Executing the business plan

Overview

Annual business plans are shaped around the progress made over the previous 12 months and take into account changes in the business needs, opportunities their markets offer and the resources available to them. Marshalling the internal resources, whether teams or groups of specialists, so as to ensure continual working in a concerted and strategic fashion to achieve the business plan, is a rare skill – especially given the fast-paced nature of business today, which can frequently require changes in direction. With the inherent challenges that executives face when working together, from the internal politics to the sometimes lack of clarity over objectives, this programme outlines a process to follow that develops a wider understanding of realistic objectives, that provides a strategy to deliver key milestones and that gives a tool for enhancing team involvement in the business plan vision.

Training objectives

The programme will help participants to:

• Break the business plan down into its constituent parts/strands and ensure that a strategy is built to implement them
• Audit the progress of each strand of the business plan against where it needs to be
• Validate the continuing relevance of each strand based on the current business situation
• Recalibrate the objectives of each strand as needed
• Understand the internal resources available and the external influencers that need to be considered
• Devise the most appropriate strategy for the business plan’s execution, including the influencing of external groups as well as internal stakeholders

Audience

All executives and teams responsible for, and involved in, business plan delivery. The programme can be adjusted to suit the specific participants.

Format

The programme is in two parts. The first runs for half a day and is an outline suitable for the C-level responsible for execution. The second part runs for either 2 or 3 days (consecutively or as separate workshops over a period of weeks) and is suitable for the teams responsible for business strategy delivery. Both parts are highly interactive, with part 2 having a particularly strong emphasis on the actual situation faced by the business – it is all about implementing your plan.

Special features

One of the benefits of a tailor-made programme is that we can build the programme, case studies and exercises around real situations facing your organisation. This degree of customisation helps participants to see much more easily how the key points from the programme can be applied to their situation. The course outline below is an example of the type of programme we can construct and deliver. The content, duration, objectives and material used can all be tailored to suit your specific needs. A particular feature of this programme is that we recommend that all participants complete a self-analysis questionnaire ahead of the course. The trainer will collate the results, in confidence, using his own software tools.

The expert trainer

Michael is a highly experienced commercial director and business coach. With a particular expertise in sales and negotiation strategy, he specialises in working with companies who can benefit from a team approach to delivering their business strategy. An experienced trainer, coach and facilitator, Michael’s work places a special focus on introducing the key stakeholder management processes and negotiation strategies that are necessary for organisational success. Michael has 25 years’ business experience at a senior, as well as global, level. Over the past five years he has coached, consulted to and trained teams at leading FTSE and multinational companies as well as the UK Government on their business strategy. From retail to rail, financial to FMCG, chemicals to construction and assignments in the power, mining and insurance sectors, Michael’s work is both powerful and effective in helping company’s teams transform the way they execute strategy and deliver business opportunities.

Course outline

1. Stakeholder management
   • Mapping the Importance and Influence ‘GID’ stakeholder grid
   • Mapping a shadowing strategy for influencing key stakeholders
2. Influencing strategies for third-party stakeholders
   • Identifying and understanding needs of all stakeholder parties
   • Tactical strategies
   • Preparation
3. Negotiating strategies for primary discussions, eg, clients, suppliers, internal, joint venture partners, etc
   • Considering negotiation styles
   • Expected bargaining positions
   • Identifying and understanding needs of all stakeholder parties
   • Tactical strategies
   • Preparation
4. Team working and team roles
   • Team role profiling – who is suited to what
   • The role of coaching to support
5. Team alignment
   • Processes to aligning a high performing team
   • Creating vision, identity, environment
   • Understanding team values and beliefs
   • Recognising skills and capabilities required
   • Setting behaviours through processes and activities
6. Group-ism versus teams
   • Understanding the difference between group-ism and team-ism
   • The value of group working versus team working
   • Managing the role of specialist groups in delivering strategy
7. Goal setting
   • The GROW process – goal, reality, options, way forward
   • The GRIP process – goal, reality, importance and implication, plan
8. Management reporting needs
   • Internal processes
   • Audit routines to monitor progress and assess recalibration as needed