Vision and strategy are major aspects in terms of organisational growth and maturity. We support and flank those organisations which dare to deal with these topics – with a great mix of methodological guidance and playful spirit.
Starting Point: The need for focus
Organisations that want to live up to their potential need a vision. Furthermore, a strong vision leads to motivated employees. A vision is an ambition: a future goal of what the organization wants to become in a given timeframe. As ForChiefs we challenge and support leaders to not only define their ambitious vision but also a strategy on how to get there.
Why do organisations approach us?
Most organisations that reach out, are experiencing growing pains. They are in need of a common goal and clarity. In high-growth organisations there are many topics that need to be addressed, so that focus on every level and for every team is required. With a strong vision and mid-term strategic goals it becomes easier to concentrate on the essentials and to say „no“ to sidetracks that don’t contribute to a company’s vision.
The ForChiefs Approach: Leadership Clarity + Team Transparency
Ready for take-off?
When a leader or organisation is reaching out to ForChiefs, we start with a client call to carefully listen. We really want to understand the context and actual need of the organisation.
As a first common step we set up a workshop journey for the leadership team with the goal to create the common vision and the strategic pillars. With a set of creative and content-driven exercises, we formulate a vision as a “big hairy audacious goal (BHAG). This BHAG must be energizing and credible…but also “audacious”. That means: When you don’t even feel a little bit uncomfortable with the height of the ambition level, it’s not yet big enough. Once we have come to a common vision or BHAG, we define 5 strategic pillars that are essential to reach that vision. Afterwards we create focus by breaking it down further on to what vision and strategy specifically mean for the next 6-12 months.
Transparency and engagement is key
When this initial hard work is done, an equally important step begins: within another workshop day the leadership team presents the vision and strategic pillars they have worked upon to the whole company. Without engagement and support from the team, vision and strategy are useless. The goal of the leaders for this day is not only to communicate vision and strategy, but most importantly to listen:
The team has the opportunity to give feedback, framed in 3 types of reaction.
Questions – Questions result from a lack of information. Some aspects of the vision and strategy may not be sufficiently clear, hence there will be the need to explain in more detail.
Concerns – Concerns are doubts whether this is the right and realistic way forward. It could be that the organisation lacks the required skills, budget, or expertise.
Likes – Likes are the aspect of vision and strategy that energizes the team, that people can relate to and appreciate.
What’s next?
We believe that many answers and solutions are already there and can be addressed from within the whole team. We raise awareness that this is not the vision and strategy of the leadership team but of the company. Everyone pulls their weight to make the strategy work.
Provided with a strong vision, with strategic pillars, and a focus for the upcoming 6-12 months, the strategy journey pauses…but does not end.. We’ll be back on a regular basis to do pulse checks to translate the strategy to different teams and to empower the leaders to speed up the route towards the vision.
The ForChiefs Experience: Emotional desire + strategic plan
Our (not so ;)) secret ingredient is our approach to combine an emotional desire with a clear strategic plan on how to get there. This combination is also reflected in our exercises that can be creative and playful, but also content-driven and straight forward. So it might happen that you start off with drawing a picture and then derive your very rational KPI’s from these pictures.
What will you experience as a person:
We marry lightness with impact. You will be challenged, you will laugh, you will feel connected.
What will you experience as an organisation:
There will be clarity for the whole company about where you are heading and what every team needs to do to contribute to the vision. This direct link between individual work and the overall goal boosts motivation. Plus: Having taken and spent “offsite”-time with your (leadership) team strengthens connection.
Next Steps: Strong vision – happy end?
The vision and strategy journey is essential for setting the scene for the whole company. It often leads to questions such as „What does our vision mean for our leadership? What kind of values are required in order to reach the vision?“
And before you blink twice your moonshoot takes you to the next galaxies such as “leadership” or “culture”.
Recent clients:
Zenloop, Personio
ForChiefs experts:
Hugo Suidman, David Noël, Frank Ardesch & Louisa Plasberg