SBL Workshops – Facilitator Training

Agenda  Positioning SBL Workshops  Pre-Planning  Conducting the Workshops  Case Studies

POSITIONING SBL WORKSHOPS

Creating Demand for Strategic Workshops Reasons to Act  Your members joined TAB to work ON their business not IN it  To gain new perspective  To establish accountability

No Excuses  SBL can be used by businesses of all sizes and all levels of success. EXCUSES

This is actually a reason to begin Strategic Business Leadership! SBL helps you identify your most critical short- term company challenge and develop a plan to address that challenge immediately. I have a major company challenge right now

The SBL process honors that you are the driving force of your business and will have a deep hands-on involvement. To maximize the company’s success, you must move your focus away from the day-to- day aspects of operating your company. I am more “hands- on” than strategic by nature

SBL creates accountability to projected results that have been agreed upon. This is a challenge for some business owners because they go into business so they will not have to be accountable to anyone. I don’t want to be accountable to anyone else

SBL reduces wasted or misdirected time and helps eliminate your employees’ ineffective use of time. Instead, you will maximize your human resource investments. My company doesn’t have the resources or the time

Traditional strategic planning fails when applied to privately owned businesses because it was developed to work for large, publicly owned companies. I’ve tried strategic planning and it didn’t work

If your company is already successful, the SBL process will give you new insights into how to lead a company to achieve its full potential. Good is the enemy of great My company is very successful

Your company resources need to be used efficiently to successfully fight through tough economic times. The SBL process gives you the strategic tools to identify the essential changes needed, and the plans to carry out those changes most effectively. My company is facing tough economic times

The Need for Strategic Workshops  Members who are dissatisfied with info supplied by their direct reports will have an opportunity to create alignment through the workshops  The involvement of their entire leadership team serves to create a business less dependant on the member – and achieves more buy-in on the plan  Their business will improve – isn’t that the idea?

Benefits of a Workshop  NOT A RETREAT!  This term is seen as negative and defensive  Use Workshop, revival, strategic session, but do not call it a retreat  Dedicate time to the improvement of the company  Liberate your member from the day to day issues and problems  Lay the groundwork for success  This is an energizing event

Benefits of Being Offsite  Getting away  The site needs to be neutral so the existing power dynamics are reduced.  No one’s home turf.  No interruptions  Offsite prevents walk in interruptions  Ban personal communication devices  Increases perceived importance  Focus

Creating Demand for Strategic Sessions  Integrate SBL live in board meetings at least three times per year  November/December Meetings  Establish Next Year’s Strategic Plan  April/May Meetings  First Tertial Accountability  August/September Meetings  Second Tertial Accountability

PRE-WORK

Who Attends the Workshop  Key decision makers  Owners, Managers  Partners/Shareholders  Passive investors  Up and coming stars  Shake it up  Gets new ideas/perspective  Recognition

Pre-Work for the Workshop  DiSC and PIAV Profiles  All participants  TAB Vantage – Assessment & Gap Analysis  Key for SWOT  Objective Call to Action  Company Financial Reports  Last Year’s Plan – Review Make sure all attendees can access SBL prior to workshop

Facilitator Advice "I always conduct a session with the CEO/member to talk through what he/she would like to achieve in the workshop. While I generally lay out a potential framework similar to what is here, I find it’s best to let them weigh in on what outcomes they’re hoping to achieve and buy-in to the proposed process. Many times this leads to an additional step of interviewing workshop participants prior to the workshop to make sure we’re calibrating our approach properly, get a heads up of any toxic people or significant issues that could be problematic."

