Team Alignment and Strategic Planning

Why You Need The Real Strategy

Some organizations think that setting lofty goals first and then brainstorming ways to meet them is building a strategy. It is not. We know from experience that teams attempting to build a solid strategy without having the trust of their team members and the ability to engage in open debate will result in a strategic plan that lacks both clarity and buy-in. In other words, they end up with an impressive-looking document that lacks substance and actionability.

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The Refinery Difference

Team Alignment and Strategic Planning

We believe that a Strategic Plan cannot be done without first aligning the team that is working on it. We know from our 20+ years experience that teams attempting to build a solid strategy without first having the trust of their team members and the ability to engage in open debate will ultimately result in a strategic plan that lacks both clarity and buy-in to be effectively executed. Our four-step process of Define, Diagnose, Leverage, Act enables organizations to get real about where they’re at versus where they want to be, understand what is standing in their way and identify their clear winning strategies for success.

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The Real Strategy

The Real Strategy consists of four modules, delivered in an in-person environment or virtually. Over the course of the modules we help clients build trust and psychological safety on their team, then guide them through the process of defining their desired future state, diagnosing challenges that stand between where they are today and where they want to be, and developing concrete goals and action plans. Our well-researched, practical methods are combined with unique tools, expert facilitation, and the human development work that Refinery is known for. We ask good questions, poke, prod, and engage our clients in productive discussions that not only inform the process but makes things real.

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Module 1: Team Alignment

(2 Days)

During this first phase, we focus on building trust and Psychological safety with the team using experiential activities and team discussions. This sets the groundwork for healthy conflict and debate on the team which is critical to create a meaningful and impactful strategic plan. (Note: This Module can be delivered as a stand-alone workshop for an executive retreat.)

Learning outcomes include:

Understanding the importance of team alignment in the strategy-building process
Building trust and psychological safety on your team
Defining the stage of your team’s lifecycle and what is standing in the way of its progress
Gaining skills to have productive conflict and debate
Creating Rules of Engagement for the team to activate during the strategy-building process

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Modules 2 and 3: Creating Your Strategy

(3 Days)

This phase is broken into two Modules, Module 2 (2 days) and Module 3 (1 day). In this phase we introduce and apply the Refinery Strategic Planning process:

Define: What is your organization’s Hedgehog? Target clients? Desired Future State? Competitive and Environmental strengths and challenges?

Diagnose: Where are you at, compared to where you want to be? What is standing in your way? How will you prioritize what you should work on first?

Leverage: How will you use your organizational strengths to overcome what is standing in the way of your Desired Future State?

Act: What are the specific initiatives that you will enact to accomplish your strategy? Who will be accountable? What is your timeline? How will you measure success?

Learning outcomes include:

Review of the Refinery 4-Step Strategic Planning process
Understanding what is a good strategy
Reviewing your Hedgehog: What makes your organization unique and valuable? What should be driving your strategic decisions?
Reviewing your Key Client Profile, Competitors and Environmental threats
Using the Growth Mindset to get in the strategic mindset
Defining your Desired Future State and aligning with your Hedgehog, Vision, Mission , Purpose
Identifying the barriers between your Current State and your Desired Future State
Converting barriers to opportunities
Prioritizing opportunities, defining success and creating meaningful action plans that support your strategy

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Module 4: Report-Out

(1/2 Day)

This final phase allows the leaders from your strategic planning team to report out their Team Action plans that will activate your strategic plan. We will also discuss the plan to communicate the strategic plan to your organization’s various stakeholder groups.

Learning outcomes include:

Learning how to hold teams accountable for Action Plans
Monitoring progress of your Action Plans/defining cadence and structure of check-ins
How to develop a comprehensive stakeholder communication plan for your Strategy

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Post-Planning Support

After your strategic plan is activated, our consultants will meet with your leadership team on a quarterly basis to check in on the Team Action Plan progress and provide team coaching on any challenges that have come up in the past quarter. The intent is to ensure that your strategic plan produces real, tangible results that impact your organization’s performance.

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