touchstone

Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the
men of old; seek what they sought. (Basho)

Zen is known for its “sayings.” Often called “koans”, Zen literature offers puzzles for the mind and spirit.  Based on my appreciation for Zen and for its cousin, Taoism, I have developed an approach to planning that is both provocative and simple to do. It needs to be provocative because all planning is about changing people and to change people you need to not only stir the pot but instill in others the desire to stir it too. 

I have borrowed from Zen and Taoism to develop what I call a Strategic Touchstone. It is strategic in that it focuses on the big picture of where you are now and where you choose to be down the road. And it is a touchstone because it serves as as guide in terms of values and the metrics you use to understand progress.  

These are the major elements of the Strategic Touchstone approach.

Understand and respect tradition before you decide to change it.
It is worthwhile to ensure the organization and its people understand what has brought them to where they are, the values, the culture, and the practices that help to ensure “success.”  This step is important in order to understand what you need to PRESERVE during your change process.

Understand what is going on now and how things work.
You are engaging in strategic thinking and planning because you have a sense that something is not right, or something needs to change. Looking honestly within and without and assessing how things are working right now also contributes to understanding what you need to PRESERVE but also what aspects of your work require adjustment, innovation, or CHANGE.

Engage in “right” thinking about who you are, what you do, and why you do it.
“Right thinking” is not about thinking the right answers as much as it is about being open, transparent, and honest about identity, the actions you undertake, and the reasons why you take those actions. “Right thinking” is also values based. It is an approach that honors dialog and investigation; it accepts struggle as part of the process to achieve clarity. And when “right thinking” is done right, alignment emerges.

Identify “right” actions and behave accordingly
It may seem redundant, but the plans we create require not only “right thinking” but “right actions.”  Clarity around goals, measures, roles, accountabilities and common agreement to behave (i.e. to work and act) in ways that bring actions to their intended results must be addressed in a plan for it to come alive.

Engage failures as the means to achieve progress.
Change carries risk. There will be ideas that do not pan out. There will be actions that for whatever reason fall short of the mark. An organization that punishes its failures or is perceived to do so will be hardpressed to learn from them. The intent here is to understand that if there are failures, it is best if the organization can fail forward.

Focus on all that will move you forward
Often plans are overwhelming. There is so much to do and such complexity to achieving our intentions and goals that we can be tempted to find reasons to stall actions or sidetrack ourselves. Focusing on those things that can be done RIGHT NOW to move forward is what the literature often call the low hanging fruit. Even more important than achieving some immediate successes is the momentum it creates in the organization to keep travelling in the right direction.

Know what you have accomplished.
It can be difficult to “claim” a result. Does someone in a substance abuse rehab program who quits drinking do that solely because of the rehab program?  Maybe. But can it be proven? Sometimes.  We have made measurement of results so complex that we often stop ourselves from accepting our role in the overall context of change that a person undergoes to, in the aforementioned example, become sober. Systems of measurement that cling to only quantitative indicators or metrics are barriers sometimes to knowing the difference we make in people’s lives. Simple yet meaningful approaches to measurement that include the stories of change not just the metrics require our embrace.

 THE PRODUCT AND PROCESS OF THE TOUCHSTONE
The Strategic Touchstone product is different from the traditional strategic plan. Long and detailed strategic plans quickly become dated as an organization moves forward, deals with emerging issues and changes in the environment. 

The Strategic Touchstone is a brief document (5 to 7 pages) that is created to frame the strategies and action plans of the organization.  It is not a formula product and will look different for each organization, but it will contain those elements of your “journey” that stand the test of time. It includes mission and vision, but also offers overarching strategic directions, guiding principles and values, attributes the organization must have to achieve its intentions, and an explicit commitment to advancing a culture and climate that will facilitate success.

The document can serve as a strategic board policy document as well as serve as THE document used throughout the organization as it develops and nurtures specific strategies, implementation plans and corresponding measures of success.

The process of creating it is not a formula either. It is a custom developed, well planned experience the organization must commit to in order to reach the final product. While the specific elements will vary, the process includes not only plans and tools of engagement and dialog but the provision of learning about engagement and dialog.  For example, “dialog” is defined collaboratively. Learning takes place not only about facilitation but what the attributes are of a facilitative individual, group, and organization.

This is where we excel – in the creation of process that is tailored to your organization as opposed to offering a canned approached you must fit into.

Contact Mark for more info. Or call 780-244-8686