COURSE AND DIRECTION - Client Corner

Q: What motivated CheckCare® to start strategic planning at this time and what were you hoping to achieve?

CheckCare® is a company of franchise owners. In recent years several regional franchises merged into one organization under the CheckCare® banner. Each organization had its own idea as to the appropriate direction for the company. We needed to see where we've been and where we wanted to go on many different fronts. We also wanted to bring these individually strong operations together to develop a common vision and realize the benefits of being part of one larger organization. We selected strategic planning as the framework for getting the senior managers on the same page and identifying objectives we need to pursue as a company over the next five years.

Q: How did you come across Simplified Strategic Planning?

I did an Internet search on "strategic planning" and that lead to a listing of strategic planning books. Your book came up near the top of the list. Compared to the other books I reviewed, Simplified Strategic Planning came across as a different and much simpler way to organize a strategic planning process. It looked like it would be easy to adapt to our business situation and had a step-by-step format and was presented in laymen's terms.

Q: What did you do to get other senior managers to buy in to doing strategic planning and using this particular process?

After identifying your process as a workable approach for CheckCare®, I went to our president and gave him a short overview. I took him through my research and some excerpts from the first chapter of Simplified Strategic Planning. Our president reviewed it with his partner, our COO, and got his buy-in.

With the three of us behind it, we approached the other owner/partners. Initially, we had some resistance. They were unsure why this was needed and felt that it was more important to just get out and sell more. It didn't take much to get two of them on board, but the other offered more resistance. With strong support and participation from our president, we decided to push ahead. As the process has unfolded our skeptic has come to see the value and is now a supporter of the process.

Q: Did you consider alternative process leaders inside or outside the company before you were chosen for the role?

We did briefly consider bringing an outside consultant in to lead the process, but after looking at the criteria you laid out in your book we felt we had sufficient skill to lead the process ourselves. My business experience at other companies and rank as the newest member of the senior management group made me the best fit for leading the process. I was able to bring a fresh perspective without being unbiased by too many years of experience as an insider.

Q: How did you prepare yourself to be the team leader?

I relied almost exclusively on your book. I created a Powerpoint presentation for each session from the guideline in your book. As you know, I also gave you a few phone calls to talk through the details of leading some of the exercises. We used flipcharts for taking notes and capturing thoughts of the team.

Q: How did you prepare the team and get their buy-in?

In hind site, we should have had each team member read your book or at least the first chapter in advance. But in our case, we brought them in cold, and I lead the charge explaining and doing the process as we worked through our meetings.

Q: How is the process going so far?

It's working great. Still have a long way to go, but it is clear that it is coming together. People see the value of contributing to the larger organization rather than just running their local operations.

It was fun to analyze our six segments and think through choices: which segments to expand, which to treat as cash cows or which to "kill" because it was not worth it to invest more resources. We got it down to four segments that we are targeting for strong growth. We also had lots of fun with strategic competencies and opportunities. These discussions got the team excited.

Q: Any suggestions or tips you would like to pass on to other users?

I really appreciate how available you have been to help coach me through the process, and I'd encourage others to take advantage of your invitation to call or e-mail with questions. I never felt "alone" and had lots of confidence that I was going about this in the right way.

Have the team read the first chapter before you start. It would be great if that chapter was available as an online download.

I would also advise leaders to read the entire book before starting the process. There is a lot of good stuff toward the end of the book about how to select sound strategies that is helpful to know as you are leading the team through the early sessions. With an understanding of the entire process it is much easier to follow the book and do it step-by-step.

This process has a lot of depth to it. I would encourage all to get as involved in the process as they can. We got a lot of mileage out of looking at competitive information and evaluating our competitors' share and strength in the market. But, there are lots of other parts we have yet to master. I'm looking forward to attending one of your seminars where you teach this process. The more you learn about the process the more you are able to use it to benefit your company.

For more information www.checkcare.com

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