Strategic planning workshops often get positioned as moments where businesses need to reinvent themselves.

In reality, that’s rarely the case.

More often than not, a strategic planning session is an opportunity to step back, take stock of where the business is today, and check whether the fundamentals are still serving the next phase of growth.

Before you jump into big ideas, ambitious goals, or new initiatives, it’s worth asking a simple question: are we still aligned on the fundamentals?

As businesses grow and evolve, it’s easy for core elements like your vision, purpose, values and brand promises to become less visible in day-to-day decision-making. They might still exist on paper, but are they actually being lived across the business?

Do people understand them?

Do they still feel relevant?

That’s where one of my favourite workshop activities comes in.

Watch the video below for a walkthrough or keep reading if that’s more your thing.

 

 

how the exercise works

 

This activity requires a little preparation before your workshop.

Start by printing the key business fundamentals onto large sheets of butcher’s paper and putting them up around the room.

This might include:

  • Vision
  • Purpose
  • Values
  • Brand promises
  • Strategic pillars
  • Customer commitments
  • Cultural principles

The bigger the better. You want people to be able to move around the room and engage with the content.

Once everything is displayed, hand each participant a collection of coloured sticky dots:

🟢  Yeah [Green]

🟡  Meh [Yellow/Orange]

🔴  Nah [Red]

Then ask them to walk around the room and place dots against the areas they feel best reflect the current state of the business.

 

what the colours mean

 

green: we’re aligned

Green indicates strong alignment.

The team understands it, believes in it, and feels it’s still relevant to where the business is heading.

These are the fundamentals you should continue reinforcing and living across the business.

 

red: something has changed

Red signals a disconnect.

Maybe the statement no longer reflects reality. Maybe the business has evolved.

Or perhaps the team simply doesn’t believe it represents who the organisation is today.

Either way, it deserves discussion.

 

yellow or orange: we’re not sure

These are often the most interesting.

A yellow or orange dot usually means one of three things:

  • The team doesn’t fully understand it.
  • It’s not being consistently lived.
  • It might need reviewing or clarifying.

These are often the areas that need greater clarity, communication or attention.

 

turning insights into action

 

One of the reasons I like this exercise is that it removes assumptions. Rather than leadership deciding what needs attention, the team shows you.

I typically allow around 15 minutes for the activity and often run it during a morning tea break. Give people as many dots as they want and encourage honest feedback.

Once everyone has finished, gather the team back together and look at the patterns. Where are the clusters of green dots? Where are the red dots? Which fundamentals are attracting uncertainty?

The real value isn’t the dots themselves. It’s the discussion that follows.

If something attracts a lot of green dots, the conversation becomes:

“How do we continue reinforcing this?”

If something attracts red dots:

“Is this still right for the business, or does it need to change?”

And where there are yellow or orange dots:

“Do we need greater clarity, communication, or further work in this area?”

The answers will quickly highlight where the next strategic conversation needs to go and help prioritise what matters most before moving into broader strategic planning discussions.

 

a simple way to check alignment

 

Not every strategic planning workshop needs to be about creating something new.

The Fundamentals Heat Map gives you a quick way to see what’s landing with the team and what might need some attention.

Before you start talking about the future, make sure you’re clear on the fundamentals.

They might be stronger than you think, or they might be the very thing holding you back.

 

we’re here to help 

If you’re running a strategic workshop or want to get more out of it, we can help guide you through the process.

Reach out to me at j.knight@businessdepot.com.au or give us a buzz on 1300BDEPOT.

 

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