Instead of doing this: Tell everyone the answer at the beginning.

• I have been in too many strategic planning sessions where the leader has defined all the topics, complete with an opinion on what the answer should be before anyone has ever lifted a pencil. Suffice to say, this doesn’t work.?

Do this instead: The leader absolutely needs to set the stage, but instead of saying the answer, dictate the question(s) to be addressed.

• For example, instead of saying, “We are going to grow through an acquisition of XYZ company to offer a cloud voice option,” set it up as “We are going to discuss potential ways to grow our topline revenue and transform our company. Be prepared to discuss your views on why and how.”

Instead of doing this: Make the process secretive and exclusive.

• When someone says, "We're doing a strategic plan," it's like the CIA showed up, and everything gets locked down. Suddenly, every conversation is behind closed doors. That's a bad idea! In the absence of information, people make it up, and what they imagine will NOT be positive, I can assure you.

Do this instead: Be open with your team about the strategic planning process.?

• Help them understand timelines and decisions. If you can be transparent on topics, be so. You can't in every instance, but your team will appreciate it when you do so.

Instead of doing this: Dictate the answers and don't have a discussion.

• The best way to have a bad strategy is to shut down dissent and discussion. No one does this better than a leader who dictates all the answers.?

Do this instead: The leader should be the referee and let the team talk.

• Ask questions, probe, whatever you do, don't dictate an answer, or you'll shut down the process.

Instead of doing this: Success is a great meeting.

• I've had many leaders walk out of a strategic planning session and say, "Wow. That was a great meeting." Unfortunately, no decisions were made, and literally nothing got done except spend an hour of people’s lives they won’t get back to go through a deck that didn’t lead to anything.

Do this instead: While I like having productive meetings, the measure of success in strategic planning is successful outcomes, not successful meetings. You're wise to keep this in mind. Maybe instead, focus on making great decisions.

Instead of doing this: Make it really academic.

• Don't you love having a great theoretical Business 101 discussion on the problems ailing the business? It just really gets to the heart of things, doesn't it?

Do this instead: Make sure topics are relevant and specific. If you pull data and information, it needs to be relevant to the issue, not some nice market research you did, no matter how long it took you and how pretty it looks.

Instead of doing this: Focus on the presentation.

• Let's just say PowerPoint fatigue is a real thing. Plus, the more you create, the more you feel like you have to present.

Do this instead: Discussion, not presentation. A slide is nothing more than a prop to have a conversation. Remember that!

Instead of doing this: Spend a lot of time on things with little to show for it.

• I have seen too many strategic planning efforts burn out the team. They work long nights, weekends, holidays, you name it. All of that time is just to make a PowerPoint deck that ultimately doesn't go anywhere.

Do this instead: Strategic planning is a process; it's not an output.

• It takes time to create a strategy because ideas have to be incubated, debated, and selected. Plus, building alignment and consensus requires taking small bites at the apple because people are at different places in their thinking and process differently at different speeds.
• Before you create a ton of work for the team, be clear about the outcomes, the process, and when work is really needed, and beyond that, let the process go.?

This is the best way to build a plan over time that has the buy-in of the team and has the highest likelihood of success.

How are you preparing for this moment?

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