achieve rock and role results through focus
Purpose:
To implement a strategic tool within the organization that provides focus and personal accountability by clearly defining the company’s goals and objectives.
Background:
Every organization requires results and specific outcomes to be successful. In order to achieve these goals, it is necessary that every individual in the organization knows what to do, how to do it, and why they are doing it, and that each receives feedback on his/her progress. Ultimately, the performance of any organization is the direct result of the performance of its employees.
Organizational Performance:
Company:
The Company achieves results through each department’s contribution
Department:
The department achieves results through each individual’s contribution
Individual:
The individual achieves results by knowing the goal, having clear expectations, and receiving on-going feedback.
A company achieves breakthrough results when there are clearly defined goals, objectives, and strategies at every level. When we write down our goals, we are more likely to achieve our outcomes. When we communicate these goals to the entire organization, employees experience a higher sense of worth, feel motivated to fulfill their purpose, feel comfortable giving and receiving support, and, therefore, they contribute at a higher level.
When an organization receives breakthrough results at every level, it increases profitability and is thereby able to provide the company, employees, community, and stockholders with additional benefits. Ask yourself this question: If your company consistently achieved breakthrough results, what would be different? In this process, you will have an opportunity to challenge yourself to think beyond profitability and define a greater purpose.
During John F. Kennedy’s presidency, he announced his goal for America was to put a man on the moon. One day he was touring NASA when he met and took time to speak with a man he later learned was the janitor. When he asked him what he did for NASA, the man’s response was, “I’m working to put a man on the moon.” What is the greater purpose in your organization that will motivate every employee with a clear sense of purpose?
In this process, you will have the opportunity to define the desired outcomes, strategies and tactics for your organization and for the departments and individuals within your organization. With this definition, your employees will have greater buy in, focus, personal accountability, and alignment to the overall goals and objectives of your organization.
Materials:
One copy per person of the Strategic Planning Model
Set Up:
There are three levels in which this process will occur: executive level, department level, and individual level. Depending on the size of the organization, you may modify this to two levels: executive level and individual level or department level and individual level.
The “Rock and Role” 1-3-5-3-1 Strategic Planning Process:
This process is best used when one Strategic Planning Worksheet has been completed for the company by the executive team then communicated to all of the employees prior to each employees’ creation of their own. This is what Jason Lindstrom referred to in his Focus + Accountability = Results article as the “Rock and Role” concept. The “Rock” represents the one big company goal (outcome), and the “Role” represents each employee’s part in achieving the overall company objective. For example, if the “Rock” is one million dollars in revenue, each of the “Roles” must exceed this number to ensure the overall outcome is achieved. A completed sample is included in the pdf download at the end of this process.
Level One: Executive Level Strategic Plan
Step One: Define Your Outcome
As an executive team, create an outcome that is very simple, measurable, and answers the question,
“What will your organization be able to do as a result of achieving the outcome?”
Some examples of this are:
- one million dollars in revenue will result in 100,000 people living in the homes of their dreams in 2008
- one million dollars in revenue will result in 200,000 lives changed in 2008
- one million dollars in revenue will result in 300,000 more jobs in 2008
When individuals within an organization realize the greater purpose of what they are doing, they develop a deeper level of buy-in that provides a stronger foundation for the accomplishment of the organization’s goals. They see that the organization is about more than just financial results.
Step Two: Create Strategies
As an executive team, create three strategies that will help you to achieve your outcome. Your strategies define how you will achieve your desired outcome.
Step Three: Create Tactics
Now that you have defined how you will achieve your outcome, create five tactics for each strategy. Tactics are what you will do to achieve each strategy.
Step Four: Obstacles
Determine three obstacles that you may experience that could interrupt achieving the outcome. Determining potential obstacles in advance allows the company to be more proactive so that when/if the obstacles appear, you will not be surprised. The next step is to determine how you will overcome them.
Step Five: Solutions
Now that you know what your potential obstacles may be, determine a proactive solution to each of the obstacles. By becoming proactive rather than reactive, you are more likely to stay on task, find solutions, and achieve your outcome. This is a very important part of the process.
Step Six: Communicate Your Strategic Plan
Now that you have clearly defined where you are going, what you will achieve, and how you will achieve it, it is time to communicate these definitions to all employees within your organization. Give each employee a copy. Depending on the size of your organization, either have one large meeting to discuss your strategic plan or meet with your supervisors, who will then take the definitions back to the employees within their departments.
Level Two: Department Level Strategic Plan
Each supervisor will now complete the Strategic Planning Model for his/her departments by completing the exact same six steps the executive team experienced.. They will then share the information with their employees.
Level Three: Individual Level Strategic Plan
Once the supervisors have shared the department strategic plan, each member of that department is to complete the Strategic Planning Model and share it with his/her supervisor.
Final Step:
Discuss the following questions: (Depending on the size of your organization, complete this in one large group or break into smaller groups.)
- What is the purpose of having a clearly defined outcome?
- What is the purpose of defining the outcome, strategies, tactics,
- What is the purpose of defining potential obstacles and solutions for the company as a whole then bringing the process down to every employee in the organization?
- How will this process affect the organization?
- How will this process affect you personally?
Conclusion:
By defining the outcomes the organization desires, performance increases. When organizations are committed to bringing out the best in individuals, there is a greater satisfaction for everyone involved. By continually providing tools that help employees focus and bring light to the bigger picture, the individual and collective results are more tangible. When everyone has a role in creating the outcome, there is greater personal accountability and focus. When people know the greater purpose of their roles and responsibilities, together, you build the momentum and focus required to reach your goals.
You can find an explaination of an organization’s Strategic Planning Worksheet in our feature article by Jason Lindstrom, General Manager of Keller Williams. Every agent and individual who works for Jason completes a personal Strategic Planning Worksheet that supports the “rock”—the company’s strategic goal. Therefore, Jason is able to make sure every person’s “role” will exceed that of the company goal. After they have completed their individual strategic plans, he reviews them with his agents, provides feedback, and makes modifications. He also asks his agents to ask themselves three daily questions:
What will it take to be a champion?
What will I do different to reach my next level?
What did I do to add revenue to my business today?
What questions will you ask to achieve breakthrough results in your business every day?
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