Originally sent on January 16, 2023

Hi Barb,

Early in my career, there were mysterious positions called “Planners” in our agency. I didn't like them.

Don’t get me wrong. I liked them as people. It’s what they did. Planning. It confused me. I don’t like feeling confused. And I found planning to be a waste of time.

For example, it wasn’t often clear to me why we were planning. They might have referred to our employer’s mission statement, but it wasn't central to our discussions.

We'd go round and round about goals and objectives. To this day, I get those two terms mixed up.

And frequently, after we created some kind of plan, that would be the last we heard of it.

Does this resonate with you?

And do you think you need a plan? If so, help is on the way! Trina Walker and I are offering a workshop “HELP! We need a plan!” in February.

The planning framework we’ll introduce isn’t confusing! We’ll help you get crystal clear about your:

• WHY your purpose (mission and vision)
• HOW you operate (values)
• WHAT direction you are going (strategic priorities)
• WHAT you will do to get there (action steps)

We'll show you how to lead your group through this planning process yourself, and how to keep your plan relevent as change happens, because it will.

Watch for emails from me about how you can guide your team through the fog!

Warmly,

Barb Bickford

"Help! We Need a Plan!" -- Save the dates!

Align your organization toward united action! In less time that you'd think possible, you can both draft a Why-focused mission statement and gain new insights on how to implement your Why in 2023.

Block off two mornings now, February 10 and 17, on your calendar and watch for emails to register for this time-saving, interactive and fun workshop.

Strategy Knotworking

Strategy Knotworking is an approach for shaping the future while creatively adapting in the moment. Read about it here. Learn more about knotworking in the Pro-Tip, below.

Need a grant?

Often having a plan is a requirement of applying for grants. Other things matter too. I recently came across two resources for organizations seeking grants to support their good work. One is a 7 Step Guide for successfully applying for grants. The other is a self-paced online course on writing grants.

Note: Although I've not used these myself, they look good, and I'd appreciate feedback about them. By the way, I don't receive anything for recommending these resources.

Recent Blog posts

-- The Why, How and What of Planning
-- Feeling stuck? Ecocycle can help
-- Use Ecocycle Planning to leverage what isn’t working

My current workshops and courses

When your context is knotty -- try strategy knotworking!!

What do you do when you have a knot in a shoelace or ball of yarn? You gently work at the edges of the knot to find gaps for untangling it.

This knotty metaphor applies in complex situations when your way forward isn’t clear.

There are questions that you can use to help your group work the edges of your knotted intentions. The questions are:

PURPOSE: What is the fundamental justification for the existence of our work? Why is this work important to us and the wider community? How do we justify our work to others?

CONTEXT: What is happening around us that demands creative change? What is happening around us that demands a fresh/new/novel approach (creative adaptation and change)?

CHALLENGE: What paradoxical challenges must we face to make progress?

BASELINE: Where are we starting, honestly?

AMBITION: Given our purpose, what seems possible now?

ACTION & EVALUATION: How are we acting our way toward the future, evaluating what is possible as we go? How are we moving/breaking away from the present and moving toward the future? How do we know?

Use all the questions or use just one of them to generate lively conversation that will help your group untangle its thoughts and find its way.

Want more tips? Access Ten Tips to Foster Online Engagement.

If you were forwarded this email and want to subscribe click here