CONDUCTING THE WORKSHOP

Agenda for the Workshop DAY 1 AGENDADAY 2 AGENDA 8:30-8:45: Opening Comments 8:45-9:15: TABenos Exercise 9:15-10:00: Review DISC & PIAV 10-10:45: A Look in the Rear View Mirror 10:45-11:00: Break 11:00-12:00: Create Company Vision 12:00-1:00: Lunch 1:00-2:00: Review Vantage Reports 2:00-3:00: Create Company SWOT 3:00-3:15: Break 3:15-4:30: Create Critical Success Factors 4:30-5:30: Create Goals for Each CSF 8:30-10:00: Establish or Revise Strategies for Each Goal 10:00-10:15: Break 10:15-11:45: Develop SMART Action Plans for Each Strategy 11:45-12:00: Takeaways & Next Steps 12:00 Workshop End

Conducting the Workshop  Team Building  TABenos Exercise  DiSC and Values Discussion with Charts  A Look in the Rear View Mirror  Financial Results  Goal results from prior year (if any)

Conducting the Workshop  A Look at the Big Picture  Writing a new Company Vision  Use SBL live on screen  Show the Fishman Video  Electronically “Flip Chart” answers to the Exercises  Document draft in SBL real time  Reviewing the Existing Company Vision  Show on screen and make revisions

Company Vision  Components of a Company Vision  What is your market position?  What will your company do?  What geographical markets do you want to be in?  What particular market segment will you focus on?  How do you treat your stakeholders (customers, employees, vendors, etc)?  What is your cultural statement?

Sample Business Vision Statement  To be a high-quality, custom solutions provider employing state-of-the-art metal fabrication technology within the metal fabrication industry.  To manufacture our products in the USA.  To sell solution metal fabrication products throughout North America through a sophisticated selling system.  To have an enlightened, skilled, dynamic, forward- thinking management team supporting and directing a motivated, loyal and flexible workforce.  To develop non-customized products/commodity products that could be bought in bulk by distributors.  To stay with, although not necessarily be on, the leading edge of new state-of-the-art materials.

Conducting the Workshop  A Look in The Mirror  Review Vantage Reports  Produce a custom report showing all attendees responses  Focus on top priorities and top gaps  Positive Gaps + Strengths  Negative Gaps = Weaknesses

Conducting the Workshop  A Look in The Mirror  Recording a new SWOT  Use SBL live on screen  Show the Fishman Video  Electronically “Flip Chart” answers to the Exercises  Document draft in SBL real time  Reviewing the Existing SWOT  Show on screen and make revisions  Incorporate the Vantage Results  Compare to prior vantage scores

A Look in the Mirror Company SWOT Company S trengths Company O pportunities Company W eaknesses Company T hreats

A Look in the Mirror  Company Strengths  Those strengths possessed to a greater extent by your company than by the competition.  Examples:  Products  Geographic Markets  Customer, Client or User Segments  Sales and Marketing  Must look at the owner’s strengths

Sample Strengths Statement  Our reputation for quality workmanship in our products and a talented, experienced engineering team.  Our firm is renowned for the unusual level of customization we offer at reasonable pricing levels.  Our product line in our niche market has been exceptionally successful.  We have loyal customers who count on our precision components to “fit first time, every time.”  Consistently meeting—and even exceeding—our customers’ expectations results in a high rate of repeat business from shopping center and commercial building contractors.

A Look in the Mirror  Company Weaknesses  Identify the major weaknesses of your company.  Focus on weaknesses possessed to a greater extent by your organization than by your primary competition.  Look for characteristics responsible for product failure.  Most owners want to focus on strengths and ignore weaknesses.  Must look at the owner’s weaknesses

Sample Weakness Statement  Lack of focus by CEO on Big Picture items.  Quality-control problems due to way employees are compensated.  Company sales are more dependent on one salesperson than the other, causing her to be overburdened.  No formally designed sales structure or systems for prospecting for new business.  Inventory turn rate is low and ties up capital.  75% of receivables are over 30 days, even though the sales terms of the company are net 30 days.  Shipping costs are high which limits our ability to ship outside a certain radius.

A Look in the Mirror  Company Opportunities  What internal or external opportunities exist that:  If eliminated, changed or improved could have major positive impact.  If capitalized on by the company could have major positive impact.  Owner may have an opportunity that can aid the organization.

A Look in the Mirror Opportunities may exist because of: Raw Materials Competition Capital Legislation Economic Trends Changes Taking Place with Your Customers New Product/Service Environmental Changes

Sample Opportunity Statement  Create a Planning Team that will meet weekly to discuss company challenges and opportunities.  Produce a new aluminum line as an adjunct to our current products.  Get ISO certification and form strategic alliances to improve our cost structure and open new markets in other countries.  Modernize the fabrication plant to lower the number of production personnel hours.  Enter a larger market in a city within our current market  Develop a distribution strategy to attract new distributors around the country.

A Look in the Mirror  Company Threats  What has a real possibility to happen in the future to hurt your company, but over which you have no real control.  You can prepare for threats, but you can’t stop them from happening, only react to them.  Add owners threats (illness, incapacitation)

Sample Threat Statement  Threat of new competition from composite materials replacing steel in our type of products in the future.  New competitor from 200 miles away who may secure our customers with lower pricing.  May lose our good sales representative(s) due to the lack of sales plan.  Growing unionization of welders locally is a threat to our hiring capable welders within our current wage range.

Conducting the Workshop  A Look to Focus  Defining the Critical Success Factors  Use SBL live on screen  Show the Fishman Video  If there is conflict use facilitative techniques to gain consensus  Document draft in SBL real time  Reviewing the Existing Critical Success Factors  Show on screen and make revisions  Remove Satisfied Factors

Conducting the Workshop  A Look at What  Establish Goals for each CSF  Start with the Critical Success Factor  Use SBL live on screen  Show the Fishman Video  Use SMART criteria  Document draft in SBL real time  Close out or update any existing Goals

Conducting the Workshop  A Look at How  Create Strategies for each Goal  Conceptual in Nature, broad areas of direction  Use SBL live on screen  Show the Fishman Video  Document draft in SBL real time  Any surviving strategies need to be questioned for effectiveness

Conducting the Workshop  A Look at Getting it Done  Create Action Plans for each Goal  Document the at least next three actions that must take place for each strategy  Use the SMART Criteria  All steps must be assigned, and given a due date  Use SBL live on screen  Show the Fishman Video  Document draft in SBL real time  Any existing Action Plans must be reviewed for the responsible party and the due date

Conducting the Workshop  A Look at Accountability  Create Follow Up Plans to keep plan current  Weekly Scrum Meetings  Monthly Coaching Sessions  Periodic offsite workshops to update  Periodic Board reviews

CASE STUDIES

Case Studies  Insurance Agency: 30+ Employees  Each November Owners and Facilitator  Update SWOT  Determine 3 to 5 Critical Success Factors  December All Hands Meeting  Review Vision  Conduct SWOT Exercise – compare to owners version  Adopt or change CSFs  A Critical Success Leader named for each CSF

Case Studies  Insurance Agency: 30+ Employees  Critical Success Leaders (CSL) Meeting with facilitator for SBL training and Leadership Training  Owners Meeting with facilitator and CSLs to define Goals  CSLs hold work session to develop Strategies and Action Plans  January each CSL presents plan at a company wide meeting  Owners meet with CLS monthly for updates

Case Studies  Engineering Firm: Five Partners  1 ½ Day Annual Offsite at a local college  Session lasts 8 hours  Vision, SWOT and CSFs and Goals discussed as a group  One Goal assigned to each partner.  All partners bring laptops and took about 2 hours working alone to develop Strategies and Actions Plans

Case Studies  Engineering Firm: Five Partners  Each partner presents goal and plan to group for feedback  Plans revised and on the half day offsite each presented a final plan incorporating feedback.  Progress reviewed every other week as a group  Facilitated quarterly - offsets need for major revisions

Case Studies  IT Consulting Firm: Located in three states  4 day offsite in Scottsdale  Secondary Goal: Create a coordinated next generation of leaders - owner to move to chairman  License purchased for each location  Each brought laptop to offsite  Discussed each step in SBL and let each leader develop and present section for feedback

Case Studies  IT Consulting Firm: Located in three states  Final day, each leader presented overall plan  Plan dates and deliverables were coordinated and finalized  Weekly 30 minutes facilitated Scrums to maintain momentum  Periodic half day sessions for revisions

WIIFM  FUN  TRAVEL  MONEY  MEMBER RETENTION  WHY WE DO THIS

Assets to Market Workshops  SBL Workshop Case Study: Don Barker  SBL Whiteboard Video  SBL Workshop Brochure  SBL Workshop Webpage – for your Satellite Site  Sales Presentation All assets available in SBL Workshop section of Tools Toolkit – on Facilitator Intranet